William Cooper's Town: Power and Persuasion on the Frontier of the Early American Republic
by Alan Taylor
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Description
In this story of a frontier village in the early American Republic, Alan Taylor explores the lives of Judge William Cooper and the novelist James Fenimore Cooper - father and son. As frontier speculator, landlord, and politician, the father played a leading role in the conquest, resettlement, and environmental transformation of the early nation. Drawing upon his childhood memories of the New York frontier, the son created the historical fictions that made him the most popular, influential, show more and controversial American novelist of the early nineteenth century. Taylor makes it clear that in a rapidly changing nation William Cooper's development of Cooperstown and his son's creation of the village of Templeton in The Pioneers were different stages of a common effort, over two generations, to create, sustain, and justify a wealthy and powerful estate. Both sought that unity of social, economic, political, and cultural authority idealized in colonial America but at odds with the legacy of the American Revolution. William Cooper's Town combines biography, social history, and literary analysis. By breaching the barriers that separate political, social, and literary history, Taylor reveals the interplay of frontier settlement and narrative-making in the early American Republic. He examines how Americans resolved their revolution through the creation of new property, new power, and new stories along their extensive frontier. show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
I found this book to be both surprising and absorbing. For some odd reason, I'd never directly connected James Fenimore Cooper with Cooperstown, NY (having only read "The Deerslayer"). The author here mixes a biography of Judge William Cooper and his family (including his son, the future author) with social and financial history in a way that is quite engrossing. I would definitely recommend this book, and I see why it won the prize it did.
5161. William Cooper's Town Power and Persuasion on the Frontier of the Early American Republic, by Alan Taylor (read 13 May 2014) (Pulitzer History prize for 1996) My good niece Susan sent me 104 books and this book was included. Since I have long wanted to read it because I want to read all Pulitzer prize winners, it was the first of said 104 books I read. This excellent book won the 1996 Pulitzer History prize and is the 54th such winner I've read. It also won the Bancroft Prize in 1996 and is the 36th Bancroft winner I've read. It is an amazing book and while extremely detailed is a stunningly insightful book, telling the story of William Cooper's founding of Cooperstown, NY, in 1786 and his struggle to foster that town, as well as show more other settlement efforts he made. His efforts were often unsuccessful. The story is told with frequent references to James Fenimore Cooper's novel, The Pioneers, which obviously relates to the events surrounding the efforts at Cooperstown, despite the effort of James Fenimore Cooper to deny the relationship. The research involved is awesome and the book is a tour de force in both history and biography, as well as literary commentary. The book well deserves the honors it has won. show less
I absolutely *loved* this book! I read it as part of a library study group. The teacher warned us that this book was "scholarly". I found it to be a well-written and riveting story not only of a cute little town in NY but of the early expansion of America. I learned a lot from this book, and treated myself to a visit to Cooperstown immediately after finishing it. This book made the town's history come alive and made for a memorable visit.
Fantistic. Couldn't be better (or, at least, it'd be very hard).
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Author Information
16+ Works 4,523 Members
Alan Taylor has twice won the Pulitzer Prize in History, most recently for The Internal Enemy, also a National Book Award finalist. He is the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Professor of History at University of Virginia, and lives in Charlottesville.
Awards and Honors
Common Knowledge
- Original title
- William Cooper's Town: Power and Persuasion on the Frontier of the Early American Republic
- Original publication date
- 1995
- People/Characters
- William Franklin; Benjamin Franklin; William Cooper; Elizabeth Fenimore (wife); Hannah Hibbs (mother); James Cooper (father) (show all 36); Richard Fenimore (father-in-law); Richard Fenimore Cooper (son); Hannah Cooper (daughter); Isaac Cooper (son); Ann Cooper (daughter); William Cooper, Jr. (son); Samuel Cooper (son); James Fenimore Cooper; John Christopher Hartwick; Colonel George Croghan; Moses; Lieutenant Augustine Prevost, Jr.; David Shipman; Chingachgook; Abel James; Thomas Wharton; Joseph Wharton, Jr.; John Morton; Dr. John Morgan; Andrew Craig; Alexander Hamilton; Jeremiah Van Rensselaer; William Ellison; John Christopher Hartwick; Henry Drinker; Tench Francis; Tench Coxe; Richard R. Smith; William Temple Franklin; Benjamin Rush
- Important places
- Cooperstown, New York, USA; Byberry, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Burlington City, Pennsylvania, USA; Otsego Lake, New York, USA; Albany, New York, USA (show all 7); Beech Woods, Pennsylvania, USA
- Important events
- Hartwick Patent (1761); Vermont Secedes from New York (1777-1-15)
- Epigraph
- "The enterprise of Judge Temple is taming the very forests!" exclaimed Elizabeth, throwing off the covering, and partly rising in the bed. "How rapidly is civilization treading on the footsteps of nature!" she continued, as h... (show all)er eye glanced over not only the comforts, but the luxuries of her apartment, and her ear again listened to the distant, but often repeated howls from the lake." - James Fenimore Cooper, The Pioneers, 212
- Dedication
- For Shelley and Peter, Erik and Even and in memory of Paul Fenimore Cooper, Jr.
- First words
- The death of Judge William Cooper in late 1809 dismayed his friend Miers Fisher, who, on June 13, 1810, wrote a moving letter of tribute addressed to the judge's sons.
- Quotations
- Strange if I should run Such a Long Gauntlet and Receive no Stripes. - William Cooper
Here Sovereign Dirt erects her sable throne, / The house, the host, the hostess all her own. - Washington Irving
Learn hence, young man, and teach it to your sons, / The wisest ways to take it as it comes - William Cooper
Classifications
- Genres
- History, Nonfiction, General Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir
- DDC/MDS
- 974.774 — History & geography History of North America Northeastern United States (New England and Middle Atlantic states) New York South central counties Otsego
- LCC
- F129 .C77 .T38 — Local History of the United States, Canada and Latin America United States local history New York
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 444
- Popularity
- 68,792
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (3.92)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 6
- ASINs
- 5
