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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... become equal, independent citizens. They believed that America was a model of God's vision for mankind because its vast untouched natural resources and lack of an entrenched aristocracy would permit any individual to prosper, if only he ...
... become equal, independent citizens. They believed that America was a model of God's vision for mankind because its vast untouched natural resources and lack of an entrenched aristocracy would permit any individual to prosper, if only he ...
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... become employers and, in turn, hire those just starting out, who would themselves become employers one day. In this harmonious economic world, workers and employers each benefited from increased production, for if labor indeed created ...
... become employers and, in turn, hire those just starting out, who would themselves become employers one day. In this harmonious economic world, workers and employers each benefited from increased production, for if labor indeed created ...
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... manufacturers could not deliver their goods because ''the railway lines . . . were fast becoming dangerous for want of new rails,'' and the tendency of wooden bridges to catch fire from the locomotive engine sparks ≤∏ Spring 1865.
... manufacturers could not deliver their goods because ''the railway lines . . . were fast becoming dangerous for want of new rails,'' and the tendency of wooden bridges to catch fire from the locomotive engine sparks ≤∏ Spring 1865.
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... become polarized, and economic classes would clash. They launched fledgling labor organizations decades before the ... becoming dependent on tax dollars for their livelihood. By the end of the war, northerners had died for their ...
... become polarized, and economic classes would clash. They launched fledgling labor organizations decades before the ... becoming dependent on tax dollars for their livelihood. By the end of the war, northerners had died for their ...
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... become of government that had always been organized by a few elite individuals? Anxious white legislators passed the infamous ''Black Codes,'' in an attempt to force freedpeople back into their prewar place as subservient workers. Some ...
... become of government that had always been organized by a few elite individuals? Anxious white legislators passed the infamous ''Black Codes,'' in an attempt to force freedpeople back into their prewar place as subservient workers. Some ...
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