Description
Book SynopsisThey were all, by definition, groundless, but they were not all false, and they influenced the classic issues of historical inquiry: the formation of alliances, the making of revolutions, the expropriation of labor and resources, and the origins of war.
Trade ReviewGroundless is satisfyingly grounded. Dowd has eavesdropped credibly as well as prodigously, listening to the many voices across time whether recorded safely on microfilm or in the inky scribbles in the National Archives at Kew. Times Literary Supplement Dowd's work has much methodological import for historians of early America and beyond who will certainly benefit from the approach he presents. Groundless shows that paying attention to falsities can uncover important cultural truths. H-Net News In this innovative, intriguing study, Dowd (Univ. of Michigan) examines how rumors or "flying reports" shaped the dynamics of communication between colonists and Native Americans... This work deserves broad readership for its wealth of insights on early America's frontiers and for what it says about the nature of historical evidence. Choice Dowd's perceptive analysis ably establishes that rumor revealed deep-seated concerns and shaped both events and narratives. The Michigan Historical Review ... imaginative and forthright approach to evidence and its analysis... Register of the Kentucky Historical Society [ Groundless] will appeal to scholars-and not only to early Americanists and ethnohistorians but also to historians concerned with rumor, communications, group identity formation, and memory. This is a masterful work worthy of attention and careful reading. William and Mary Quarterly
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Introduction
Part One: Longitudes
1. Gold
2. Pox
3. Slaves
Part Two: Episodes
4. Panic
5. Father
Part Three: Longitudes
6. Bonds
7. Solidarity
Part Four: Episodes
8. Scalps
9. Hoax
Part Five: Longitudes
10. Slavery
11. Extirpation
Part Six: Episodes
12. Murder
Conclusion
Abbreviations
Notes
Essay on Sources
Index
