Nebraska

by Luebke, Frederick C.

• ISBN13: 9780803280427
• ISBN10: 0803280424
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-06-01
• Publisher: INGRAM

Summary

A unique history of Nebraska is presented in these pages, drawing on fifty-eight short topical chapters and a rich gallery of illustrations. Professor Frederick C. Luebke's lifelong commitment to the study of his state informs the book in every detail, as does his concern for clear and readable narrative. The treasure trove of images, many never published before, cast new light on many aspects of Nebraska's history. These include the culture of the state's Native peoples and their lives today, the building of the transcontinental railroad, the hardship endured by European immigrants, and the contributions of women, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Asian Americans to the state. This is a book that every Nebraskan will want to own, read, and enjoy.This second edition includes updated chapters on the current social, economic, and political climate of Nebraska and some new illustrations.Frederick C. Luebke is Charles J. Mach Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the department of history at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His books include A Harmony of the Arts: The Nebraska State Capitol (Nebraska 1990) and Germans in the New World: Essays in the History of Immigration.

Author Biography

Frederick C. Luebke is Charles J. Mach Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the department of history at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. His books include A Harmony of the Arts: The Nebraska State Capitol (Nebraska 1990) and Germans in the New World: Essays in the History of Immigration.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	xi
Preface and Acknowledgments	xxi
Introduction: The Place and the People	1	(6)
Part 1. Before Statehood: A Place on the Way to Somewhere Else	7	(70)
The First Nebraskans	11	(6)
The Fur Trade in Nebraska	17	(5)
Exploration on the Plains: Soldiers, Scientists, and Artists	22	(5)
Fort Atkinson: Army Outpost on the Missouri	27	(3)
Steamboats on the Missouri	30	(6)
The Overlanders	36	(6)
The Creation of Nebraska Territory	42	(6)
Nebraska's Founders: Speculators and Politicians	48	(6)
The Territorial Economy	54	(5)
Building the Transcontinental Railroad	59	(7)
Getting Land: The Farmers' Frontier	66	(4)
Nebraska in the Civil War	70	(7)
Part 2. A Fledgling State: Nebraska's First Quarter Century	77	(114)
A Capital Controversy	81	(7)
A Network of Rails	88	(5)
Towns on the Plains	93	(9)
Hard Times in the 1870s	102	(4)
Beef Bonanza: The Range Cattle Industry	106	(7)
The Boom before the Bust	113	(4)
Farming on the Plains: The Role of Technology	117	(6)
Log Cabins and Sod Houses	123	(7)
Making a Home on the Nebraska Frontier	130	(6)
A Flood of European Immigrants	136	(6)
Strangers in Their Own Land	142	(9)
Forts and Soldiers on the Nebraska Frontier	151	(6)
African Americans in Nineteenth-Century Nebraska	157	(7)
The Little School House on the Prairie	164	(7)
When Higher Education Was Lower	171	(7)
Churches and Politics in 1890	178	(7)
Nebraska Politics, Nineteenth-Century Style	185	(6)
Part 3. The Emergence of Modern Nebraska, 1890--1930	191	(84)
Facing Environmental Realities	195	(9)
The Populist Response to Hard Times	204	(6)
The Emergence of Omaha as Nebraska's Metropolis	210	(8)
Lincoln as the Athens of the Plains	218	(7)
The Progressive Movement in Nebraska	225	(6)
Political Giants: Bryan and Norris	231	(6)
World War I in Nebraska	237	(8)
Race Riot in Omaha, 1919	245	(5)
The Legacy of Samuel McKelvie	250	(4)
Nebraskans Build a Monumental Capitol, 1920--1934	254	(5)
Back Home on the Farm in the 1920s	259	(8)
The Big Change: The 1920s as Transition	267	(8)
Part 4. Drought, Depression, War, and Recovery, 1930--1970	275	(64)
The Dirty Thirties: Drought and Depression	279	(9)
The Unicameral: Nebraska's Unique Legislature	288	(4)
Public Power Comes to Nebraska	292	(6)
World War II in Nebraska	298	(9)
From Fort Crook to Strategic Air Command Headquarters	307	(6)
Higher Education in the Postwar Decades, 1945--1970	313	(5)
Nebraska Agriculture in the Postwar World	318	(5)
Interstate 80	323	(5)
The Tiemann Legacy	328	(5)
African-American Unrest in Omaha	333	(6)
Part 5. Change in Contemporary Nebraska, 1970--2005	339	(48)
Agriculture in Contemporary Nebraska	343	(7)
Nebraska's Changing Economy	350	(6)
Changes in Nebraska's Population	356	(4)
Education in a Technological Era	360	(6)
Minorities in Contemporary Nebraska	366	(7)
Nebraska Politics, 1970--2005	373	(6)
The Quality of Life in Nebraska	379	(8)
Readings in the History of Nebraska	387	(6)
Index	393