American Heritage

The American Heritage history book series highlights the little-known stories of America’s marginalized populations. Meet Bessie Coleman from the Lone Star state, the first black person in the world to earn a pilot's license. Discover how the Grand Dame of the Everglades protected Florida’s unique wildlife, and tour iconic symbols of old Richmond architecture, built by talented Black laborers and architects. Learn how to interpret Wabanaki art, call shotgun with the San Diego lowriders, and get a taste for Baltimore’s Little Italy, all within the pages of the American Heritage books. [View all American Heritage books]
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Cover image for Italians of the North End, isbn: 9781467155403
Italians of the North End
$24.99
Lowell Irish
Lowell Irish
$21.99
New England Coast Guard Stories
New England Coast Guard Stories
$21.99
African Americans on Martha's Vineyard
African Americans on Martha's Vineyard
$23.99
Wild Women of Boston
Wild Women of Boston
$23.99
The Wampanoag Tribe of Martha's Vineyard:
The Wampanoag Tribe of Martha's Vineyard:
$21.99
A History of Boston's Jewish North Shore
A History of Boston's Jewish North Shore
$21.99
Women of Martha's Vineyard
Women of Martha's Vineyard
$21.99
Indian Americans of Massachusetts
Indian Americans of Massachusetts
$21.99
Harriet Jacobs in New Bedford
Harriet Jacobs in New Bedford
$21.99
Massachusetts in the Woman Suffrage Movement
Massachusetts in the Woman Suffrage Movement
$21.99
A History of Jewish Plymouth
A History of Jewish Plymouth
$21.99
Swedish Heritage of Greater Worcester
Swedish Heritage of Greater Worcester
$21.99

Italians of the North End

9781467155403

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The North End - Boston's Little Italy - is an enclave with a rich history and a culture rooted in family, food and faith.

Once home to hardworking immigrant families from Italy, it was also the neighborhood of Sacco and Vanzetti, Charles Ponzi and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy. Organizations like the North End Industrial Home and the North Benet Street School helped to educate and serve the community. With St. Leonard’s of Port Maurice Church at its heart, la via vecchia (the old way) is woven through its narrow, winding streets, brick buildings, restaurants and pastry shops. Today, neighbors and tourists alike meet for coffee and cannolis, unaware of the neighborhood's complex history.

Local author and resident Patricia Annino reveals the resilient journey from one of America’s poorest slums to a place of opportunity.

Cover image for Italians of the North End, isbn: 9781467155403

Lowell Irish

9781467117845

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Irish immigrants streamed into the mills of Lowell, Massachusetts, at the start of the Industrial Revolution, fleeing poverty and later the Great Hunger. Irish families established a neighborhood called the Acre, and some rose to roles as successful business owners who shaped the history of their new home. Hugh Cummiskey emigrated from Northern Ireland to become a powerful work gang leader and businessman who in turn hired newly arrived immigrants. The first recorded celebrations of St. Patrick's Day began in 1833, as new residents celebrated their Irish roots and American future with traditional music and parades. Today, the community still honors its Irish history. From tales of politicians and entrepreneurs to the everyday struggles of the average immigrant, author David McKean traces the history of the pioneer members who established Lowell as an industrial powerhouse.
Lowell Irish

New England Coast Guard Stories

9781467140041

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In 1790, Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton asked President George Washington to fund a fleet of "revenue cutters" that could halt smuggling and collect taxes in U.S. waters. Today, from northern Maine to southern Connecticut, the Coast Guard provides the might and the oversight to ensure that the coastlines are safe and navigable. From icebreaking and harrowing rescues to the global war on terror, the service plays a unique role in the region. Author Dyke Hendrickson profiles the varied careers and contributions of the brave men and women throughout New England who ensure the service remains Semper Paratus-Always Ready.
New England Coast Guard Stories

African Americans on Martha's Vineyard

9781596290693

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African Americans of Martha's Vineyard have an epic history. From the days when slaves toiled away in the fresh New England air, through abolition and Reconstruction and continuing into recent years, African Americans have fought arduously to preserve a vibrant culture here. Discover how the Vineyard became a sanctuary for slaves during the Civil War and how many blacks first came to the island as indentured servants. Read tales of the Shearer Cottage, a popular vacation destination for prominent blacks from Harry T. Burleigh to Scott Joplin, and how Martin Luther King Jr. vacationed here as well. Venture through the Vineyard with local tour guide Thomas Dresser and learn about people such as Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates and President Barack Obama, who return to the Vineyard for respite from a demanding world.
African Americans on Martha's Vineyard

Wild Women of Boston

9781626197954

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The sons of liberty are celebrated in the rebellious history of Boston--but what of their sisters? An audacious and determined procession of reformers, socialites, criminals and madams made the city what it is today. One hundred years before Rosa Parks, African American abolitionist Sarah Parker Remond refused to give up her seat while attending a play in Boston. Fiery activists Harriet Hemenway and Minna Hall led a boycott against bird plumage in ladies' dress and brought the fashion industry to its knees. Rachel Wall was the last woman to be hanged in Massachusetts after leading a daring life as a robber and pirate. Later, women like Boston Marathon runner Kathrine Switzer also blazed their own trails. Author Dina Vargo unearths the remarkable stories of the wild women of the Hub.
Wild Women of Boston

The Wampanoag Tribe of Martha's Vineyard:

