Racial Frontiers - (Histories of the American Frontier) by Arnoldo de León (Paperback)

About the Book

Both a synthesis of the recent literature and an explanation of what happened when distinctly identifiable races interacted on the frontier.

Book Synopsis

Both a synthesis of the recent literature and an explanation of what happened when distinctly identifiable races interacted on the frontier.

Review Quotes

""Racial Frontiers" is a wonderful contribution to an area of inquiry that will continue to yield illuminating analyses of the American West's diverse and complex history."

""Racial Frontiers" is a wonderful contributionto an area of inquiry that will continue to yield illuminating analyses of the American West's diverse and complex history."

""Racial Frontiers" is an important work of synthesis, for it shows convincingly that African, Chinese, and Mexicans viewed the western frontier in similar ways to white settlers, but that their experiences differed markedly."

""Racial Frontiers" provides a much-needed summary of the minority experience in the U.S. West suitable for both a general audience and as a course adoption."

"A solid synthesis of the secondary literature and an excellent supplemental undergraduate text."

"De Léon has delivered the best synthesis on race relations in the West to date. His writing conveys the topic's complicated, multifaceted nature in a straightforward style that is accessible to both specialists and beginning students."

"De Leon's "Racial Frontiers" is a concise and well-written study of the intersection of race on the frontier. It provides a comprehensive overview of Africans, Chinese, and Mexicans in the West. De Leon aptly provides the reader with a general understanding of the three groups, their roles on the frontier, and the changes they experienced."

"In his well-designed work, De Leon condenses an enormous amount of literature into a concise, connected narrative about the frontier experience of three groups -- Africans, Chinese, and Mexicans -- while using the power of storytelling to enliven this short volume with numerous exquisite individual narratives."

"This short well-developed study provides the reader with valuable information and insights. It is a welcomed and long-awaited addition to the Histories of the American Frontier series. For too long the history of the trans-Mississippi West has been the story of Anglo pioneers, while these minorities were relegated to the historical margins if mentioned at all. Its excellent bibliography will allow the serious student to pursue further study. De Leon is a master synthesizer of his material."

"This book is an informative study of the plights of African, Chinese and Mexican immigrants in the American West, from 1848-1890."

About the Author

Arnoldo De León is the C. J. Red Davidson Professor of History at Angelo State University and the author of several groundbreaking studies of Mexican American history.