Life in Early Philadelphia: Documents from the Revolutionary and Early National Periods

Billy Smith

Nov 2010 · Penn State Press

About this ebook

The meaning of American history has rarely been contested more fiercely than during the current &"culture wars&" as Americans battle to define their past. Life in Early Philadelphia can contribute much to a reasoned discussion by giving readers the rare opportunity to interpret and reconstruct life in the country's premier urban center at a time when Americans struggled to establish their independence and to create a new nation. Covering the period from about 1775 to 1810, these remarkable documents reveal glimpses of the lives of everyday men and women&—from the impoverished, imprisoned, and enslaved to the &"middling sort&" and the wealthy. Each document is prefaced by a helpful introduction and is extensively annotated. A general introduction, glossary, bibliography, and guide to further reading make the book ideal for students and general readers. Taken as a whole, this collection reveals much about the shaping of American society.

About the author

Billy G. Smith is Professor of History at Montana State University. He is the author of The &"Lower Sort&": Philadelphia's Laboring People, 1750&–1800 (1990) and the co-editor of Blacks Who Stole Themselves: Advertisements for Runaways in the Pennsylvania Gazette, 1728-1790 (1989) and The Infortunate: The Voyage and Adventures of William Moraley, an Indentured Servant (Penn State, 1992).