West from Appomattox: The Reconstruction of America after the Civil WarYale University Press, 2007 M03 28 - 416 pages “This thoughtful, engaging examination of the Reconstruction Era . . . will be appealing . . . to anyone interested in the roots of present-day American politics” (Publishers Weekly). The story of Reconstruction is not simply about the rebuilding of the South after the Civil War. In many ways, the late nineteenth century defined modern America, as Southerners, Northerners, and Westerners forged a national identity that united three very different regions into a country that could become a world power. A sweeping history of the United States from the era of Abraham Lincoln to the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, this engaging book tracks the formation of the American middle class while stretching the boundaries of our understanding of Reconstruction. Historian Heather Cox Richardson ties the North and West into the post–Civil War story that usually focuses narrowly on the South. By weaving together the experiences of real individuals who left records in their own words—from ordinary Americans such as a plantation mistress, a Native American warrior, and a labor organizer, to prominent historical figures such as Andrew Carnegie, Julia Ward Howe, Booker T. Washington, and Sitting Bull—Richardson tells a story about the creation of modern America. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 88
Page
... South and its morass of racial problems. But nineteenth-century Americans never focused on racial problems in the postwar South to the exclusion of the issues of postwar industrialization and urbanization that appeared dramatically as ...
... South and its morass of racial problems. But nineteenth-century Americans never focused on racial problems in the postwar South to the exclusion of the issues of postwar industrialization and urbanization that appeared dramatically as ...
Page
... South, ex-Confederates immediately developed antigovernment rhetoric. This antigovernment stance spread to the plains and mountain West despite the region's complete dependence on the government, as angry settlers opposed a range of ...
... South, ex-Confederates immediately developed antigovernment rhetoric. This antigovernment stance spread to the plains and mountain West despite the region's complete dependence on the government, as angry settlers opposed a range of ...
Page
... South. He was born into a powerful plantation family, graduated from the elite South Carolina College, and married Margaret Preston and then, after her death, Mary McDu≈e, both from prominent planter families. In 1860, Hampton owned ...
... South. He was born into a powerful plantation family, graduated from the elite South Carolina College, and married Margaret Preston and then, after her death, Mary McDu≈e, both from prominent planter families. In 1860, Hampton owned ...
Page
... South, of course, for race provided an obvious division around which to organize society. Safely under the control and protection of a white patriarch, black slaves could contribute economically to society without ''contaminating'' the ...
... South, of course, for race provided an obvious division around which to organize society. Safely under the control and protection of a white patriarch, black slaves could contribute economically to society without ''contaminating'' the ...
Page
... South was under attack. The organization of the Republican Party as a sectional party dedicated to preventing the westward expansion of slavery indicated a crisis was at hand. The South had long ago lost its parity in the House of ...
... South was under attack. The organization of the Republican Party as a sectional party dedicated to preventing the westward expansion of slavery indicated a crisis was at hand. The South had long ago lost its parity in the House of ...
Contents
A New Middle Ground | |
Years of Unrest | |
Years of Consolidation | |
The Struggle Renewed | |
The Final Contest | |
Reunion | |
Epilogue | |
Notes | |
Index | |
Other editions - View all
West from Appomattox: The Reconstruction of America After the Civil War Heather Cox Richardson No preview available - 2007 |
West from Appomattox: The Reconstruction of America After the Civil War Heather Cox Richardson No preview available - 2007 |
Common terms and phrases
a√airs Addams African Americans Andrew Carnegie army believed Bu√alo businessmen called Carl Schurz Carnegie cattle Charles Goodnight Chicago citizens Civil Comanche Congress corruption cowboy Cuba Cuban demanded Democrats di√erent disa√ected e√ort economic harmony election farmers federal free labor freedmen Gompers Goodnight Grover Cleveland Harper’s Weekly idea Indians individualism industry insisted Johnson Julia Ward July land legislation live Love man’s March McKinley ment middle-class million MOA-Cornell Nat Love North northern o√ered o≈ce o≈cers o≈cials organized political politicians postwar Powderly president protect Quanah Quanah Parker radical railroad recalled reconstruction reform Roosevelt Samuel Gompers Schurz seemed Senate Sitting Bull slavery slaves society soldiers South Carolina southern whites special interests strike su√ered su√rage tari√s taxes Theodore Roosevelt tion Union University Press vote voters Wade Hampton wages Washington wealth West western white southerners women workers York York World