Carol Sheriff
Author of The Artificial River: The Erie Canal and the Paradox of Progress, 1817-1862
Works by Carol Sheriff
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- Works
- 4
- Members
- 277
- Popularity
- #83,813
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
- 4
- ISBNs
- 19
While interesting in itself as the story of a stunning engineering, economic, and political achievement, Sheriff's account reminds us vividly that no history is ever as tidy and simplistic as any classroom may contend. And while we tend to think of history in terms of grand philosophies and sweeping vistas, our present days have been built by and on the experiences of countless individuals with passions, beliefs, strengths, and weaknesses all their own, and that all "progress" and "accomplishment" on a large scale must come with struggle, compromise, gain, and loss. In this day we are not much different than those who lived through the painful but exhilarating process that was the Erie Canal and the opening up of America's interior. If we learn nothing else from the reading of histories like this one, that is an imperative lesson indeed.… (more)