From colonial times, Americans have sought to create a vision of our nation from the stories of our origin. Who were our founding fathers? From what roots, from what histories, have we created our country and our identity? In this pursuit, Virginians have embellished the saga of Jamestown and Pocahontas, the Indian woman who, by popular accounts, saved the colony. Similarly, New Englanders have sanctified the Pilgrims and their mythical first step on Plymouth Rock.By comparing these two origin myths, investigating them in art, literature, and popular memory, Ann Uhry Abrams uncovers...