Who Should Rule at Home?

Confronting the Elite in British New York City

Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States, Colonial Period (1600-1775)
Cover of the book Who Should Rule at Home? by Joyce D. Goodfriend, Cornell University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Joyce D. Goodfriend ISBN: 9781501708039
Publisher: Cornell University Press Publication: March 7, 2017
Imprint: Cornell University Press Language: English
Author: Joyce D. Goodfriend
ISBN: 9781501708039
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Publication: March 7, 2017
Imprint: Cornell University Press
Language: English

In Who Should Rule at Home? Joyce D. Goodfriend argues that the high-ranking gentlemen who figure so prominently in most accounts of New York City’s evolution from 1664, when the English captured the small Dutch outpost of New Amsterdam, to the eve of American independence in 1776 were far from invincible and that the degree of cultural power they held has been exaggerated. The urban elite experienced challenges to its cultural authority at different times, from different groups, and in a variety of settings.

Goodfriend illuminates the conflicts that pitted the privileged few against the socially anonymous many who mobilized their modest resources to creatively resist domination. Critics of orthodox religious practice took to heart the message of spiritual rebirth brought to New York City by the famed evangelist George Whitefield and were empowered to make independent religious choices. Wives deserted husbands and took charge of their own futures. Indentured servants complained or simply ran away. Enslaved women and men carved out spaces where they could control their own lives and salvage their dignity. Impoverished individuals, including prostitutes, chose not to bow to the dictates of the elite, even though it meant being cut off from the sources of charity. Among those who confronted the elite were descendants of the early Dutch settlers; by clinging to their native language and traditional faith they preserved a crucial sense of autonomy.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In Who Should Rule at Home? Joyce D. Goodfriend argues that the high-ranking gentlemen who figure so prominently in most accounts of New York City’s evolution from 1664, when the English captured the small Dutch outpost of New Amsterdam, to the eve of American independence in 1776 were far from invincible and that the degree of cultural power they held has been exaggerated. The urban elite experienced challenges to its cultural authority at different times, from different groups, and in a variety of settings.

Goodfriend illuminates the conflicts that pitted the privileged few against the socially anonymous many who mobilized their modest resources to creatively resist domination. Critics of orthodox religious practice took to heart the message of spiritual rebirth brought to New York City by the famed evangelist George Whitefield and were empowered to make independent religious choices. Wives deserted husbands and took charge of their own futures. Indentured servants complained or simply ran away. Enslaved women and men carved out spaces where they could control their own lives and salvage their dignity. Impoverished individuals, including prostitutes, chose not to bow to the dictates of the elite, even though it meant being cut off from the sources of charity. Among those who confronted the elite were descendants of the early Dutch settlers; by clinging to their native language and traditional faith they preserved a crucial sense of autonomy.

More books from Cornell University Press

Cover of the book Casualties of History by Joyce D. Goodfriend
Cover of the book Conventional Deterrence by Joyce D. Goodfriend
Cover of the book Curse on This Country by Joyce D. Goodfriend
Cover of the book The Control Agenda by Joyce D. Goodfriend
Cover of the book The Secret Within by Joyce D. Goodfriend
Cover of the book We'll Call You If We Need You by Joyce D. Goodfriend
Cover of the book New Labor in New York by Joyce D. Goodfriend
Cover of the book State-Building by Joyce D. Goodfriend
Cover of the book From Silence to Voice by Joyce D. Goodfriend
Cover of the book Secession and Security by Joyce D. Goodfriend
Cover of the book Excavating Modernity by Joyce D. Goodfriend
Cover of the book The Electrification of Russia, 1880–1926 by Joyce D. Goodfriend
Cover of the book Unending Design by Joyce D. Goodfriend
Cover of the book The Triangle Fire by Joyce D. Goodfriend
Cover of the book A Fight for the Soul of Public Education by Joyce D. Goodfriend
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy