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Loading... How the States Got Their Shapes (original 2008; edition 2008)by Mark Stein
Work InformationHow the States Got Their Shapes by Mark Stein (2008)
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. (2008)Very good NF that tries to explain all of the various shapes of the 50 states. As each state depends to some extent on how neighboring states were shaped, much cross referencing between chapters is required to get a complete story. Nonetheless, fascinating background to American history based on geography. Amusing and interesting. It was sometimes frustrating that the states were in alphabetical order for discussion; logically, one state's borders are the borders of other states and to have to repeat the discussion three or four times was silly. It was very disturbing to understand the role of slavery in the creation of the states, especially how it reared its ugly head from the earliest moments of expansion beyond the original thirteen states. On the other hand, it was fascinating to understand the forward planning of the first presidents for the future of a country that would span a continent. Recommended for anyone interested in US history. After a brief intro regarding major US land purchases, the author describes how each state got its present borders. Skip the states you don't want to know about and read the ones you are interested in. Gives a lot of insight into nation-building and "manifest destiny." no reviews | add a review
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References to this work on external resources. Wikipedia in English (13)We are so familiar with the map of the United States that our state borders seem as much a part of nature as mountains and rivers. But every edge of the familiar wooden jigsaw pieces of our childhood represents a revealing moment of history and of, well, humans drawing lines in the sand. This is the first book to tackle why our state lines are where they are. Packed with oddities and trivia, this entertaining guide also reveals the major fault lines of American history, from ideological intrigues and religious intolerance to major territorial acquisitions. Adding the fresh lens of local geographic disputes, military skirmishes, and land grabs, Mark Stein shows how the seemingly haphazard puzzle pieces of our nation fit together perfectly.--From publisher description. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)917.3History and Geography Geography and Travel Geography of and travel in North America United StatesLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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