Friday, November 16, 2012

The Great Heart of the Republic: St. Louis and the Cultural Civil War













After absorbing histories of Detroit and New Orleans, finished reading Adam Arenson's The Great Heart of the Republic: St. Louis and the Cultural Civil War (Harvard University Press, 2011). Fascinating. Arenson's main focus covers the period 1848 to 1877, including the simmering issues of "Manifest Destiny," slavery, ethnic and race relations, railroads and bridge-building. Then as now, political rivalries and competing socio-economic visions drove discussions and events. More on this, no doubt, to come.

Today's Rune: Defense.   

1 comment:

Charles Gramlich said...

Manifest destiny was always an interesting concept to me. And pretty scary.