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
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... lives of its citizens. The stark division that contemporaries saw in nineteenth-century Amer- ica was not as simple as they thought, either. From the very beginning of the postwar era, the government that Republicans had constructed to ...
... lives of its citizens. The stark division that contemporaries saw in nineteenth-century Amer- ica was not as simple as they thought, either. From the very beginning of the postwar era, the government that Republicans had constructed to ...
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... lives of those who embraced a developing middle-class ideology crossed, suggesting that they recognized an a≈nity for those who thought like themselves and actively worked to spread their worldview across the country. Less prominent ...
... lives of those who embraced a developing middle-class ideology crossed, suggesting that they recognized an a≈nity for those who thought like themselves and actively worked to spread their worldview across the country. Less prominent ...
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... lives of his brother and son into the Confederate cause. He clung to the belief that his sacrifices had a purpose.∂ For many Americans, Hampton seemed to represent the South. He was born into a powerful plantation family, graduated ...
... lives of his brother and son into the Confederate cause. He clung to the belief that his sacrifices had a purpose.∂ For many Americans, Hampton seemed to represent the South. He was born into a powerful plantation family, graduated ...
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... lives of about 258,000 white southerners and left scars in at least 100,000 others. In June 1862, Hampton's beloved brother Frank fell at Brandy Station, and by October 1864, Hampton reflected in sorrow: ''We gain successes but after ...
... lives of about 258,000 white southerners and left scars in at least 100,000 others. In June 1862, Hampton's beloved brother Frank fell at Brandy Station, and by October 1864, Hampton reflected in sorrow: ''We gain successes but after ...
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... live in damp, dark, dreary cellars, often under water, close to the most loathsome sinks, overcrowded, and reeking with filth and mortal disease. There is never sound health in them, and the sickness-rate ranges from 75 to 90 per cent ...
... live in damp, dark, dreary cellars, often under water, close to the most loathsome sinks, overcrowded, and reeking with filth and mortal disease. There is never sound health in them, and the sickness-rate ranges from 75 to 90 per cent ...
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