Customer Reviews

Pirates and Patriots - - Tales of the Delaware Coast (Hc)

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Reading this book is like watching Ken Burns' series on the Civil War. Morgan gives the reader a view of the sweep of history in Delaware by telling the stories of the individuals who lived it. It is not a book that focuses on the movers and shakers of society; instead it focuses on the ordinary people who built their homes and raised their families in Delaware. By reading about these individuals, the reader gains an understanding of the larger story of the history of Delaware.

The book focuses most on the European settelers and their decendants. However, the parts of the book that focus on African American history are among the best written and informative parts of the book. In particular, I enjoyed the story of Noah Burton, whose story begins on page 89. Burton was a free black who was able to prevail over a white landowner who tried to cheat him by bring to court a notched stick, which was a form of accounting that was brought to the US from Africa. The book also talks of the peculiar plight of slaves in Delaware-- since Delaware was a slave state that did not seceed it was not covered by the Emancipaton Proclamation, and the slaves of Delaware had to be freed by other means.

The scope ot the book is from the earliest Eoropean settlement to after World War II. It is illustrated by photos and a series of helpful maps.

I have been visiting Rehoboth Beach and other resorts in Delaware for years, but I never knew that so much history had happened there. Morgan's book covers the time from when the first colonists landed until after the Second World War. The book is written in short chapters that deal with interesting people that I never heard of. Among these are John Dagworthy, who had dispute of military rank with George Washington, Patty Cannon who was a serial killer, and Wallace Carothers who invented nylon. All of these people lived near the Delaware seashore. Who knew? There is even a section on the horseshoe crab. I had seen the shells from these crabs on the beach; but I never knew they were so important to medicine. This is neat book and I recommend it.