influence

Briefly explores the history of the War of 1812, discussing the causes of the war, the reasons for the U.S. to go to war with Britain again, and the results of the war and the changes it caused in American life and government.

"More than 140 years ago, Mark Twain observed that the Civil War had 'uprooted institutions that were centuries old, changed the politics of a people, transformed the social life of half the country, and wrought so profoundly upon the entire national character that the influence cannot be measured short of two or three generations.' In fact, five generations have passed, and Americans are still trying to measure the influence of the immense fratricidal conflict that nearly tore the nation apart. In The War that Forged a Nation, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian James M. McPherson considers why the Civil War remains so deeply embedded in our national psyche and identity. The drama and tragedy of the war, from its scope and size--an estimated death toll of 750,000, far more than the rest of the country's wars combined--to the nearly mythical individuals involved--Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson--help explain why the Civil War remains a topic of interest. But the legacy of the war extends far beyond historical interest or scholarly attention. Here, McPherson draws upon his work over the past fifty years to illuminate the war's continuing resonance across many dimensions of American life. Touching upon themes that include the war's causes and consequences; the naval war; slavery and its abolition; and Lincoln as commander in chief, McPherson ultimately proves the impossibility of understanding the issues of our own time unless we first understand their roots in the era of the Civil War. From racial inequality and conflict between the North and South to questions of state sovereignty or the role of government in social change--these issues, McPherson shows, are as salient and controversial today as they were in the 1860s. Thoughtful, provocative, and authoritative, The War that Forged a Nation looks anew at the reasons America's civil war has remained a subject of intense interest for the past century and a half, and affirms the enduring relevance of the conflict for America today"--.

Explains how the American Civil War and fight for democracy was viewed internationally.

Provides an insider's account of the student protests in Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, and the Chinese government's refusal to officially acknowledge the event in order to protect the state's carefully constructed edifice of accepted history kept aloft by strict censorship, blatant falsehood, and willful forgetting.

Examines the ideas and agendas that led to the American Revolution and explains how those ideas influenced the creation of a democratic nation.

Explores how Americans' memories and perceptions about the Civil War have changed throughout history, and discusses how the country's collective thoughts about the war have affected race relations.

A narrative history of the Seven Years' War during which Great Britain eliminated French power north of the Caribbean, focusing on the impact of the war on the political and cultural landscape of North America.

Examines the Reconstruction and aftermath of the Civil War, covering the evolution of the Reconstruction, Lincoln's Ten Percent Plan, the Wade-Davis plan, Lincoln's assassination, and more.

Examination of the attitudes that have underlain the European settlement of America.

An illustrated guide to battlefields and historical sites of the War of 1812, with colorful photographs, archival paintings, descriptions, and eyewitness accounts.