Fascinating Look at America at the Turn of the 19th Century
347034
I've always admired Theodore but I didn't know anything about Taft and was surprised to find that he was actually a hard-working, passionate public servant whose real love was his time as a judge and a justice.  But the most interesting parts of the book had to do with the wonderful muckraking journalists and the role played by McClure's revolutionary magazine.

I couldn't help but be struck by the similarities between those times and today with the great income inequalities and the power of big corporations. I guess it's true that if you don't learn from history, you're doomed to repeat it.
820300
History is not just about great men and wars; as this book astutely illustrates, it's also about the daily lives of the majority of the people. Dealing with the time period 1790-1840, a pre-industrialized era for the most part, Jack Larkin examines what life was like for most Americans at that time. Housing, occupations, entertainments, and family life are described; what it was like to travel, what happened when one got sick, the life of children, and how holidays were celebrated are also dealt with. Somewhat unique for a book like this, a long chapter concerns itself with the "private" lives of people: dating, marriage, sexual relations, pregnancies and child bearing, the role of the privy and chamber pot all get their due. Larkin's book is a compendium of facts and information regarding everyday life, including those for slaves, urban and rural dwellers, rich and poor - and is fascinating in that regard. It would be difficult to think of those times as "the good old days," though many old-timers of the day probably did, as, for example, "simple" chores (to most of us) such as washing clothes took all day and could exhaust many a hardy woman, not to mention the disease and filth that seemed to be everywhere. But by 1840 older citizens could detect changes (mainly new inventions and techniques) that reduced socializing and diminished craftsmanship, and mourned a way of life that was passing away. Progress has its penalties for every generation, and Larkin's book offers a glimpse at a way of life long since eclipsed by newer ways. There was actually life before TV (not to mention electricity and plumbing) - yikes!
3716570
Overall I liked the book. History is a serious subject but Okrent looks at an extremely turbulent period with a lens of joviality and mirth. One can't help but be amused by some of the characters and actions that shaped this period in history. Some elements of the story are fascinating and gripping. Many others are a little tedious. The book is a necessary read in order to get a better understanding of the America (and world) of a century ago, and it will reveal a lot about the America (and world) of today.
4958492
This was a very interesting read. The book spends alot more time on the campaign of William Jennings Bryan than Roosevelt or the heat wave, but it still offers an alarming glimpse of what life was like in NYC at the turn of the century.
1213222
The phrase "What Hath God Wrought" was the first message sent long distance over the telegraph. This was in some ways the beginning of the communications age. This book covers the period from 1815 to 1848. Many viewed the War of 1812 as the second American Revolution. In the aftermath of that war the American nation began to grow quickly. By the end of the period another war would be fought. This one with Mexico. That war would complete what we today call the Continental United States.

This period is rich in American history. The nation grew in size, but also in many other areas. Religion flourished in many new and differing ways. An American culture began to grow in the areas of science, literature, and the arts. The tasks of governing a Republic of vast proportions was a novel concept and continued to perplex many leaders. This period saw the end of the Federalist party with the government becoming a one party system with the Republican party in control during the Monroe years. After that the Republican party split itself in two as the followers of Andrew Jackson created the Democrat party and the opponents of Jackson creating the Whig party. Some of the greatest orators and politicians of 19th century America lived and served in this time. It was the period of Jackson, Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, John Calhoun, and John Quincy Adams. Towards the end of the period new leaders like Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas began to rise.

Slavery was the elephant in the room that could no longer be ignored. As abolitionist societies began to grow in the North the Southern planter class become more and more adamant about protecting slavery. This conflict would continue to pull at the fabric of the nation until, a dozen years after the final period of this book, it would tear the nation in two.

