Calvert and Penn

Brantz MayerProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.0

Word count: 115K words
Chapters: 12

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Calvert and Penn by Brantz MayerAuthor: Mayer, Brantz, 1809-1879,Language: English, Class: F106: United States local history: Atlantic coast. Middle Atlantic States, Release Date: May 20, 2010

Editor's review

This book is a topical essay by the nineteenth-century American historical writer Brantz Mayer on the early history of Pennsylvania, centering on the negotiations between the Calvert family and William Penn over colonial boundaries and land rights in North America. Taking these two key figures as its thread, it traces the boundary disputes between the Maryland and Pennsylvania colonies and is helpful for understanding the early political geography of the American Mid-Atlantic region. As a public-domain ebook, the text preserves the narrative style and source orientation of nineteenth-century historical writing; it is short and suitable as supplementary reading for the study of American colonial history. It is best read as topical material situated in the context of its own era rather than as a modern scholarly survey; readers unfamiliar with the place names and personal relationships will benefit from reading it alongside maps and a colonial chronology.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in American colonial history who want to learn about the Maryland–Pennsylvania boundary dispute
History enthusiasts and students who study early American local history and need topical material
Readers who enjoy nineteenth-century historical narrative style and can accept an older prose style

Not a good fit for

Beginning readers seeking a modern scholarly survey or a general history textbook
Readers entirely unfamiliar with North American colonial figures and geography who are unwilling to check background information
Readers who prefer light, story-driven reading and lack patience for source-based historical inquiry

Reading tips

Look up basic biographies of the Calvert family and William Penn before starting the main text; the relationships will become much clearer.
Read with a map of the American Mid-Atlantic region at hand and mark the disputed boundary between Maryland and Pennsylvania.
Use it as supplementary material for a colonial history course, and after each chapter summarize the core dispute in two or three sentences.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What period of history does this book cover?

It focuses mainly on the negotiations between the Calvert family and William Penn over land rights and boundaries in colonial North America, involving the early colonial boundary issues of Maryland and Pennsylvania; it is a topical essay in the local history of the American Mid-Atlantic region.

Is this a modern scholarly general history?

No. The author, Brantz Mayer, was a nineteenth-century historical writer, and the text carries the narrative style and source orientation of that era. It is better read as topical material or as a period text than as a modern scholarly survey.

Can readers with average English read it?

This is a public-domain English book written in a nineteenth-century prose style with long sentences. It suits readers with at least intermediate English reading ability who are willing to consult dictionaries and background materials; otherwise, they may first read a relevant general history in Chinese as a foundation.

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About the author

Brantz Mayer Author · American · 1809–1879

Brantz Mayer (1809–1879) was an American lawyer, historian, and writer born in Baltimore, Maryland. In 1844 he helped found the Maryland Historical Society and served as its president. He was secretary of the United States legation in Mexico and later served as an army paymaster with the rank of colonel. His writings focus largely on Mexican history and U.S.–Mexico relations; his major works include Mexico, Aztec, Spanish and Republican, History of the War Between Mexico and the United States, Calvert and Penn, and a memoir of Jared Sparks, and he edited Captain Canot. His work is noted for careful use of historical sources and for its attention to the social and political context of the colonial and wartime periods.