2009

Howard Zinn’s A Peoples History of the United States continues to inspire and inform enlightened readers who want to know more about the history of people in the United States’ past and present, rather than the history of a nation state and its ideologies. Adam Wasserman, unabashedly inspired by Zinn’s model, offers readers a history of Florida from 1513-1876 aptly subtitled, “How Africans, Seminoles, Women, and Lower Class Whites Shaped the Sunshine State.” This is both provocative and challenging based on Florida’s official and somewhat narrow view of what qualifies as an acceptable state history. According to Wasserman’s introduction, in 2006 the Florida legislature produced guidelines for what they deemed an acceptable history concluding that “American history shall be defined as the creation of a new nation based largely on the principals stated in the Declaration of Independence (9).” According to Wasserman, then-Governor Jeb Bush approved “a law barring critical history in Florida public schools(9).” Perhaps that explains why there is no clear acknowledgement of the publisher listed, since the very act of producing an alternative history of Florida could be interpreted as an illegal act. It would be interesting to know if any educators have defied state law by using Wasserman’s text in their classes.

The text is divided into thirteen chapters opening with the dismantling of the mythological origins of Florida as put forth through the legend of Ponce de Leon and his search for the fountain of youth, and concludes with the end of reconstruction and the return of legitimized white supremacy in Florida. Each chapter is supported with extensive quotes from primary sources that are often excluded in standard textbooks of United States history. For an educator, the inclusion of the extensive quotes allows students and educators a chance to read the evidence first hand and consider Wasserman’s interpretation. Allowing readers to come to their own conclusions is as important as offering an alternative interpretation of well known events and individuals. Most often standard history texts used for instruction are synthesized, predigested modules that leave very little room for readers to challenge, critique or disagree with the authors’ interpretation of events. Wasserman’s approach offers his synthesis and analysis, but the inclusion of the original sources offers opportunities for other interpretations, conclusions and most importantly, enlightened discussions.

For example, in Chapter 7 “Achieving Freedom on the Field of Battle: The First Emancipation Proclamation (1838-1842) there are thirty-two extensive quotes, some 5 to 6 lines long and others that cover over half a page. The sources are diverse, expressing personal experience as well as government policy. It is a rich resource for readers who have little first hand contact with archival sources and Wasserman wisely allows the words of the people to speak for themselves. For a high school or undergraduate classroom the sources could be the starting point of research and analysis projects in the classroom.

There is one aspect of Wasserman’s text that may prove to be an advantage or disadvantage, depending on the reader: Wasserman writes in a continuous narrative style. For the casual reader it can be approached as a highly readable story beginning with the first European encounters to the end of reconstruction. The style is straightforward and conversational and there is little scholarly jargon or theory laden analysis for general audiences to contend with. Characters are carried through from one chapter to the next, again with the emphasis on the story of the people who made Florida. In some instances Wasserman achieves a narrative that has suspense and tension, which is relatively rare in books marketed as comprehensive history texts. The author also tempers his use of too many names, too many places and too many dates that are the terrain of US and state history textbooks, which strive to be all inclusive in their details and fail to encourage students to read. However because of this narrative style, the text must be offered in complete form. Chapters cannot be assigned outside of their original order because of the continuity of events and characters from chapter to chapter. It is a minor consideration, but for classroom use it is an important consideration.

There are other problems with Wasserman’s contribution. As a scholar and educator of indigenous peoples’ histories, I am especially vigilant about how scholars include and ignore the available voices, evidence and research of indigenous history. Wasserman has done an admirable job throughout the text in giving voice to some of those experiences. That does not, however compensate for the fact that the “People’s History of Florida” does not begin with the history of Florida’s original people. Instead it begins with the European encounter with Florida, the myth of Ponce de Leon and the Spanish conquest. Dismantling that myth is not enough. The history of the people in Florida began millennia before the Spanish expeditions and with little effort Wasserman could have accessed the literature that would allow him to present this history prior to 1500. Florida has a rich and diverse human history that would give greater credence to the story of oppression, genocide, resistance and resilience that is the history of Florida’s indigenous peoples. Perhaps in future editions the author will consider a revision of his revisionist history of Florida that will begin at is true beginning.

Reviewed by Dawn G. Marsh: Department of History, Purdue University

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