The state of Virginia began its storied history as a charter colony and didn't become a British crown colony until 1624 when the charter holder went bankrupt. The largely fragmented colony began to see success with the arrival of Colonel Richard Lee I in 1639. A society developed, an aristocracy of wealthy landowners formed, and political machinations became a focal point of aristocratic life.
The complex social and political structure in Virginia likely contributed to the colony's significant role in the American Revolution. Revolutionary leaders including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and Richard Henry Lee of the famous Lee family, were of Virginia stock. Virginians were instrumental in the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution, cementing a place in American history for eternity.
The Birth of Virginia's Aristocracy by James C. Thompson II explores the evolution of Virginian society from a fledgling colony to a powerful commonwealth. The book zeroes in on the political machinations of the Lee family and other Virginian landowners as they play powerful leaders against each other and take sides in British civil disputes. The first installment in the Pocketbook Illustrated Histories series masterfully weaves a tapestry of intrigue, politics, and alliances.
Explore the collections of our book publishing service and experience human development in an original and enlightening way.
Our guiding principle is to accurately present human development as the composition of history, philosophy, and the arts. Thus, our book publishing service reviews all proposals to ensure they conform to this philosophy. Works that pass this careful scrutiny earn the privilege of inclusion in one of our book series.
Our library of books is divided into four distinct series based on specific emphasis or subject matter. The first series in order of publishing is the Pocketbook Illustrated Histories collection; its focus is conveying snapshots of historical events and the people behind them.
The Ideas in History series will be introduced in early 2014 with a book on the influence of French philosophy and society on Thomas Jefferson's development as Father of the American Revolution. The work reflects the collection's emphasis on the interplay of ideas and historical events.
Memoirs and Biographies follows the lives of influential people whose stories have not yet become readily known. The influence may be more subtle, a fact that makes the works more interesting.
The final collection focuses on the influence and illustration art provides to the greater tapestry of history. The aptly named History in Art series is scheduled for release in late 2014.
Commonwealth Book Publishers of Virginia continues to take great strides in providing accuracy and completeness in the telling of history.
History textbooks are usually written from supposedly dispassionate third-person perspectives. This choice of perspective is intended to lend an air of impartiality to the description of events in human history. However, nothing could be further from the truth.
The Greek historian Thucydides, who scoffed at "the compositions of the chroniclers that are attractive at truth's expense" (The History of the Peloponnesian War), could not avoid the bias of interpretation. Every person absorbs and interprets information uniquely, thus no two accounts can ever be exactly alike.
Commonwealth Book Publishers of Virginia fervently believes that non-fiction narratives provide a less biased and more vivid description of historical events. The reader is not handed some historian's version of the events as indisputable fact. Instead, the reader is taken on a journey to accompany the historical figures as they live through these pivotal moments. The reader has the freedom to test the veracity of the account firsthand.
Stop by our website and take a look at some of the American history works our book publishing service has produced. Experience the power of our unique and powerful approach to history.
