Description
In this beautifully written history of America's formative period, an eminent historian upends the traditional story of a young nation marching to its continent-spanning destiny.
The newly constituted United States actually emerged as an internally fragile union of states that clashed over a tenuous balance of regional power. European empires and the new republic of Mexico sought to contain that union by allying with Native peoples who defended their homelands. Bitter political divisions pitted those favouring strong government with elite rule against those, like Andrew Jackson, espousing a democratic populism for white men. With a flood of settlers pouring into the west, the United States invaded Canada, Florida, Texas and much of Mexico. It forcibly removed most of the Native peoples living east of the Mississippi. And after the Mexican war, with conquered territory reaching west to the Pacific, the sectional divisions over slavery produced a crisis.
About the Author
Alan Taylor, twice awarded the Pulitzer Prize in History, is the author of American Revolutions and American Republics, prior volumes in his acclaimed continental history of the United States. He is Thomas Jefferson Foundation Professor of History at University of Virginia, and lives in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Reviews
"Taylor's special contribution in "American Republics" is his capacity for panning out to capture major historical trends... he shows his skill in producing an expansive overview that synthesizes discoveries by historians, including himself... Whether as a gloss of received historical wisdom or as an overview whose originality lies in its comprehensiveness, "American Republics" succeeds admirably." -- David S. Reynolds - The New York Times Book Review
"[Alan Taylor's] book is written in clear, readable prose designed for readers with little or no prior knowledge of the period, and the work has touches of wokeness, which helps to fit it nicely into this extraordinary moment in our history." -- Gordon S. Wood - The Wall Street Journal
"... masterful new volume..." -- M. J. Andersen - The Boston Globe
Awards
Winner of New-York Historical Society American History Book Prize 2022.
Book Information
ISBN 9781324005797
Author Alan Taylor
Format Hardback
Page Count 544
Imprint WW Norton & Co
Publisher WW Norton & Co
Weight(grams) 848g
Dimensions(mm) 239mm * 163mm * 43mm