In this addition to the esteemed Oxford history series, historian Daniel Walker Howe illuminates the period from the battle of New Orleans to the end of the Mexican-American War, an era of revolutionary improvements in transportation and communications that accelerated the extension of the American empire. He examines the era’s politics but contends that John Quincy Adams and other advocates of public education and economic integration, defenders of the rights of Indians, women, and African Americans were the true prophets of America’s future. He reveals the power of religion to shape many aspects of American life during this period, including slavery and antislavery, women’s rights, and other reform movements. Howe’s panoramic narrative—weaving social, economic, and cultural history together with political and military events—culminates in the bitterly controversial but brilliantly executed war against Mexico that gained California and Texas for the United States.
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"I loved this book! Daniel Walker Howe is a superb writer and an even better historian. Honestly, I was a bit skeptical about reading this book as I thought that there wasn't much there to keep my interest. I was surely mistaken once I started reading. DWH does an excellent job of giving the reader a view of what life was like for the typical American during this time period, and doing it in an interesting way that keeps your attention and doesn't just sound like facts being rattled off to the reader. He goes into great detail about social, political, economic and religious aspects of early 19th century life, which helps put you in the mindset of someone from that time. This book will not tell you EVERYTHING there is to know about all characters involved (John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, Van Buren...so on) but it will give you a very detailed highlight of their effect on our country as a result of their political careers. The only parts I found a bit stale were some of the chapters that seemed to list every type of Utopian society or religious sect that was sprouting at the time. To me that part was a bit taxing for me to get through. Still that doesn't have an effect on what I think of this book and I firmly declare this book worthy of five stars and the Pulitzer Prize that it received!" — Evan (5 out of 5 stars)
"I loved this book! Daniel Walker Howe is a superb writer and an even better historian. Honestly, I was a bit skeptical about reading this book as I thought that there wasn't much there to keep my interest. I was surely mistaken once I started reading. DWH does an excellent job of giving the reader a view of what life was like for the typical American during this time period, and doing it in an interesting way that keeps your attention and doesn't just sound like facts being rattled off to the reader. He goes into great detail about social, political, economic and religious aspects of early 19th century life, which helps put you in the mindset of someone from that time. This book will not tell you EVERYTHING there is to know about all characters involved (John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, Van Buren...so on) but it will give you a very detailed highlight of their effect on our country as a result of their political careers. The only parts I found a bit stale were some of the chapters that seemed to list every type of Utopian society or religious sect that was sprouting at the time. To me that part was a bit taxing for me to get through. Still that doesn't have an effect on what I think of this book and I firmly declare this book worthy of five stars and the Pulitzer Prize that it received!"
“Howe brings an impressive array of strengths to the daunting task of encapsulating these busy, complicated three-plus decades…he is a genuine rarity: an English intellectual who not merely writes about the United States but actually understands it.”
“Howe has written a stunning synthesis of work in economic, political, demographic, social and cultural history, and he gives a fascinating, richly detailed portrait of the US as its very boundaries so dramatically and often violently shiftedit is a rare thing to encounter a book so magisterial and judicious and also so compelling; it is a great achievement and deserves many readers beyond the academy.”
“Lauded by other historians as an important yet accessible landmark, Mr. Howe’s study promises odd new angles on America in an election year.”
“A sweeping, sparkling, sophisticated synthesis.”
“A masterpiece.”
“The book is a sweeping and monumental achievement…Attentive to historiography yet writing accessible and engaging prose, Howe has produced the perfect introduction or reintroduction to an enormously important period in American national development.”
“Both academics and lay readers praised What Hath God Wrought, but they appreciated it for different reasons…American historians admired its elegant synthesis but also understood that Howe is attempting to lead his readers and colleagues away from the strictly economic explanations that have often dominated writing on this period.”
“Stylishly narrates a crucial period in US history…Supported by engaging prose, Howe’s achievement will surely be seen as one of the most outstanding syntheses of US history published this decade.”
“Patrick Cullen ably narrates this extensive audiobook. His unadorned reading style mirrors author Howe’s thesis that the historian’s task is to explain the past, not to judge it. While the institution of slavery hangs over this era like a toxic cloud, the listener is reminded that the antebellum arguments for state rights versus a powerful national government resonate today.”
“A worthy addition to public and academic institutions…Highly recommended.”
" God, I hate Andrew Jackson so much. John Quincy Adams was cooler than expected, though. "
" This excellent volume taught me much and left me wishing that John Quincy Adams or some American of like stature might replace Andrew Jackson on our $20 dollar bills. Surely Old Hickory's crimes against the Cherokees, Creeks and other tribes along with his fierce advocacy of slavery and many other unstatesmanlike behaviors richly deserve such an eviction. "
" I needed to brush up on this period in history and this is a really nice read for that. Howe writes clearly and succinctly and provides varied perspectives for key issues/incidents during the period. Not a whole lot new if this is your era of study. "
" I really enjoyed learning more about the development of the temperance movement, railroad, and telegraph. Overall it was a very challenging read. "
" It defies your inclination to skim a page or two. It's irresistible. "
" Reflects a lifetime of reading/study - just a comprehensive treatment of the time frame and written with a definite point of view. "
" school textbook- very good "
" I don't know why I'm reading this. It makes me feel like I'm back in high school history class. And I don't think that's a good feeling. "
" fascinating account of the truly formative years of America. not a pretty picture though and certainly not the image of history i was taught growing up. "
" Outstanding survey. I can see why it won the Bancroft. Could beef up his treatment of religion, but you can't have everything in a survey. See helpful interview of Howe in *Historically Speaking*. "
" This book is an absolute masterpiece, and has gone straight into my top 10 books to recommend to people who are seriously interested in understanding how and why American history has unfolded as it has. "
" A terrific overall look at America during this time. If you think Andrew Jackson was the greatest president evah, though, this may not be the book for you, unless you are willing to see him in his entirety. "
" Good but SO HUGE. Who has time to read the entirety of these books?! "
" Just not as compelling as the other books in the Oxford US history series. This book is about the social and technological transformation of the US, but I found it plodding and catalog-y. "
" Better than Wilentz's mammoth history of the same period. "
" Ponderous to say the least, still the author manages to cover the years 1815-1848 in detail without becoming boring or confusing. He manages to cover key events and inter relate them. His work on Clay's last doomed campaigns and the falling apart of the Whig party is especially insightful. "
" Fantastic. The Oxford History of the US series at its best. This was a period of US history I knew very little about, so it was an informative and interesting read...all 850 pages of it. "
" Fascinating and expertly written, but a bit overlong for a casual reader of history like myself. "
Daniel Walker Howe is Rhodes Professor of American History Emeritus at Oxford University in England and Professor of History Emeritus at the University of California, Los Angeles. In 2008 he received the Pulitzer Prize for History for What Hath God Wrought. He was president of the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic in 2001 and is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He is the author of The Political Culture of the American Whigs and Making the American Self: Jonathan Edwards to Abraham Lincoln. .
John Lescault, a native of Massachusetts, is a graduate of the Catholic University of America. He lives in Washington, DC, where he works in theater.
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