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State Heritage |
| Written by Joe Loftus | |
| Sunday, 17 August 2008 | |
I brought this topic up at work today, as we all hail from different parts of the country. Nathan, a truly funny guy, who makes the work days enjoyable for everyone, was raised in Cape Gerardo, Missouri. They are known lately as the home town of Rush Limbaugh, but before that they were at one time host to Lewis and Clark, Mark Twain, and a host of other famous people. Missouri history is replete with examples of heroic deeds, and is the jumping off point for most, if not all, western adventurers. Missouri had plenty to be proud of. Charlotte, another worker, hails from Memphis Tennessee. While studying Tennessee history, she was told all about Daniel Boone, Davy Crocket, Jack Daniels, and a bunch of others...I threw that last one in. Tennessee has a rich civil war history, and an even more important role in civil rights history, and music history...again, there is a lot to study, and much to be proud about. I am from New Jersey. New Jersey was sort of a backwash of American history. To my knowledge, nobody ever set out to go there. They just got off the boat in New York, milled around for a bit, and as other people got off their boats, they just pushed the earlier arrivals out into Jersey. The European settlers that came there first were ill equipped to deal with life in the wild. They were from Europe, and apparently had no idea how to survive in the woods...there were a lot of woods in New Jersey at that time...that was back before they built the chemical plants...things were different back then. Luckily for the European settlers, Jersey was inhabited by the Leni Lenape Indians when they got there. At this point, many of you will be saying, "Who?" Those of you that were raised and educated in New Jersey would have a different response...you would be saying. "Oh...them f**kin' guys." Then, you would have a thoughtful pause, and then..."I thought they all died." That would be your New Jersey state history lessons kicking in. For those of you who missed it, let me fill you in. The Leni Lenapi Indians were peaceful people. They believed that everyone, and every thing had a soul, and they treated each other, and all the people they came across with respect and open friendship. They lived in huts made from sticks and mud, and they made dug-out canoes...aside from that, I didn't retain a whole lot. But, I do remember that they were all you would ever want in a good neighbor. They were helpful, they were considerate, and they were doomed. I remember back in grade school when I first heard of them. My first thought was "Why didn't the Apache, or the Sioux live here? Those Indians were cool...I bet the Leni Lenapi never even took any scalps." Well, that's what I was thinking back then...I knew you wanted to know. The Leni Lenape were quite helpful to the settlers, and quickly introduced them to the skills they needed to have to survive on the new continent. Before long, the settlers were thriving, and as a repayment to the Indians, the settlers introduced them to venereal diseases and life on the road as they uprooted them from their homes. The Leni Lenape Indians were driven west, and south by the encroaching Europeans. They became known as the Delaware Indians eventually, and were subsequently ignored by the text book writers of New Jersey history. From there, we have a blank spot...then, a whole lot of Revolutionary War battles were fought there. Washington crossed the Delaware, that whole Molly Pitcher thing, then another blank spot...the Limburg kidnapping...Bruce Springsteen releases "Born to Run", and then all the girls got big hair. That pretty much sums up New Jersey history...There was more to it than that, but I think I covered the highlights for you. Mississippi state history will probably be much more involved. Christian will have to learn about several Indian civilizations, the Spanish explorers, like Hernando DeSoto. He will have to learn about the history of the Mississippi river, and how it effected the colonization of the rest of the country...he will have to learn a lot of stuff that may be of practical value to him someday. I wonder what he will retain as he gets older. Copyright 2008 Joe Loftus |
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