In Small Things Forgotten: An Archaeology of Early American Life
History is recorded in many ways. According to  author James  Deetz, the past can be seen most fully  by studying the small things so  often forgotten.  Objects such as doorways, gravestones, musical   instruments, and even shards of pottery fill in the  cracks between  large historical events and depict  the intricacies of daily life. In  his completely  revised and expanded edition ofIn Small  Things  Forgotten, Deetz has added new  sections that more fully  acknowledge the presence  of women and African Americans in Colonial   America. New interpretations of archaeological finds  detail how  minorities influenced and were affected  by the development of the  Anglo-American tradition  in the years following the settlers' arrival  in  Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620. Among Deetz's   observations:Subtle changes in building long before the   Revolutionary War hinted at the growing independence  of the American  colonies and their desire to be  less like the   British.Records of estate auctions show that many  households  in Colonial America contained only one  chair--underscoring the  patriarchal nature of the  early American family. All other members of  the  household sat on stools or the  floor.The excavation of  a tiny community of  freed slaves in Massachusetts reveals evidence of   the transplantation of African culture to North   America.Simultaneously  a study of American life and an  explanation of  how American life is studied,In Small  Things  Forgotten, through the everyday  details of ordinary living,  colorfully depicts a  world hundreds of years in the past.