Hoosiers: A New History of Indiana - Hardcover

Madison, James H.

4.2

135 ratings by Goodreads

9780253013088: Hoosiers: A New History of Indiana

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0253013089 ISBN 13: 9780253013088

Publisher: Indiana University Press, 2014

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Who are the people called Hoosiers? What are their stories? Two centuries ago, on the Indiana frontier, they were settlers who created a way of life they passed to later generations. They came to value individual freedom and distrusted government, even as they demanded that government remove Indians, sell them land, and bring democracy. Down to the present, Hoosiers have remained wary of government power and have taken care to guard their tax dollars and their personal independence. Yet the people of Indiana have always accommodated change, exchanging log cabins and spinning wheels for railroads, cities, and factories in the 19th century, automobiles, suburbs, and foreign investment in the 20th. The present has brought new issues and challenges, as Indiana's citizens respond to a rapidly changing world. James H. Madison's sparkling new history tells the stories of these Hoosiers, offering an invigorating view of one of America's distinctive states and the long and fascinating journey of its people.

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About the Author:

James H. Madison is the Thomas and Kathryn Miller Professor of History Emeritus, Indiana University Bloomington. His books include Eli Lilly: A Life, 1885-1977; Slinging Doughnuts for the Boys: An American Woman in World War II (IUP, 2007); The Indiana Way: A State History (IUP, 1986); and A Lynching in the Heartland: Race and Memory in America. Madison serves on the boards of Indiana Humanities and the Indiana Historical Society and is a member of the Indiana Bicentennial Commission. He began teaching Indiana history in 1976 and has lectured and consulted widely on Indiana topics.

Review:

"Comprehensive and engagingly written, Hoosiers is the best one-volume history of the state."

(Nicole Etcheson, Alexander M. Bracken Professor of History, Ball State University)

"Every Hoosier should want to read James H. Madison's Hoosiers: A New History of Indiana. They will learn about their history, for sure, but much more―about their traditions, culture, beliefs, the land itself, their attitude toward government and freedom, their global connections, their heroes and villains, what they should celebrate―even their shortcomings―and the ongoing changes in the Hoosier way of life. Indiana's past, present, and future all come together for the Hoosier reader in this remarkable and easily readable volume."

(Lee H. Hamilton, former U.S. Representative (Indiana, 1965-1999); Director, the Center on Congress at Indiana University)

"In Hoosiers: A New History of Indiana, James H. Madison offers readers a compelling, well-researched, and highly readable narrative of Indiana and its people from the ice age to the twenty-first century. A distinguished scholar, he paints a vivid portrait of Hoosier achievements and controversies, and provides a nuanced understanding of the historical roots of Hoosier responses to current-day cultural, economic, political, and social issues. A must-read for all students of Indiana history, this much-needed book brings the state’s history to life for anyone seeking insight into the people who gave definition to the word 'Hoosiers.'"

(Joanne E. Passet, Professor of History Emerita, Indiana University East)

"Jim Madison, without question the most careful and objective historian the state of Indiana has ever had, has produced what will be for this generation the definitive history of the Hoosier state."

(Thomas Hamm, Professor of History, Earlham College)

"We are all of us fortunate that James Madison, the greatest Indiana historian of our era, has continued to research the people and events of the Indiana story and share his powerful insights about them. His latest work provides both a fresh appraisal of our past and an evaluation of our recent direction. This valuable new look at Indiana is a great gift that stands superbly alongside The Indiana Way, his seminal work of a quarter-century ago. We all owe a debt to Professor Madison for enriching the conversation about where Indiana has been and where we need to go."

(Randall T. Shepard, Chief Justice of Indiana (Ret.))

"James H. Madison’s brilliant new history of Indiana embodies the best of history writing. It’s comprehensive not exhaustive, honest not harsh, complex but understandable, challenging but uplifting. Perfectly timed on the eve of our bicentennial, Hoosiers paints a complex portrait of the distinctive Hoosier character and the ongoing tug of war between tradition and change that has shaped the evolution of the state."

(Keira Amstutz, President and CEO, Indiana Humanities)

"A towering achievement. Madison has produced a fresh, stimulating, user friendly, and definitive new history. He captures the economic, political, social, and cultural diversity of Indiana and presents a richly illustrated and documented history that makes room for ordinary people, outsiders, and dissenters."

(James B. Lane, Emeritus Professor of History, IU Northwest)

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