OUR "FOUNDING FATHERS" LIVED THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION AT THE ENDOF THE COLONIAL ERA.......
THE FIRST SUCESSFUL WAVES OF EXPLORERS AND COLONISTS CAME TO NORTH AMERCA NEARLY
300 YEARS BEFORE THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION ! ... that's a longer timespan than 2008 back to 1776 !
AND YET...
SOME RELEVANT TOPICS INCLUDE :
--ARTIFACTS FROM EVERYDAY LIFE: CLOTHING, SHOES, JEWELRY, UTENSILS, FURNITURE, TOOLS, MONEY, LANTERNS,.....AND MORE.
--REPRODUCTIONS FROM EVERYDAY LIFE: MR YOUNG MAKES HIGHLY ACCURATE REPRODUCTIONS WHICH CAN BE HANDLED TOO!
--CRAFTS AND CRAFTSFOLK: HOW THINGS WERE MADE AND WHAT THEY WERE USED FOR.
--ARMOUR : YES THEY WORE ARMOUR IN THE 'NEW WORLD' (ARMOUR IS ALWAYS A UNIVERSAL CROWD PLEASER)
--EARLY SLAVERY AND INDENTURED SERVITUDE VS. LATER SLAVERY: WAS THERE A DIFFERENCE ?
--REAL PIRATES ! (HOW ACCURATE IS JACK SPARROW ANYWAY ? )
--NAUTICAL NAVIGATION (HOW IN THE "WORLD" DID SAILORS GET HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE ! )
--HUDSON BAY AND SIMILAR TRADING COMPANIES THAT KEPT MANY COLONIES ALIVE !
--NATIVE AMERICANS (MY OWN ANCESTRY IS FROM THE PENOBSCOT AND ABINAKI PEOPLE OF SOUTHERN CANADA & NEW ENGLAND)
--AFRO - CARIBBEAN COLONIES (COLUMBUS LANDED IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC ! )
--SCANDINAVIAN INFLUENCES (THE LEGACY OF THE VIKINGS UPON EUROPE AND EXPLORATION WAS NOT LOST ON COLONIAL NAVIGATORS! IN FACT, THE VIKINGS ESTABLISHED THE FIRST EUROPEAN COLONIES IN NORTH AMERICAN, EFFECTIVELY LAYING THE FOUNDATION AND FERTILIZING THE BELIEF THAT LANDS TO THE WEST DID EXIST BEYOND EUROPE.
BUILDING ON THE EDUCATIONALLY ACCLAIMED SUCESS OF ANDREW YOUNG'S MEDIEVAL PRESENTATIONS, THE COLONIAL PRESENTATION WILL TRACE AND DESCRIBE THE FASCINATING REASONS AND EVENTS AS TO WHY EUROPEANS AS EARLY AS THE 13TH CENTURY (YES....THE LATE 1200S) BEGAN TO SERIOUSLY THINK OF ESCAPING THEIR BORDERS. 'JOHN SMITH AND CREW ' IN 1607 RELIED ON AN AMAZING HISTORY OF DISCOVERY THAT STRETCHED WELL OVER FOUR HUNDRED YEARS FROM THE VIKING EXPEDITIONS TO MARCO POLO, TO HENRY THE NAVIGATOR AND COLUMBUS. FEW DISCOVERIES GERMINATE FROM THIN AIR !
THE PRESENTATION WILL DELVE INTO THE FASCINATING LIFE AND MATERIAL CULTURE OF EARLY COLONIAL LIFE (ie, THE 'STUFF' OF LIFE) OF THE LATE 15TH , 16TH, AND 17TH CENTURIES, SUCH AS:
ST AUGUSTINE (FLORIDA)..... JAMESTOWN (VIRGINIA)..... PLYMOUTH (MASS)...... and ST. MARY'S CITTIE (MARYLAND).
THE INITIAL "PILOT" PRESENTATIONS WILL NATURALLY BE MORE MODEST THAN THE LARGER MEDIEVAL SHOWS (WHICH HAS BEEN STEADILY GROWING SINCE 1990 ), HOWEVER YEAR AFTER YEAR THE 'COLONIAL SHOW' WILL FEATURE A CONSTANTLY GROWING 'MUSEUM' OF ARTIFACTS AND REPRODUCTIONS RANGING FROM CLOTHING, FURNITURE, TOOLS, ARMOUR, JEWLERY, DAILY OBJECTS AND MORE. ONE OF THE FUN ASPECTS OF MY JOB IS RESEARCHING, BUILDING AND ADDING NEW REPLICAS TO TALK ABOUT EACH YEAR.
........HAVING BEEN INVITED TO SPEAK TO AUDIENCES AT THE 'RIPE AGE' OF 17 (BACK IN 1990), ANDREW YOUNGS
PRESENTATIONS ARE OFTEN SO MEMORABLE, THAT HE IS FREQUENTLY RECOGNIZED BY FORMER AUDIENCE MEMBERS....
MANY NOW COLLEGE GRADUATES! MANY TEACHERS EXPRESS THANKS TO MR YOUNG FOR INSPIRING THEIR STUDENTS.
THEY OFTEN TELL OF STUDENTS, (WHO HAD PREVIOUSLY SHOWED LITTLE INTEREST IN ANY ACADEMIC SUBJECTS), SUDDENLY
WANTING TO GO TO THE LIBRARY TO LEARN MORE AFTER SEEING YOUNG'S PRESENTATION.
WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF EARLY INDUSTRY, TOWNS, and ROADS, REVOLUTIONARY FOLKS LIKE GEORGE WASHINGTON.... ADAMS.... JEFFERSON.... and FRANKLIN ALL HAD IT COMPARATIVELY "EASY" ....
SO WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO BE A ORIGINAL COLONIST ARRIVING IN THE 1500 AND 1600s ?
AS ALWAYS, ANDREW YOUNG'S UNIQUE APPROACH CENTERS AROUND HIS ABILITY TO BRIDGE THE GAPS BETWEEN THE PAST AND THE PRESENT BY MAKING RELEVANT AGE-BASED ANALOGIES. HE SPEAKS TO ALL AGE GROUPS BY UTILYZING A DYNAMIC HIGH ENERGY METHOD, PLENTY OF AUDIENCE INTERACTION AND THOUGHT PROVOKING IDEAS TO HELP STUDENTS SUSPEND THEIR 21ST CENTURY MINDSET AND TO ENTER THE WORLD OF THE PAST. YET THAT PROCESS HELPS STUDENTS SEE THE MANY SIMILARITIES BETWEEN "THEM" AND "US." WITHOUT A DOUBT, ONE OF THE MOST UNIQUE AND BELOVED ELEMENTS OF MR YOUNG'S PRESENTATIONS IS HIS HEALTHY SENSE OF HUMOR. PRINCIPALS AND EDUCATORS AND PARENTS HAVE ALL REMARKED HOW EASILY STUDENTS (EVEN THOSE WHO ARENT "HISTORY BUFFS") SEEM TO RELAX AND LEARN IN THE ACADEMIC, YET FUN ATMOSPHERE HE IS ABLE TO CREATE.
BOOKMARK THIS PAGE.....MORE DETAILS, PHOTOS, etc ARE COMING...
While hardly comprehensive, a brief snapshot of the various 16th -18th pieces in the colonial collection as of 2006. Shown are a range things from 16th and 17th century armour (an actual cast of Sir John Smythes helmet (far right) to authentic (original) shards of pottery found and acquired in places Andrew Young has visited and researched: Plymouth (Mass), Salem (Mass), Strawberry Banks (New Hampshire), St Mary's Cittie (MD) and St Augustine (Florida). Coins, clothes, household items, cups, plates, utensils and jewelry are part of the collection too, though not all shown here). Note the horn pane lantern (right of the pewter plate) that is under construction at the time of this photo. { Note the antique furniture behind the table that is part of Mr. Young's personal home collection: a 17th century cupboard and an late 16th century arm chair. }
A PASSION FOR HISTORY AND TEACHING:
MR YOUNG MAKES EXACTING MUSEUM REPRODUCTION ARMOUR and PERIOD FURNITURE HE IS AN ACCOMPLISHED MASTER ARMOURER , AND METALSMITH. HE ALSO MAKES CLOTHING, FURNITURE, LEATHER GOODS AND MORE. HERE WE SEE A RARE GLIMPSE OF A LATE 16TH CENTURY BREASTPLATE BEING FORGED FROM A RATHER CRUDE AND UGLY FLAT SHEET OF IRON WITH HAMMER AND ANVIL (FAR LEFT).....BEING SLOWLY SHAPED (RIGHT).....AND INTO THE FINAL SHAPE ( BOTTOM INSET ).
UPDATE 6 / 5/ 08 In addition to the objects seen above (which has also been tripled in size, I just aquired yet another wonderful collection of 16th and 17th century artifacts....just a few of the dozens and dozens of actual antiques below.
A MEDICAL SYRINGE
AN IRON KEY
A CHESS PIECE
A BUCKLE FRAGMENT
A SPUR
A CANDLESTICK
A BOBBIN LACE SPINDLE
A HAIRBRUSH
A MERCHANTS SEAL
A "LICE" COMB !
UPDATES....SEE BELOW
UPDATE 8 / 20/ 08 I have been extremely fortunate to have aquired another group of actual 16th and 17th century colonial artifacts.
UPDATE 8 / 25/ 08 When I endeaver to research and teach about a period, I try to delve into many of the crafts of the period. This allows me to better understand how people made and interacted with those artifacts. Although we have come to think that "gold and God" were the primary objectives for colonists, lumber (wood) was in fact very high on the list; hugely important as Europe had largely depleted its forests by the 17th century. So, I have been researching colonial woodworking techniques from felling trees to crafting actual objects like furniture and buckets, tankards, and so forth. No power tools are used ! ...its all hand sawed, riven (split), hewn and joined. And blisters are part of the game!
AN IRON CANDLESTICK
AN EARLY PRINTED PAGE
A HAND BLOWN RUM BOTTLE
AN EARLY BRASS CANDLESTICK
A RARE SURVIVING IRON CAULDRON
A FELLED TREE. NOTE THE HUGE TWO MAN SAW
ACROSS THE LOG. IT IS OVER 5 FEET LONG !
A SIMPLE CAMP STOOL THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY COMMON IN THE COLONIES. IT IS ENTIRELY HAND MADE.
