Hidden Cities: The Discovery and Loss of Ancient North American Civilizations
Kennedy, an architectural historian and director of the National Park Service, examines how certain of the Founding Fathers-particularly Washington, Jefferson, and Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin-set out to create a nation free from the prejudices and superstitions of Europe and how they became aware that they missed a great opportunity in the West. He uses their reactions to the mound architecture of the Ohio and Mississippi valleys as the filter for their views on the status of Native Americans and blacks. He also reviews the rationales others used in explaining away the mounds and considers why the mounds were built in the first place. Solidly grounded in archaeological and historical sources, this book requires some effort on the part of the reader to follow Kennedy's argument; it will be most useful to those already well versed in early American history and archaeology. Recom-mended for specialists.Stephen H. Peters, Northern Michigan Univ. Lib., MarquetteCopyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.