Talk:Kingsley Plantation/GA1

GA Review[edit]

Article (edit | visual edit | history) · Article talk (edit | history) · Watch
Hi Moni3, I'll be reviewing this article. Will probably take a few days to complete. Sasata (talk) 03:11, 7 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Ok, with respect to prose, the article looks very good already. All I can offer are some linking suggestions, nitpicks that may just be personal preference, and of course, MOS wonkery. Will come back for a second read-through later to check out the sources. Sasata (talk) 15:26, 8 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

lede

"...as are the remains of a Spanish mission..." is Spanish missions in Florida a suitable link here?
link multiracial?
"...controlled by and resistant to the issues of race and slavery." Deep mindwinder statement, made me pause. But I like it.
"Archeological evidence has been found in and around the slave cabins that give researchers insight into African traditions..." give->have given? continue to give? not sure, just thinking out loud
"Zephaniah Kingsley wrote a defense of slavery and a three-tier social system that acknowledged the rights of free people of color; the site is also significant as his home and that of his unique family." the second half says the site is also important, but it appears to be not the best connector, as the first part of the sentence does not deal with the importance of the site.

Agree that this should be changed.The site is more important than his writing, and it was more because of his family and the structures on the site.--Parkwells (talk) 23:38, 12 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

History

suggested links: indigenous peoples, gulf coast
"By 1562" needs comma
"... possession of the plantation turned over to John McIntosh..." what year?
"He purchased the land and buildings for $7,000 in 1817." I'd be highly interested to know what the modern equivalent of that amount was. Same with the 50 cents extra for slaves purchases that appears later on.
"...he educated them with the best he could afford..." the absence of a word after best leaves this sentence kind of hanging...
"The Florida Territorial Council passed laws forbidding interracial marriage..." year?
Note 2: "... the fishing community that is now known as Mayport, Florida." This redirects to Naval Station Mayport
"He went on to exhibit considerable pride in the Haitian plantation built with the help of his sons:" Could you give a words about who he's writing to in the quote.
avoid a picture under level 3 heading as is currently the case in "Post-Kingsley inhabitants"
"After the hotel burned down," year?

Slavery on Fort George Island

"This formation is unique in plantations in the antebellum U.S." My knowledge of US history is so weak I had to look up antebellum. Perhaps a link is warranted?
"John Rollins deconstructed several of the slave cabins..." Is deconstructed the right word here? My understanding is that when used to imply "taking apart a structure", deconstruction is careful and deliberate, e.g. see Deconstruction (building). Is this what the source implies?

Kingsley's house and other structures

"...resembling 17th century British gentry homes..." maybe link gentry, and soon after, Pavilion (structure)
"Historian Daniel Schafer posits that Anna Jai would have been familiar with the concepts of polygamy and marrying a slave master to acquire one's freedom.[50] In West Africa, polygamy was not uncommon, and wives often lived in separate quarters from their husbands.[51]" These two statements seem misplaced in the section "Kingsley's house and other structures"
"Between 1869 and 1877 Rollins covered the walkway between the kitchen house and the main house." Please clarify what is meant by "covered the walkway".

Activities and restoration

"The Kingsley—Sammis—Lewis—Betsch family" I would have though hyphens would be used in a case like this (falling under the category of compound word).
p. for single pages, pp. for multiple pages or page ranges. But you knew that :)

Some clarifications:

One of the documents written by the National Park Service explains the importance of the site in its architecture of the owner's house, anthropological value of the slave cabins, and the historic value of Kingsley's home. The last sentence in the lead is supposed to highlight that point.
There's an inflation template somewhere around here. Let me see if I can find it.
Best education, really, is what sources say. He educated his children with the best...err...learnin'...let me think on how to restructure that sentence.
Some of the dates are in my sources at home. I have to find them in a few hours.
Kingsley was expressing his pride to Lydia Child--an extension from the quote about slaveholders and pirates.
Are you suggesting I create a stub for Mayport, Florida?

Nope, just wasn't sure if you knew the destination of the link was somewhat unusual and not particularly helpful Sasata (talk) 05:56, 9 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Schafer thought it interesting that Anna Jai lived in her own house, just like polygamous families in West Africa did. The existence of that sentence is referring to Ma'am Anna House. Do you have a suggestion about how to reword it?
Hyphens, emdashes, blah blah. I'll change it. --Moni3 (talk) 15:52, 8 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Some inflation info added. The one about the price of slaves is in a note.
I rechecked three sources (one large document hosted by the National Park Service has pooped out--I may have it at home), and none give the date when the laws began restricting interracial marriage and mixed-race children from inheriting property. They say, simply, that laws were passed that gradually restricted rights. Kingsley began planning for a move in 1834 and it was not fully complete with all family members in Haiti until 1837. --Moni3 (talk) 17:26, 8 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Editor has implemented suggested changes, and the article easily meets GA criteria. Sasata (talk) 05:56, 9 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

GA review (see here for criteria)

It is reasonably well written.
a (prose): b (MoS):

Prose is of high quality; article verily complies with MOS.

It is factually accurate and verifiable.
a (references): b (citations to reliable sources): c(OR):
Amply cited to reliable sources. Spot check of several citations showed everything to be in order.
It is broad in its coverage.
a (major aspects): b (focused):
I'm not terribly familiar with the subject matter, but coverage and presentation of material seemed excellent to me.
It follows the neutral point of view policy.
Fair representation without bias:
It is stable.
No edit wars etc.:
It is illustrated by images, where possible and appropriate.
a (images are tagged and non-free images have fair use rationales): b (appropriate use with suitable captions):
All images have appropriate free use licenses.
Overall:
Pass/Fail:

Nice work. If this article is FAC-bound, you might want to check out J.P. White. (1993). "American eye: A christmas at the plantation" North American Review 278(6):4-9 (on Jstor) to get another opinion on the plantation and its significance. For example, he writes "Our guide failed to mention that the importation of slaves was outlawed in the United States in 1808. Kingley's Florida, however, was then under Spanish rule and he helped to bootleg slaves into northern States through Florida waters." (p.5) This "bootlegging" aspect doesn't seem to be mentioned as a counterbalance to the "gentle slaveowner" persona depicted, although admittedly it's probably beyond the scope of this article.

Other books that may have some useful info include

Elsbeth K. Gordon. (2002). Florida's Colonial Architectural Heritage. 319 pp.
Edwin L. Williams Jr. (1949). "Negro Slavery in Florida". The Florida Historical Quarterly 28(2):93-110 has a few paragraphs about Z. Kingsley
Kingsley Plantation and Subsistence Patterns of the Southeastern Coastal Slave. In Indians, Colonists, and Slaves: Essays in Memory of Charles H. Fairbanks, edited by Kenneth W. Johnson, Jonathan M. Leader, and Robert C. Wilson, pp. 35-56. Florida Journal of Anthropology Special Publication 4. Gainesville.