Publisher's Synopsis
The Average Joe's Guide to Nineteenth Century America is a no-nonsense primer for the person (the Average Joe or Jo) who wants to understand this extremely vital period in American history - the time when we went from being a weak and fledgling nation to become the richest, freest, and most powerful nation on Earth. While my book is not explicitly written as a politically incorrect history, intended to correct misconceptions - and even some outright lies - handed to our current generation of young people, it still pulls no punches in telling a very straightforward story of what happened from the years 1801 to 1900. I call them American Indians, not Native Americans, since that is still their official category, according to the US Bureau of Indian Affairs, and I eschew several other fashionable labels that were unheard until 20 years ago, and will probably be forgotten by future generations not infatuated with identity politics. I say it straight that Mexico was in chaos for over 30 years prior to the Mexican-American War, and their leaders were arrogant and blind to reality, so we took advantage of this weakness to win huge portions of the American West from them. And unless you think my book comes from a conservative perspective, you will learn that the American Civil War was, contrary to Southern or Rebel opinion, fought primarily over the issue of slavery. The War's origins are complex, to be sure; neither side wanted to fight until the last few months before it started. But Southern intransigence over the spread of slavery was the most direct cause. My book explains how tensions steadily developed between North and South in the 50 years up to the war, soothed by periodic compromise, aggravated by inconsistent national leadership, and stoked by fiery rhetoric on both sides. And yes, the book's chapter on the Civil War tells a comprehensive and concise story of how the war was fought and finally won by Abraham Lincoln, and Ulysses Grant, and slavery abolished by the Republicans. You will also learn important lessons seldom taught in school, including the story of the birth of the great American labor movement, growing from weak leadership and past anarchistic stages into the greatest democratic labor force in the world. You will learn how American inventors and industrialists like Thomas Edison and John D. Rockefeller developed the modern appliances and energy systems we have taken for granted for decades now. The Average Joe's Guide to Nineteenth Century America strikes the right balance in providing the balance a busy adult reader needs to gain an intelligent understanding of these hundred years. Not a history for dummies, not a collection of bullet points, and not a highly focused treatise on any one particular subject. Just the right amount of history you need to be a well-informed adult and American citizen.
