The Cross in the Sand

America in the 21st century is changing and how we see our past should as well. Certain censues offer clear snapshots on where America is at a particular moment. 1890-the frontier is closed. 1920-more people living in urban areas than rural ones. 2000-for the first time there are more Hispanics in America than African Americans. This fact may change a great deal of how we look at the past. As opposed to North-South conflicts, historians may focus on East-West conflicts. Instead of talking about Massachusetts and Virginia, historians may focus on Florida, Texas and California. Instead of Abraham Lincoln being the dominant president of the nineteenth century, either Andrew Jackson or James K. Polk may be. Instead of focusing on Puritans and evangelicals, historians need to focus on Catholicism. Michael Gannon, the dean of Florida historians, offers an excellent and readable look at the founding of the Catholic church in Florida. Focusing on St. Augustine and east Florida (Gannon is simply not as interested in central Florida or Pensacola as he is in his home area), Gannon offers an interesting portrait of cantakerous parish leaders, Jesuit missionaries, conquisdors, Franciscan martyrs and frustrated bishops. It is a fascinating tale and Gannon tells it well. The chief problem with the book is Gannon often seems a bit too breezy as decades seem to go by in mere paragraphs. Gannon is often a bit too partisan as well such as when he goes out of his way to justify Pedro Menendez's bloody actions at Matanzas yet condemning James Moore for employing crude military tactics. Still, minor flaws aside, Gannon offers a readable account of the founding of the Catholic Church in the United States. American history starts not in Jamestown or off Cape Cod but at St. Augustine and the cross planted in the sand in 1565 has grown larger as the years have gone by. As America grows increasingly Hispanic and Catholic not to mention moving down I-95 and I-75, neglected areas like colonial Florida will demand more of our historic attention. Gannon certainly offers a nice starting point in helping a new America understand its past.