A comprehensive history of the interactions and exchanges between Europe, Africa, and the Americas between 1400 and 1900.

Shows which historical developments led people to start describing themselves and others as 'minorities'Through close attention to what changed in French-mandate Syria, and what those changes entailed, Benjamin White argues for a careful reappraisal of the term 'minority'. Within a few years of World War I, the term had become fundamental to public understandings of national and international politics, law and society. Minorities (and majorities) were taken to be an objective reality, both in the present and the past. In Syria, the mandate period saw the consolidation of the nation-state form, despite French attempts to create territorial, political and legal divisions. There was a trend towards a coherent national territory with fixed borders and uniform state authority within them, while the struggle to control the state was played out in the language of nationalism - developments in the post-Ottoman Levant that closely paralleled events in Europe at the same time, following the demise of the Austro-Hungarian and tsarist empires. Through close attention to what changed in French mandate Syria, and what those changes meant, the book argues for a careful rethinking of a term too often used as an objective description of reality.

First Published in 2003. The Craft of Tonal Counterpoint is an introductory text to the analysis and composition of tonal counterpoint. Using examples from the music of J.S. Bach - the master of this style - the author takes students through a series of carefully graded, cumulative exercises that stress both analysis and writing. Benjamin covers chromaticism and fugal writing in exceptional detail. The exercises cover a wide range of formats, including error detection, linear pitch reduction, analysis and composition. The book also incorporates a 100-page anthology of scores, effective for analysis, in-class performance, and compositional models.

First Published in 2005. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

The 1910 Revolution is still tangibly present in Mexico in the festivals that celebrate its victories, on the monuments to its heroes, and, most important, in the stories and memories of the Mexican people. Yet there has never been general agreement on what the revolution meant, what its objectives were, and whether they have been accomplished. This pathfinding book shows how Mexicans from 1910 through the 1950s interpreted the revolution, tried to make sense of it, and, through collective memory, myth-making, and history writing, invented an idea called "la Revolución." In part one, Thomas Benjamin follows the historical development of different and often opposing revolutionary traditions and the state's efforts to forge them into one unified and unifying narrative. In part two, he examines ways of remembering the past and making it relevant to the present through fiestas, monuments, and official history. This research clarifies how the revolution has served to authorize and legitimize political factions and particular regimes to the present day. Beyond the Mexican case, it demonstrates how history is used to serve the needs of the present.

At the time of his death, renowned Lincoln biographer Benjamin Thomas was at work on a life of one of the most controversial figures in American history: Edwin McMasters Stanton, the man who marshaled the military forces of the Union in the Civil War and played a crucial role in the only presidential impeachment trial in our history. Harold Hyman, himself a prize-winning historian, undertook to carry on from the advanced point in research and writing that Thomas had reached. The result of their collaborative efforts is a monumental work worthy to stand beside Thomas’s own Lincoln as a truly outstanding American biography. Continuously absorbing and written with clarity and grace, Stanton gives an objective, full-scale portrait of this complex and enigmatic figure. Stanton could be explosive and domineering or gentle or considerate; he was at once single-minded and self-doubting. That Stanton should be “controversial” is curious, for he served with distinction under three Presidents; Lincoln offered him unquestioning trust and warm personal friendship. Yet Stanton’s name is commonly associated with duplicity rather than with selfless patriotism, including charges that he connived in Lincoln’s murder, betrayed each of the Presidents he served, antagonized such generals as McClellan and Sherman, and thwarted opportunities for the peaceful reconciliation of North and South. This biography puts legend and prejudice in clear perspective by going directly to documentary evidence, by probing into Stanton’s motives and methods, and by evaluating his accomplishments and failures. It is a judicious and honest portrait of a stubborn, dedicated man; but it also brings to light many important details about the times in which he lived.

The final tome of the Revelation Riddle trilogy provides gripping prophetic revelation on God’s inimitable plan for humanity. Dark forces hatched an evil conspiracy to destroy human life, but God already intervened. Satan stepped into every trap set by the Creator. The judgment tipping point arrived—the world imminently moves into the next age. Unparalleled events soon unfold, setting the righteous free and ushering in the Kingdom Age, when unrealized destinies transpire. This book chronicles what really happened in Eden. It rediscovers the biblical End Times blueprint the early Church understood from ancient scrolls such as Enoch—hidden for thousands of years. The epic, multi-faceted Stone Judgment encompasses not simply the restoration of God’s people, but a panoramic redemption. God’s visible Glory returns—radiance that once clothed Adam and Eve. Reading this, you discover three apocalyptic events that transform everything: Shaking of Nations: Currently underway, evil empires fall and an unrivaled wealth transfer occurs. The extermination of the sinister Rome-rooted New World Order ushers in world peace. Villainous principalities of chaos and war, descendants of age-old Nephilim, flee Earth to their off-planet bastille—Soldier Saints deport them. End Times Harvest: Once the world recognizes God’s deliverance from bondage, tremendous revival breaks out and billions accept Jesus as Lord. Miraculous wonders and new technology unleash on humanity, radically advancing our standard of living. Soldier Saints lay the foundation for God’s Kingdom Age. Fire Judgment: An epic judgment rocks Earth with astronomic signs. The righteous dead resurrect and living saints are crowned with Glory after a one-on-one encounter with Jesus. The wicked are removed from Earth after an idiomatic life-reel eternally etches memories with the glorious redemption of their victims, including billions of aborted children. Those left behind access the Tree of Life—the key to immortality. Detailed figures, prophetic timelines, and hundreds of scripture references equip Soldier Saints to enter their high calling and prepare for their divine encounter with Jesus as the old, tired era draws to a close. Now it’s time to GET READY!

A sequence of poetry showing one half of an imagined conversation.

Originally published in 1956, in this book Benjamin P. Thomas tells the story of the village where Abraham Lincoln lived from 1831 to 1837. His three-part examination of the village often referred to as Lincoln’s “Alma Mater” features the founding and early history of New Salem, Lincoln’s impact on the village and its effect on him, and the story of the Lincoln legend and the reconstruction of the town. Thomas argues convincingly that New Salem was the town where Lincoln acquired faith in himself, faith in people. At 22 the future president drifted into town seeking to become a blacksmith. Thomas introduces us to the people who created New Salem and who knew, influenced, and befriended Lincoln. Thomas highlights Lincoln’s arrival, his relationships with his neighbors, his important wrestling match with Jack Armstrong, his self-education, his quiet career as an Indian fighter, his experience as a postmaster largely indifferent to postal regulations, his financial woes as a businessman, his loyal friends who often came to his aid, and his election to the legislature. This colorful history closes with a discussion of the Lincoln legend. The truth of the stories is unimportant. What matters is that the growing Lincoln legend prompted the gradual realization that New Salem was not a dismal mire from which President Lincoln had had to extricate himself but was, in fact, an energizing force. This realization led to research and finally to the restoration of New Salem, which began in 1932. “No other portion of Lincoln’s life lends itself so readily to intensive study of his environment as do his six years at New Salem.”—Benjamin P. Thomas, Foreword