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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... story is all about reconstruction.'' This is the book that explains why today's political map looks like a map of the 1860s. It argues that in the years between 1865 and 1901, a new definition of what it meant to be an American ...
... story is all about reconstruction.'' This is the book that explains why today's political map looks like a map of the 1860s. It argues that in the years between 1865 and 1901, a new definition of what it meant to be an American ...
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... story in which sectional animosities, racial tensions, industrialization, women's activism, and westward expansion cut across party lines to create both a new definition of what it meant to be an American and a new vision of the ...
... story in which sectional animosities, racial tensions, industrialization, women's activism, and westward expansion cut across party lines to create both a new definition of what it meant to be an American and a new vision of the ...
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... story of post–Civil War America. Their ultimate outcome defined a desirable American citizen and an ideal American state. My interest in this process was sparked by the disparity between the way people a century and a half ago ...
... story of post–Civil War America. Their ultimate outcome defined a desirable American citizen and an ideal American state. My interest in this process was sparked by the disparity between the way people a century and a half ago ...
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... story. Finally, it was evident that the reconstruction years could not be understood without acknowledging the central importance of the American West. The postwar years were the heyday of westward expansion, miners, the American cowboy ...
... story. Finally, it was evident that the reconstruction years could not be understood without acknowledging the central importance of the American West. The postwar years were the heyday of westward expansion, miners, the American cowboy ...
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... stories. Ex-Confederate Wade Hampton and western scout Bu√alo Bill, poet Julia Ward Howe, educator Booker T. Washington, and Sioux leader Sitting Bull, among others, fulfilled my requirements; labor pioneer William Sylvis, who died in ...
... stories. Ex-Confederate Wade Hampton and western scout Bu√alo Bill, poet Julia Ward Howe, educator Booker T. Washington, and Sioux leader Sitting Bull, among others, fulfilled my requirements; labor pioneer William Sylvis, who died in ...
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