The Shaping of America: A Geographical Perspective on 500 Years of History: Volume 2: Continental America, 1800-1867

This study discusses how an immense diversity of ethnic and religious groups became sorted into a set of distinct regional societies in North America

In the second volume of this series exploring geographical influences on American history, following the first, Atlantic America ( LJ 8/86), Meinig, a geographer at Syracuse University, attempts to form a synthesis of the American story and of the movement of racial and national groups across the land. The work is a narrative history, spanning 1800 through the Civil War; it emphasizes the expansion of the United States, especially the role Jefferson played in acquiring the Louisiana Purchase. The theme is not new, but the author marshals considerable secondary material to support his theories. Unfortunately, this is determinist history penned in pedestrian prose. What makes the work unusual is its emphasis on geography as a major force in U.S. history. Although certainly not a first choice for a basic history of America, this would still be a necessary purchase for academic libraries.
- Jamie S. Hansen, Univ. of South Carolina, Columbia
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.