Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Land

This book offers a vivid account of the bloody, corruption-laden, yet engrossing history of land speculation in America, from pre-colonial times to the election of President Thomas Jefferson.

Whether they were competing to discover the "New World," escaping religious persecution, or whether they were "patriots" fighting for liberty, many men became fantastically wealthy and powerful, grabbing land while merely giving lip service to popular ideals. Friedenberg demonstrates how the relentless pursuit of land (helped enormously by killing off Native Americans and by the importing of slaves from Africa) was more than just the foundation upon which the first American sociopolitical structures rested. It molded a set of attitudes and beliefs that fit the aggressive expansionism of those who led the struggling colonies. Certain insidious traits remain to this day, witnesses to our bloody past: a view of land as a mere commodity, a belief that the control of land (and hence wealth) requires political power, and a widespread tendency toward greed and arrogance.

Friedenberg conducts a fast-paced, eye-opening tour through the labyrinth of North American land deals, and in doing do exposes the real motives influencing some of the major events in our nation's history while placing the lives and careers of America's forefathers in a disturbing new light. Discover the powerful role that the desire for land played in carving out colonies in the New World and how greed sparked the French and Indian War and spawned an array of land companies created to make quick profits and displace Native Americans.

Friedenberg explains how colonial merchants and traders were willing to risk revolution to achieve new western markets. He looks at the American Revolution through the eyes of those who speculated on land grants promised to soldiers and discusses how political intrigues among land company delegates at Congress influenced ratification of the Articles of Confederation and debate on the Constitution. He reveals the legacy of treason, fraud, treachery, and deceit as some of the most distinguished names in our early history sliced up the American pie.