Description
Book SynopsisHis Life and Adventures offer an inside account of the brawling racism common in the early nineteenth century and sharply detail the rowdy male subculture of the times.... History of My Own Times is one of the few first-person accounts of a rural artisan in pre-genteel America.
Trade ReviewOtter's life story opens doors into our understanding of northern Jacksonian, including their acceptance of Indian removal, and their lack of concern over slavery. This is a disturbing but significant publication.
* Journal of the Early Republic *
This edition of Otter's autobiography is a welcome addition to the scant volume of literature dealing with the rural laboring men of the early national period. Otter's autobiography also offers an interesting commentary on the nature of nineteenth century American character, highlighting its admirable as well as its contemptible qualities. For these reasons, and many others, this work deserves recognition and further discussion by scholars and students of American history alike.
* The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biographies *
William Otter's History of My Own Time is a riveting, disturbing window into the world of rural artisans in the early republic. Paul Stott's thorough, thoughtful, and sometimes brilliant editing and commentary greatly enhance the text. Local historians, students, and academics will love it and hate it all at once, while the old families of Frederick County will either cringe to find their ancestors in league with Otter or sigh with relief at their absence from the History.
* Maryland Historical Magazine *
Table of ContentsIntroduction
History of My Own Times
Preface
England
New York
Philadelphia
Pennsylvania
Hanover
Cincinnati, the Eastern Shore, and Baltimore
EmmitsburgPostscript
Commentary: William Otter and the Society of Jolly Fellows in the Early RepublicAppendix: Articles of an Agreement between Rev. John DuBois & William Otter, 11 October 1823
Index
