Furthermore, Hawke pricks yet another belief that many chose to come to the new world to shed their European past, and interestingly enough it was that heritage that many held on to the most. He particularly focuses on the Englishman and the cultural “blue-print” he brought with him. They crossed the ocean in groups, and most found their new world less strange than expected. As towns grew in both size and number, Hawke illustrates both a diversity and common ground between the newly laid inhabitants and the areas where they settled. For instance, Hawke vividly describes a typical New England town as follows, “The core of the town lay in the village, and the village, like a typical one in England, stretched along a single street…The narrow strips of house lots that flanked the street kept neighbors close, within walking distance of each other and the meeting house (18)”. Whereas the, “peculiar characteristics of Chesapeake Bay, unique along the Atlantic coast, encouraged this apparently shiftless use of the land and steady dispersion of the settlers (21)”. Hawke continues to paint a vast picture of their differences in not only the way they settled, but also in every way they governed their cities, be it culture, religion, or education. As a result of the increasing differences, settlers recognized the advantage a common ground and began to acclimate themselves to the trades of those around them. Thus, they created a melting pot of cultures, and a new breed of man, the American.
As the book progresses, it is fascinating to see Hawke redefining the evolution of American culture. The houses they built, the tools they used, and the food they ate are so colorfully described that the reader begins to be transported into the rugged lives they lived. I personally enjoyed the detailed depiction of a typical house floor plan and was surprised to find so many original designs representing each cultural group. Moreover, I was further amazed at the lack of variety from which people ate. For the English, “the daily diet most settlers lived on was dull and tasteless…they were not adventuresome cooks…and kept mainly to a tiresome diet handed down from their ancestors (75)”. Even more interesting however, was not what they ate but what they drank. Fortunately, the lack of choice for these settlers gave birth to new tasty ideas forming a more eclectic menu- which America is famous for even to this day.
Although their food might have been dull and tasteless, their social lives were not; and as far as choice was concerned, women definitely had the upper hand. Again, Hawke tackles the many inherited assumptions and generalizations of marriage- many of which I believed myself. One popular misconception during this time is that the normal age of marriage was early. Surprisingly, studies of New England during this time showed “they married late-- mid-twenties for the men, early twenties for the women”, moreover, “Given the long life of married couples, remarriage was ‘much exaggerated’ (59)”. Hawke however assesses these generalizations farther south, and see that they hit a little closer to home. It is amazing how he compares these two scenarios and continually fights these illusions throughout the rest of the book.
On a side note, the section on fighting in the militia and war, although necessary, was not my favorite part of the book. Fortunately, Hawke recognized that war played a vital role in America’s growth socially and more importantly as a free nation and incorporated the information anyway. I wasn’t however, please to read about the incredible brutality at which this ‘freedom’ was accomplished. Unsurprisingly, Hawke is never one to sugarcoat facts, and illustrates in such disturbing examples as, “It was not uncommon for a soldier to come upon a murdered pregnant woman with the embryo ripped from her womb and ‘elevated on a stick or pole, as a trophy of the victory and an object of horror to the survivors of the slain’ (138)”. Hawke primarily brands the early militia as a lower social organization consisting of a wide hodgepodge of talents. In short, he concludes that, “On paper the militia fostered an illusion that the colonies had a well-trained and armed civilian population that could defend itself against any enemy. Most colonial leaders buy mid-century knew the facts were otherwise and sought alternatives (141)”. Hawke leaves us with the curious question of how we were even able to fight for and defend our freedom in such circumstances as these.
Hawke is a brilliant writer and storyteller, and it is evident that he writes this account not only as a picture of his talent, but as a strong desire to see his own knowledge of the early colonists shared. Without a doubt, Hawke clearly intends to dismantle any previous assumptions of the life early Americans led, and he is especially good at portraying their lives through every possible perspective be it male, female, child, servant or slave. He writes this book as if he understands or even has experienced the adjustments these colonists made, and, while he uses an extensive amount of references, Hawke has the ability to combine their facts to paint a collage of hard reality. He touches every subject from religion to superstition; diet to disease, manners to morals, and from servant to slave, and most importantly allows the reader to glean his own perspective from the reading.
Everyday Life in Early America is not what I would call a fast read; however, the book is far from dry. This book allows people to see that Puritans weren’t as pure as we once thought, and represents the true sacrifice at which these colonists worked and lived out their daily lives. Hawke has truly enlightened us with detail, challenged our beliefs, and succeeded at popping the bubble of comfort and opulence from which America has evolved to today.
