Forging a Nation of Whiteness on the American Frontier

As the American Revolution reached its conclusion, many of my American ancestors found themselves drawn to the bleeding edge of a brand new empire. They were part of a steadily growing flood of White migrants, Anglo-American and Euro-American settler colonials impoverished by the war, who moved into the trans-Appalachian back country seeking land and a fresh start.[i] Family history can be full of surprises, some pleasant and some appalling. Many things I learned from researching my family history made me proud and many others made me sad. In a few cases, I uncovered events evoking all of these conflicting emotional responses at once. So it was as I investigated the lives of Stites ancestors who were among the first White people to claim land and establish homes in the hostile and frequently bloody environment of the old Northwest Territory. <a href="https://medium.com/exploring-white-american-roots-digging-up/forging-a-nation-of-whiteness-on-the-american-frontier-475c15c305b4">Website</a>