The American West; A New Interpretive History

by Robert V. Hine and John Mack Faragher

• ISBN13: 9780300078336
• ISBN10: 0300078331
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2000-01-11
• Publisher: Yale University Press

Summary

Two eminent historians, Robert V. Hine and John Mack Faragher, present the American West as both frontier and region, real and imagined, old and new, and they show how men and women of all ethnic groups were affected when different cultures met and clashed. Their concise and engaging survey of frontier history traces the story from the first Columbian contacts between Indians and Europeans to the multicultural encounters of the modern Southwest.

The book attunes us to the voices of the frontiers many diverse peoples: Indians, struggling to defend their homelands and searching for a way to live with colonialism; the men and women who became immigrants and colonists from all over the world; African Americans, both slave and free; and border-land migrants from Mexico, Canada, and Asian lands. Profusely illustrated with contemporary drawings, posters, and photographs and written In lively and accessible prose, the book not only presents a panoramic view of historical events and characters but also provides fascinating details about such topics as western landscap

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Introduction: Dreams and Homelands	1	(11)
A New World Begins	12	(27)
Contest of Cultures	39	(32)
The Struggle of Empires	71	(29)
The Land and Its Markers	100	(33)
The Fur Trade	133	(26)
From Texas to Oregon	159	(40)
War and Destiny	199	(35)
Mining Frontiers	234	(40)
The Power of the Road	274	(27)
Open Range	301	(29)
The Safety Valve	330	(32)
A Search for Community	362	(39)
The Urban Frontier	401	(33)
Plunder and Preservation	434	(38)
Myth of the West	472	(40)
The Frontier and West in Our Time	512	(51)
Notes	563	(28)
Index	591