Customer Reviews

Forgotten Americans: Footnote Figures Who Changed American History

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"Forgotten Americans" is a worthy attempt to bring back to our collective memory some historical figures who have been tarnished by history or just only briefly mentioned, if at all, in contemporary school books. Randall and Nahra pick their subjects ranging from the settling of the American Colonies to the early twentieth century. Some of the chapters discuss the neglected aspects of famous Americans, Thomas Jefferson and his vacation or Benjamin Franklin's shattered relationship with his Loyalist son, William; other chapters explore early abolitionists, Indian fighters, suffragists, evangelists and other Americans who, although not be remembered, shaped our country. "Forgotten Americans" is a illuminating exploration of our historical backwaters. Recommended.

This book is a wonderful way of learning history. By focusing on very ordinary people (or on forgotten figures) who experienced extraordinary events, Randall has once more demonstrated how studying American history can be both informative and downright fun. I liked it very much. It might lack the depth of his earler works on Arnold, Franklin, Jefferson, and Washington, but it is still worth the read and, in the end, we learn some very interesting stories about our history!

It galls me, frankly, that the only claim to fame which most "celebrities" have today is their ability to attract attention to themselves and thereby become famous. I was stewing about that as I read this book, learning a great deal about several authentically remarkable Americans. Its title is somewhat misleading. Most of those discussed by Randall and Nehra have not been "forgotten"; rather, most are unfamiliar to most readers. For example: Anne Marbury Hutchinson, Tom Quick, Margaret Shippen Arnold, Charles Grandison Finney, Charlotte Forten, and Louis Sockalexis. (Other than Jefferson, obviously, I recognized Myra Colby Bradwell because I attended an elementary school in Chicago named after her. I also had a dim idea of Tadeusz Kosciuszko's importance to the American Revolution.) Point is, each of those discussed deserves appreciation which, to date, has been denied them. Randall and Nahra have written a book which (hopefully) will address that neglect. More importantly, they have helped those who read this book to gain a much greater appreciation of the scope, depth, and diversity of the human context of this nation's creation and development over a period of more than two centuries. Also, readers are reminded of the obvious (but not always acknowledged) fact that most of the authentic heroes and heroines throughout any nation's history are, in effect, anonymous. Except for their family members and a few friends, no one will remember them because no one knew or knew of them.

In any event, I enjoy books which provide important information of which I was not previously aware. For example, James W. Loewen' Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong and Richard Shenkman's Legends, Lies & Cherished Myths of American History. Thank you. Randall and Nehra, for the privilege of being introduced to fellow Americans whom I now promise to remember with respect and appreciation.

I enjoyed the story of Tom Quick and don't miss the gestapo like orders of George Washington to erase the Deleware Indians from the face of the earth.