LINES OF THE DAY

". . . But the past does not exist independently from the present. Indeed, the past is only past because there is a present, just as I can point to something over there only because I am here. But nothing is inherently over there or here. In that sense, the past has no content. The past -- or more accurately, pastness -- is a position. Thus, in no way can we identify the past as past." p. 15

". . . But we may want to keep in mind that deeds and words are not as distinguishable as often we presume. History does not belong only to its narrators, professional or amateur. While some of us debate what history is or was, others take it into their own hands." p. 153

Silencing the Past: Power and the Production of History (1995) by Michel-Rolph Trouillot

Friday, February 22, 2013

India Muslins! Thomas Cruse Has Received For Sale!


I've been looking at Richmond, VA papers regarding the 1800 Gabriel Insurrection Conspiracy while James Monroe was governor.

The stories in the papers surrounding, for instance, the announcement of Monroe's Proclamation to hunt down Gabriel are equally interesting: the Alexandria Jockey Club Races get much more column inches than the Proclamation, an advertisement for a run-away slave gets a much larger size font; India muslins have arrived to surely great relief of the ladies of Richmond now that they too can dress in the style of Joséphine Bonaparte. It's fascinating reading John V. Thomas's announcement of the stationers' goods that have arrived at his store and particularly the list of new novels that have arrived from England. (I didn't recognize any of the titles. Evidently authoring forgettable fiction is an old tradition. :)

 But most of the papers' stories are of the French Republic and the consequent European imbroglios, including the pretender to the French Crown seeking asylum in either Russia or London.

And then, I run into James Callendar's shilling for Jefferson, which two years' later, after being imprisoned for libel, and Jefferson doing nothing about that, and not even paying him with either cash or position, turned into serious resentment and desire to hurt >>> soon we will be reading about Jefferson's Dusky Sally ....

Gads, isn't online brilliant?
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