These are only a few of the areas covered by Daniel Walker Howe in this outstanding volume in the Oxford History of the United States. Even a seasoned reader of history is bound to discover some new gems in these pages. Howe's prose is never wooded and the subject is made very accessible. With magnificent books like these it is a shame that so few Americans read history. This is a great place to begin the study of a crucial time in our nation's history.
3765917
I feel like an incredible window has opened for me in understanding america at the turn of the 20th century. The authors depth of detail allows for a much better understand of the connections and relationships while at the same time not being so heavy as to be boring.
1098440
This book brought the early 1900s to life.  It was interesting to see the past and the problems that many of our ancestors had to face.
717637
I thoroughly enjoyed this well-written historical fiction.  It provided a fascinating look at life in the early 1900 when there appeared to be a much greater distinction between classes with little, if any, opportunity for those born into poor families to better themselves.
2945877
An in depth look at what our country was like at the turn of the 19th/20th century. The political machines that ran the country and the rise of the Populist politicians and investigative reporters that helped to expose to the public the inequities and suffering of the American people. Through their writings speeches and lawmaking they helped to rectify those injustices.
2865294
1850s America comes to life in historian Steven J. Keillor's re-creation of the celebration of the completion of the first railroad to reach the Mississippi River, which involved invitations to hundreds of notables to travel by rail to Illinois, and from there by steamboat to Minnesota - at the railroad's expense. The expedition was a great success and yet underlying the celebration were political overtones setting the stage for the Civil War. Excursionist accounts blend with social, economic, political and cultural insights to provide a fascinating account of adventure and discovery.
4356510
Through his vivid descriptions of the life and times of James Fenimore Cooper, the author of this biography helps us to understand the motivations, prejudices and sheer economic terror of living in New York State in the early 19th century.  Cooper began writing popular literature to save his family's farm during a mortgage-lending crisis not unlike our present problem.  That Cooper evolved into a writer who tackled issues of race, religion and defining the American spirit is a credit to his ability to push readers beyond the typical popular literature of his day.
234962
This is a fascinating look into early American history.  Judge Sewell was an extraordinary person who left a treasury of writings.  What a surprise to find that Sewell's writing foreshadowed Emerson and Thoreau, and that he was among the first to write as an American (rather than a Brit who happened to live in America.).  Some of his work is included in the appendix.
 His story is told by a descendent with great empathy, yet with objectivity.  The Salem witch trials are placed in the context of the times, both secular and religious, but his life spanned so much more of the development of America.  It was wonderful to encounter familiar names such as Winthrop, Alden, Quincy and Mather in the descriptions of his day to day life.
3562952
At first I thought because of some slow reading passages, I would give Mr. Bellesiles work only 3 stars, but after considering what a Tour de Force of Gilded Age issues 1877 really is, I find that I have to rate it more highly.

Essentially, 1877 points out that at this period in American history the relationship between labor and capital replaced race as the preeminent social issue of the time, with freed African Americans ostensibly being thrown under the bus, so to speak, as the Era of Reconstruction came to a premature end.  It would take, as Mr.  Bellesiles points out, nearly 100 years to right the wrongs of reconstruction.

The year 1877 also marked the greatest mass labor unrest in our nation`s history when what has been called The Great Strike of 1877 took place in July of that year.  Mr. Bellesiles does an excellent job of describing how violence played such an integral part in all aspects of American life at this time, but he especially focuses on the way violence was used as a reaction to and against labor unrest and wealth disparity.  Out of the cataclysm of American Civil War grew a late 19th century nation that a legacy of government sanctioned violent behavior and this legacyimpacted all aspects of American life in the year 1877.

Perhaps the most interesting part of this work is they way Bellesilles profiles certain personalities like Jacob Riis, Walt Whitman and Frances Willard at the end.  However, some parts of the book are a little redundant and do make for reading that is a bit on the slower side.
194160
I was sent a free copy of Jefferson's America from the publisher for me to review. While I do not consider myself a history buff, I do enjoy learning about our history especially the early years.

Jefferson's America not only tells the tale of Jefferson in the early American years but also of the explorers that helped shape our great nation.

I definitely did not learn about the Louisana Purchase during school like this! There is so much more information, which I found surprising (mostly because I wonder why they do not teach all of this in school). It definitely made me appreciate our early explorers and founders much more than I already had, as their stories are told in such vivid details that you can see yourself there, next to them.

The one thing that made me give this a 4/5 star rating was the beginning of the book. It started off dry and made it hard to get into reading it. A couple of chapters in though and I was hooked. I also appreciated the pictures that were mostly taken from the Library of Congress towards the middle of the book. I really helped to visualize the time period and people.

This book is a long read and is packed full of information about America's early years, some of which you may not know yourself! Definitely worth the read if you love reading about history or are a history buff.

My youngest son (age 13) is a huge history buff and I will be passing this book onto him.
2511423
This is a wonderful book.  Lamont gives us instructive overview of America 1785-1825, as well as riveting tales of settlement, Indians and the sea.  You can't put it down!
789039
The character development was excellent and it reflected a unique time in our country's history.  We supplemented our discussion of the book with a lecture on it from The Great Courses: Great American Bestsellers: The Books that Shaped America.
2303238
Fascinating facts of life not only in late eighteen and nineteenth century America, but also details of Thomas Jefferson's favorite entrees, traditions, and dining habits.