Turning Points - Actual and Alternate Histories: Manifest Destiny and the Expansion of America PDF
Preview Turning Points - Actual and Alternate Histories: Manifest Destiny and the Expansion of America
TURNING POINTS—ACTUAL AND ALTERNATE HISTORIES Manifest Destiny and the Expansion of America Other titles in ABC-CLIO’s TURNING POINTS—ACTUAL AND ALTERNATE HISTORIES series Native America from Prehistory to First Contact Colonial America from Settlement to the Revolution A House Divided during the Civil War Era America in Revolt during the 1960s and 1970s The Reagan Era Books in the Turning Points in History series ask the question: What would have happened if ...? In a unique editorial format, each book examines a specific period in American history, presents the real, or actual, history, and then offers an alternate history—speculations from historical experts on what might have happened had the course of history turned. If a particular event had turned out differently, history from that turning point forward could be affected. Important outcomes frequently hinge on an individual decision, an accidental encounter, a turn in the weather, the spread of a disease, or a missed piece of information. Such events stimulate our imagination, accentuating the role of luck, chance, and individual decision or character at particular moments in time. The examination of such key turning points is one of the reasons that the study of history is so fascinating. For the student, examining alternate histories springing from turning points and exploring What would have happened if ...? gives insight into many of the questions at the heart of our civilization today. T U R N I N G P O I N T S — A C T U A L A N D A LT E R N AT E H I S T O R I E S Manifest Destiny and the Expansion of America Rodney P.Carlisle and J.Geoffrey Golson,Editors Santa Barbara,California Denver,Colorado Oxford,England Copyright 2007 by ABC-CLIO, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechan- ical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except for the inclusion of brief quo- tations in a review, without prior permission in writing from the publishers. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Manifest destiny and the expansion of America / Rodney P. Carlisle and J. Geoffrey Golson, editors. p. cm. — (Turning points : actual and alternate histories) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-1-85109-833-0 (hard copy : alk. paper) ISBN-13: 978-1-85109-834-7 (ebook) ISBN-10: 1-85109-833-X (hard copy : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 1-85109-834-8 (ebook) 1. United States—Territorial expansion. 2. United States—History— 1783-1815. 3. United States—History—1815-1861. 4. Imaginary histories. I. Carlisle, Rodney P. II. Golson, J. Geoffrey. E179.5.M33 2007 973.5—dc22 2006102133 11 10 09 08 07 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Media Production Coordinator: Ellen Brenna Dougherty Media Resources Manager: Caroline Price Production Editor: Anna A. Moore Editorial Assistant: Alisha Martinez Production Manager: Don Schmidt Manufacturing Coordinator: Paula Gerard Text Design: Devenish Design This book is also available on the World Wide Web as an eBook. Visit http://www.abc-clio.com for details. ABC-CLIO, Inc. 130 Cremona Drive, P.O. Box 1911 Santa Barbara, California 93116-1911 This book is printed on acid-free paper. ∞∞ Manufactured in the United States of America Contents Contributors xi Introduction xiii 1 Lewis and Clark 1 TURNING POINT The explorations of Lewis and Clark encouraged westward expansion. What if the famed explorers had not reached the Pacific coast? Introduction 1 Turning Point 4 Actual History 5 Alternate History 11 Discussion Questions 15 Bibliography and Further Reading 16 2 The War of 1812 17 TURNING POINT During the War of 1812,the British burned and then left Washington,D.C. What if they had remained and the American capital was relocated to New York City? Introduction 17 Turning Point 22 Actual History 24 Alternate History 32 Discussion Questions 38 Bibliography and Further Reading 38 viii CONTENTS 3 The Monroe Doctrine 41 TURNING POINT The Monroe Doctrine declared European powers should stay out of the Americas.What if James Monroe had allowed continued European influence in North and South America? Introduction 41 Turning Point 46 Actual History 48 Alternate History 56 Discussion Questions 61 Bibliography and Further Reading 62 4 Railroads and Telegraph 65 TURNING POINT The railroad and telegraph were the infrastructure of westward expansion.What if these crucial inventions had been developed later? Introduction 65 Turning Point 70 Actual History 73 Alternate History 78 Discussion Questions 81 Bibliography and Further Reading 82 5 The Texas Revolution 85 TURNING POINT Texas was annexed in 1845 after the 1844 presidential election. What if that election had turned out differently and Texas remained an independent country? Introduction 85 Turning Point 93 Actual History 95 Alternate History 97 Discussion Questions 101 Bibliography and Further Reading 102 6 The Mexican War 103 TURNING POINT The United States acquired territory from Mexico in the Mexican- American War (1846–1848).What if Mexico had held onto California and Arizona? Introduction 103 Turning Point 106 Actual History 108 Alternate History 114 Discussion Questions 118 Bibliography and Further Reading 119 CONTENTS ix 7 The California Gold Rush 121 TURNING POINT Gold was discovered in California in 1848,leading to a great migration west.What if the discovery had been later or kept secret? Introduction 121 Turning Point 123 Actual History 125 Alternate History 131 Discussion Questions 136 Bibliography and Further Reading 137 8 The Compromise of 1850 139 TURNING POINT The Compromise of 1850 attempted to settle the slavery issue between North and South.What if the compromise had succeeded? Introduction 139 Turning Point 142 Actual History 144 Alternate History 148 Discussion Questions 153 Bibliography and Further Reading 153 9 The Republican Party 155 TURNING POINT The first meetings of the Republican Party took place in 1854.What if the organization of the party dissolved in disagreement? Introduction 155 Turning Point 158 Actual History 160 Alternate History 168 Discussion Questions 173 Bibliography and Further Reading 173 10 The Lincoln-Douglas Debates 175 TURNING POINT The Lincoln-Douglas Debates brought the issues of slavery to the forefront of American politics.What if Abraham Lincoln had not so eloquently questioned the nation’s history and course? Introduction 175 Turning Point 177 Actual History 180 Alternate History 185 Discussion Questions 189 Bibliography and Further Reading 189
Description:The list of books you might like
