| Edition |
First edition. |
| Description |
xxv, 463 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm |
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text txt rdacontent |
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unmediated n rdamedia |
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volume nc rdacarrier |
| Note |
Maps on endpapers. |
| Contents |
List of maps and illustrations -- Author's note -- Preface : The pure physics of Union -- When America's story was dominated by wood, 1785-1805. A view across the ridge ; Drawing a line in the sand ; Peering through the trees ; The frontier and the thesis ; The wood was become grass ; Encounters with the Sioux ; First lady of the plains ; High plains rafters ; Passing the gateway ; Shoreline passage -- When America's story went beneath the Earth, 1809-1901. The lasting benefit of harmony ; The science that changed America ; Drawing the colors of rocks ; The wellspring of knowledge ; The tapestry of underneath ; Setting the lures ; Off to see the elephant ; The west, revealed ; The singular first adventure of Kapurats ; The men who gave us Yellowstone ; Diamonds, sex, and race -- When the American story traveled by water, 1803-1900. Journeys to the fall line ; The streams beyond the hills ; The pivot and the feather ; The first big dig ; The wedded waters of New York ; The linkman cometh ; That ol' man river -- When the American story was fanned by fire, 1811-1956. May the roads rise up ; Rain, steam, and speed ; The annihilation of the in-between ; The immortal legacy of Crazy Judah ; Colonel Eisenhower's epiphanic expedition ; The colossus of roads ; And then we looked up ; The twelve-week crossing. When the American story was told through metal, 1835-tomorrow. To go, but not to move ; The man who tamed the lightning ; The signal power of human speech ; With power for one and all ; Lighting the corn, powering the prairie ; The talk of the nation ; Making money from air ; Television: the irresistible force ; The all of some knowledge -- Epilogue -- Bibliography -- Index. |
| Summary |
''For more than two centuries, E pluribus unum--''Out of many, one''--has been featured on America's official government seals and stamped on its currency. But how did America become ''one nation, indivisible''? In this monumental history, Simon Winchester addresses these questions, bringing together the breathtaking achievements of those American pioneers who helped to forge and unify the new nation, and who toiled fearlessly to bond the citizens and geography of the United States from its very beginnings. This sweeping narrative details how these daring men, some famous, some forgotten, left their mark on America's natural landscapes, through courage, ingenuity, and hard work. Winchester follows the footsteps of America's most crucial innovators, thinkers, and explorers, from Lewis and Clark and the leaders of the Great Surveys of the West to the builders of the first transcontinental railroad and the curmudgeonly civil engineer who oversaw the creation of more than three million miles of highway. Winchester travels across vast swaths of the American landscape, from Pittsburgh to Portland, Seattle to Anchorage, Truckee to Laramie, using the five classical elements--Wood, Earth, Water, Fire, and Metal--to chart the contributions these adventurous leaders made to connect the diverse communities within the United States and ensure the future of the American project begun in 1776. The Men Who United the States is an unforgettable journey of unprecedented scope across time and open spaces, providing a new lens through which to view American history, led by one of our most gifted writers.''-- From publisher description. |
| Subject |
Explorers -- United States.
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Inventors -- United States.
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Inventions -- United States.
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United States -- History.
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| Added Title |
America's explorers, inventors, eccentrics, and mavericks, and the creation of one nation, indivisible |
| ISBN |
9780062079602 |
|
0062079603 |
|
