About this item
Highlights
- "History in Davis's hands is loud, coarse, painful, funny, irreverent--and memorable.
- Author(s): Kenneth C Davis
- 320 Pages
- History, United States
Description
About the Book
Following his "New York Times" bestseller "America's Hidden History," Davis explores the gritty years of 1800 to 1850, a period that ranks among the most tumultuous in this nation's short life.Book Synopsis
"History in Davis's hands is loud, coarse, painful, funny, irreverent--and memorable."
-- San Francisco Chronicle
Following on his New York Times bestsellers America's Hidden History and Don't Know Much About History, Ken Davis explores the next chapter in the country's hidden history: the gritty first half of the 19th century, among the most tumultuous in the nation's short life.
From the Back Cover
In the dramatic period from 1800 through 1850, the United States went from a tiny newborn nation on the Atlantic seaboard to a near-empire that spanned the continent. But America's path to nationhood was vastly more complex than the tidily packaged national myth of a destiny made manifest by visionary political leaders and fearless pioneers. In A Nation Rising, bestselling author Kenneth C. Davis offers fascinating, intertwining stories about historical episodes whose great issues--ambition, power, territorial expansion, slavery, intolerance, civil rights, freedom of the press--reverberate to this day, including:
- Aaron Burr's 1807 trial, culminating in one of our nation's first media circuses
- The 1813 Indian uprising and ensuing massacre, exposing the powerful conflicts at the heart of America's expansion
- The mutiny aboard the slave ship Creole, illustrating how the institution of slavery both destroyed lives and warped our nation's founding
- The bloody "Bible Riots" in Philadelphia, erupting in an early episode of deadly anti-immigrant sentiment
Eye-opening history and riveting storytelling, A Nation Rising is a powerful reminder of the ways in which our past continues to shape our present.
Review Quotes
"With his special gift for revealing the significance of neglected historical characters, Kenneth Davis creates a multi-layered, haunting narrative." -- Ray Raphael, author of Founders
Praise for America's Hidden History: "American history in the vibrant narrative tradition of David McCullough." -- Ron Powers, author of Flags of Our Fathers
"Davis is a fine writer who uses a fast-moving narrative to tell these stories well... This is an informative and enjoyable work." -- Booklist