Creating the American West

Derek R. EverettHistory
Creating the American West

Author: Derek R. Everett

Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press

ISBN: 9780806146140

Category: History

Page: 319

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Boundaries—lines imposed on the landscape—shape our lives, dictating everything from which candidates we vote for to what schools our children attend to the communities with which we identify. In Creating the American West, historian Derek R. Everett examines the function of these internal lines in American history generally and in the West in particular. Drawing lines to create states in the trans-Mississippi West, he points out, imposed a specific form of political organization that made the West truly American. Everett examines how settlers lobbied for boundaries and how politicians imposed them. He examines the origins of boundary-making in the United States from the colonial era through the Louisiana Purchase. Case studies then explore the ethnic, sectional, political, and economic angles of boundaries. Everett first examines the boundaries between Arkansas and its neighboring Native cultures, and the pseudo war between Missouri and Iowa. He then traces the lines splitting the Oregon Country and the states of California and Nevada, and considers the ethnic and political consequences of the boundary between New Mexico and Colorado. He explains the evolution of the line splitting the Dakotas, and concludes with a discussion of ways in which state boundaries can contribute toward new interpretations of borderlands history. A major theme in the history of state boundaries is the question of whether to use geometric or geographic lines—in other words, lines corresponding to parallels and meridians or those fashioned by natural features. With the distribution of western land, Everett shows, geography gave way to geometry and transformed the West. The end of boundary-making in the late nineteenth century is not the end of the story, however. These lines continue to complicate a host of issues including water rights, taxes, political representation, and immigration. Creating the American West shows how the past continues to shape the present.

Making of the American West

Peter MancallHistory
Making of the American West

Author: Peter Mancall

Publisher: ABC-CLIO

ISBN: 9781851097630

Category: History

Page: 372

View: 310

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"Making of the American West" surveys the experiences of major social groups in the lands from the Mississippi to the Pacific, from the United States' penetration of the region in the early 19th century to its incorporation into national political, economic, and cultural fabric by the early 20th century. This revealing volume offers fascinating portraits of the people and institutions that drove the Western conquest (traders and trappers, ranchers and settlers, corporations, the federal government), as well as of those who resisted conquest or hoped for the emergence of a different society (Indian peoples, Latinos, Asians, wage laborers). Throughout, expert contributors continually return to the growing myth of the West and the impact of its promise of freedom and opportunity on those who sought to "Americanize" it.

Presidents Who Shaped the American West

Glenda RileyBiography & Autobiography
Presidents Who Shaped the American West

Author: Glenda Riley

Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press

ISBN: 9780806160863

Category: Biography & Autobiography

Page: 281

View: 633

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Generations of Americans have seen the West as beyond federal control and direction. But the national government’s presence in the West dates to before Lewis and Clark, and since 1789 a number of U.S. presidents have had a penetrating and long-lasting impact on the region. In Presidents Who Shaped the American West, noted historians Glenda Riley and Richard W. Etulain present startling analyses of chief executives and their policies, illuminating the long reach of presidential power. The authors begin each chapter by sketching a particular president’s biography and explaining the political context in which he operated while in office. They then consider overarching actions and policies that affected both the nation and the region during the president’s administration, such as Thomas Jefferson’s augmentation of the West via the Louisiana Purchase, and Andrew Jackson’s removal of American Indians from the Southeast to “Indian Country” in the West. Abraham Lincoln’s promotion of the Homestead Act, a transcontinental railroad, and western territories and states free of slavery marked further extensions of presidential power in the region. Theodore Roosevelt’s conservation efforts and Jimmy Carter’s expansion of earlier policies reflected growing public concern with the West’s finite natural resources and fragile natural environment. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, Dwight D. Eisenhower’s highway program, and Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society funneled federal funding into the West. In return for this largesse, some argued, the West paid the price of increased federal hegemony, and Ronald Reagan’s presidency arguably curbed that power. Riley and Etulain also discuss the most recent presidential terms and the region’s growing political power in Congress and the federal bureaucracy. With an accessible approach, Presidents Who Shaped the American West establishes the crucial and formative nature of the relationship between the White House and the West—and will encourage readers to continue examining this relationship.

A Literary History of the American West

Western Literature Association (U.S.)Literary Criticism
A Literary History of the American West

Author: Western Literature Association (U.S.)

Publisher: TCU Press

ISBN: 087565021X

Category: Literary Criticism

Page: 1408

View: 754

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Literary histories, of course, do not have a reason for being unless there exists the literature itself. This volume, perhaps more than others of its kind, is an expression of appreciation for the talented and dedicated literary artists who ignored the odds, avoided temptations to write for popularity or prestige, and chose to write honestly about the American West, believing that experiences long knowns to be of historical importance are also experiences that need and deserve a literature of importance.

Women in the American West

Laura Woodworth-NeyHistory
Women in the American West

Author: Laura Woodworth-Ney

Publisher: ABC-CLIO

ISBN: 9781598840506

Category: History

Page: 387

View: 793

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Examines the part that women played in the settlement of the American West, discussing their accomplishments as ranchers, soldiers, businesswomen, and politicians, and analyzing the influence that polygamy and prostitution had on the expansion into Western territories.

Higher Education in the American West

Richard W. JonsenEducation
Higher Education in the American West

Author: Richard W. Jonsen

Publisher: Springer

ISBN: 9781137381958

Category: Education

Page: 318

View: 988

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Higher Education in the American West: Regional History and State Contexts is the first comprehensive regional history of American higher education. It offers new historical research on how societal forces and state actions brought about the region's one thousand two hundred institutions of higher learning in 15 western states.

