Americans: A Collision of Histories - Softcover

Countryman, Edward

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0809015986 ISBN 13: 9780809015986

Publisher: Hill and Wang, 1997

Synopsis

In this social history, Edward Countryman shows how interactions among America's different ethnic groups have contributed to our sense of nationality. From the earliest settlements along the Atlantic seaboard to the battle over our nation's destiny in the aftermath of the Civil War, Countryman reveals Americans in all their diverse complexity and shows why the very identity of "American"--forged by the African, the Indian, and the European alike--is what matters.

About this title

Review

Whether America is a "melting pot" of hybrid breeds dissolved into a composite people or a "tossed salad" of distinct groups roughly mixed is a debate that has grown considerably in recent years. Edward Countryman, a Southern Methodist University professor and author of several history books, weighs in with a sweeping examination of America's early years. Or specifically, he provides a look at the histories of the ethnic groups that make up the country. His conclusions are not simple generalizations, but rather a story laid bare of cultures clashing and the confused result.

From the Back Cover

This book began with a chance encounter. On a summer evening late in the 1980s a young black man stopped me to ask for directions in the English town where I used to live. That was no surprise. Asian, African, Afro-Caribbean, black British, and white people all lived in the neighborhood. His speech, however was American, and I was delighted to hear it. I speak American too, despite my long time overseas, and he was just as glad to hear me.

About this edition

• Publisher: Hill and Wang
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0809015986
• ISBN 13: 9780809015986
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 324