9781609491864

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The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head/Aquinnah are an indigenous people on Martha's Vineyard. From their legendary giant leader Moshup, Wampanoags can trace their ancestry back more than ten thousand years. The tribe weathered colonization by missionaries in the 1600s, then endured two centuries of domination, only to have their land taken in 1870. However, over the past 140 years, the Wampanoag Tribe, which still lives in its ancestral home of Aquinnah, has shown endurance and fortitude as it continues to practice traditional crafts and its tribal heritage. Thomas Dresser captures the spirit of the tribe, tracing its survival through to recognition by the federal government in 1987, nearly twenty-five years ago. Brief interviews with elders and current tribal members offer insight into the tribe's remarkable history.
The Wampanoag Tribe of Martha's Vineyard:

A History of Boston's Jewish North Shore

9781596296589

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Forced to flee the brutal pogroms of Europe, Jewish immigrants sought refuge in the beauty of Boston's North Shore. Drawing on their artisan skills, many found work in the tanneries of Peabody and the shoe factories of Lynn, while other enterprising Jews established their own businesses in Salem and Beverly- from butcher shops and groceries to newspapers. Alongside fellow members of the Jewish Historical Society of the North Shore, Alan Pierce has carefully assembled a collection of personal histories from generations of Jewish families. Celebrating the rich flavors of Jewish culture, these accounts capture familiar faces, such as renowned athlete Herb Brenner, and recognizable landmarks like the Kernwood Country Club and the Dolphin Yacht Club, innovative establishments open to all regardless of race or religion. With entrepreneurial spirit, a little determination and plenty of faith, the North Shore's storied Jewish communities have etched enduring marks on its streets and in its synagogues.
A History of Boston's Jewish North Shore

Women of Martha's Vineyard

9781609499037

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Generations of women have traveled to Martha's Vineyard to find solace in its calming waves and varied shoreline. Many prominent and capable women set down roots, contributing to the fabric of the community on the island. Learn of the brilliant poet Nancy Luce, who lived in isolation with her chickens. Emily Post, whose name is synonymous with good manners, sought respite from her personal struggles on the Vineyard. Famed horticulturalist Polly Hill left a perennial legacy for islanders with her tranquil arboretum. In the twentieth century, novelist Dorothy West captured the beauty of Martha's Vineyard with her work. Historian Thomas Dresser provides a series of biographical sketches of these extraordinary women who were bound by their love of the island.
Women of Martha's Vineyard

Indian Americans of Massachusetts

9781625859440

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Indians are the most recent immigrants in Massachusetts. Though a tiny minority, their contributions are numerous and far-reaching. Swami Vivekananda arrived in Boston in 1893 and left a lasting legacy of Hindu philosophy. Sushil Tuli opened a unique community bank, Leader Bank, as the first and only minority-owned bank in the state of Massachusetts. The Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation at MIT, created with the grant of $20 million by Desh and Jaishree Deshpande, empowers MIT's researchers to make a difference in the world by developing innovative technologies. Author Meenal Atul Pandya details the influence of Indians on Massachusetts history.
Indian Americans of Massachusetts

Harriet Jacobs in New Bedford

9781467141703

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In 1861, Harriet Ann Jacobs published a masterpiece, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Her book is the first and only narrative to give voice to a woman who escaped slavery. Cornelia Grinnell Willis not only purchased Harriet's freedom, but she also developed a bond with Harriet and her daughter, Louisa, that lasted a lifetime. Both women suffered trauma as children and miraculously survived. They also had close ties to New Bedford that have not been examined previously. Cornelia married Nathaniel Parker Willis, considered an American Dickens during his lifetime though largely forgotten today. Join author and local historian Peggi Medeiros as she traces the fascinating lives of the Jacobs, Grinnell and Willis families in and out of New Bedford.

Harriet Jacobs in New Bedford

Massachusetts in the Woman Suffrage Movement

9781467118620

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Massachusetts was at the center of the national struggle for women's rights, and the early activities there, described in this well-researched book, enabled the next generation of women to triumph over tradition.


Massachusetts was at the center of the national struggle for women's rights. Long before the Civil War, Lucy Stone and other Massachusetts abolitionists opposed women's exclusion from political life. They launched the organized movement at the first National Woman's Rights Convention, held in Worcester. After the war, state activists founded the Boston-based American Woman Suffrage Association and Woman's Journal to lead campaigns across the country. Their activities laid the foundation for the next generation of suffragists to triumph over tradition. Author Barbara Berenson gives these revolutionary reformers the attention they deserve in this compelling and engaging story.

Massachusetts in the Woman Suffrage Movement

A History of Jewish Plymouth

9781609495114

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Many visitors flock to Plymouth, Massachusetts, each year to view the historic landing spot of the Pilgrims. Three blocks from Plymouth Rock is Congregation Beth Jacob's synagogue. For more than a century, the Jewish community of this coastal New England town has flourished. Even before the establishment of the synagogue, built in 1912-13, Plymouth's history was shaped by the Jewish culture. Many colonial New England laws were derived from the Old Testament. The grave marker of famed Governor William Bradford bears an inscription in Hebrew that reads, The Lord is the help of my life." Historian Karin J. Goldstein reveals the lasting impact of the Jewish community on Plymouth's history and the ways in which it still informs the town's unique identity today."
A History of Jewish Plymouth

Swedish Heritage of Greater Worcester

9781467119429

$21.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Swedish Heritage of Greater Worcester