Encyclopedia of Politics of the American West

Steven L. DanverReference
Encyclopedia of Politics of the American West

Author: Steven L. Danver

Publisher: CQ Press

ISBN: 9781452276069

Category: Reference

Page: 825

View: 180

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The Encyclopedia of Politics in the American West is an A to Z reference work on the political development of one of America’s most politically distinct, not to mention its fastest growing, region. This work will cover not only the significant events and actors of Western politics, but also deal with key institutional, historical, environmental, and sociopolitical themes and concepts that are important to more fully understanding the politics of the West over the last century.

The World of the American West: A Daily Life Encyclopedia [2 volumes]

Gordon Morris BakkenHistory
The World of the American West: A Daily Life Encyclopedia [2 volumes]

Author: Gordon Morris Bakken

Publisher: ABC-CLIO

ISBN: 9781440828607

Category: History

Page: 943

View: 142

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Addressing everything from the details of everyday life to recreation and warfare, this two-volume work examines the social, political, intellectual, and material culture of the American "Old West," from the California Gold Rush of 1849 to the end of the 19th century. • Offers insights based on social history and the daily experience of the average person to engage students' interest and curiosity rather than focusing on the events, dates, and names of "traditional history" • Presents information within a thematic organization that encourages a more in-depth study of specific aspects of daily life in the Old West • Includes related primary documents that enable students to view history more directly and reach their own conclusions about past events • Examines a wide range of topics such as work, family life, clothing and fashion, food and drink, housing and community, politics, social customs, spirituality, and technology • Provides a general introduction per volume, individual topic introductions, numerous images and illustrations, a timeline of events, and a bibliography identifying print and nonprint resources

Hispanics in the American West

Jorge IberHistory
Hispanics in the American West

Author: Jorge Iber

Publisher: ABC-CLIO

ISBN: 9781851096848

Category: History

Page: 470

View: 653

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This work provides a revealing look at the history of Hispanic peoples in the American West (or, from the Mexican perspective, El Norte) from the period of Spanish colonization through the present day. Hispanics in the American West portrays the daily lives, struggles, and triumphs of Spanish-speaking peoples from the arrival of Spanish conquistadors to the present, highlighting such defining moments as the years of Mexican sovereignty, the Mexican-American War, the coming of the railroad, the great Mexican migration in the early 20th century, the Great Depression, World War II, the Chicano Movement that arose in the mid-1960s, and more. Coverage includes Hispanics of all nationalities (not just Mexican, but Cuban, Puerto Rican, Salvadoran, and Guatemalan, among others) and ranges beyond the "traditional" Hispanic states (Texas, California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado) to look at newer communities of Spanish-speaking peoples in Oregon, Hawaii, and Utah. The result is a portrait of Hispanic American life in the West that is uniquely inclusive, insightful, and surprising. Includes maps, photos, and a comprehensive index as well as biographical sketches within each chapter that personalize the themes, recounting the lives of individuals caught up in the sweep of history Covers Hispanic Americans of all origins, offering discussions of the differences among these groups not found in other publications

Encyclopedia of Women in the American West

Gordon Moris BakkenHistory
Encyclopedia of Women in the American West

Author: Gordon Moris Bakken

Publisher: SAGE Publications

ISBN: 9781452265261

Category: History

Page: 408

View: 807

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The Encyclopedia of Women of the American West captures the lives of more than 150 women who made their mark from the mid-1800s to the present, contextualizing their experiences and contributions to American society. Including many women profiled for the first time, the encyclopedia offers immense value and interest to practicing historians as well as students and the public.

A Companion to the American West

William DeverellHistory
A Companion to the American West

Author: William Deverell

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

ISBN: 9781405138482

Category: History

Page: 584

View: 217

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A Companion to the American West is a rigorous, illuminating introduction to the history of the American West. Twenty-five essays by expert scholars synthesize the best and most provocative work in the field and provide a comprehensive overview of themes and historiography. Covers the culture, politics, and environment of the American West through periods of migration, settlement, and modernization Discusses Native Americans and their conflicts and integration with American settlers

Slavery, Freedom, and Expansion in the Early American West

John Craig HammondHistory
Slavery, Freedom, and Expansion in the Early American West

Author: John Craig Hammond

Publisher: University of Virginia Press

ISBN: 9780813946047

Category: History

Page: 256

View: 797

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Most treatments of slavery, politics, and expansion in the early American republic focus narrowly on congressional debates and the inaction of elite "founding fathers" such as Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. In Slavery, Freedom, and Expansion in the Early American West, John Craig Hammond looks beyond elite leadership and examines how the demands of western settlers, the potential of western disunion, and local, popular politics determined the fate of slavery and freedom in the West between 1790 and 1820. By shifting focus away from high politics in Philadelphia and Washington, Hammond demonstrates that local political contests and geopolitical realities were more responsible for determining slavery’s fate in the West than were the clashing proslavery and antislavery proclivities of Founding Fathers and politicians in the East. When efforts to prohibit slavery revived in 1819 with the Missouri Controversy it was not because of a sudden awakening to the problem on the part of northern Republicans, but because the threat of western secession no longer seemed credible. Including detailed studies of popular political contests in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Missouri that shed light on the western and popular character of conflicts over slavery, Hammond also provides a thorough analysis of the Missouri Controversy, revealing how the problem of slavery expansion shifted from a local and western problem to a sectional and national dilemma that would ultimately lead to disunion and civil war.