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Notes, James Smith Allen
Notes, James Smith Allen
A Privileged Past
For more information about the sources used to write "A Privileged Past," the notes offer the reader the opportunity to explore the author's verifiable claims in more detail.
Act 1: The Ocean Smell (1624-1938), James Smith Allen
Act 1: The Ocean Smell (1624-1938), James Smith Allen
A Privileged Past
The first act of "A Privileged Past" recounts the history of four families – the Allens of Manchester, Massachusetts; the Roomes of New York, New York; the Kruegers of Newark, New Jersey; and the Smiths also of Newark – since their arrival from Europe (the first two in the seventeenth century, the latter two in the nineteenth). These people brought with them distinct ethnic identities, which helped define the communities they joined, and in some cases led, as immigrants to the new world. Their experiences across and by the Atlantic Ocean are captured by this chapter’s prevailing figure of speech, …
Act 2: Tastes In Common (1938-2002), James Smith Allen
Act 2: Tastes In Common (1938-2002), James Smith Allen
A Privileged Past
Act 2 of "A Privileged Past" explores the history of one family – the author’s family of origin – from its inception in 1938 until its dissolution in 2002. Tracing the Allens in Silver Spring, Maryland – a wealthy suburb of Washington, DC – this chapter highlights the family’s steady relative decline in socio-economic status in the wake of the New Deal that, at least until 1980, promoted the development of a middle class much more modest than what the Allens represented. The dominant metaphor in this account is that of taste and the shared rituals of families and friends …