Power and Promise: The Changing American West

The Changing West blends social, political, intellectual and environmental history to offer an in-depth study of this often mythic region and its peoples, from pre-Columbian times to the 21st century.  User-friendly, streamlined and attentive to the most recent scholarship, this comprehensive history of the American West is written specifically for an undergraduate audience. 

Power and Promise: The Changing American West
By Gary C. Anderson and Kathleen Chamberlain

“A lively account of the place of the West and its people in the national consciousness. Students should find the material interesting and well-presented–it reads like a story rather than a textbook.”

--Roger Bromert, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

Power and Promise: The Changing American West explores how the West developed its powerful influence as a region, often surpassing other regions as the driving force behind American politics, culture, and the economy. An in-depth look at the United States west of the Mississippi, the narrative combines a strong chronology with a region-by-region analysis to show how different areas have transformed in terms of population, economic status, and urban development. Moving beyond the Turner thesis of the West in American Democracy, this approach considers the West as ever-changing and diverse, from the discovery and conflict of the early West, to the economic and social changes of the late 1800’s, to the modern West of the twenty-first century. Further, Anderson and Chamberlain offer a unique perspective on the mythic West of the imagination, looking at western movies, the West in literature, and the West and counterculture.

Features

• A captivating vignette at the beginning of each chapter introduces the topic, the period, and the overarching themes. For example, Chapter 10’s vignette on Route 66 frames the story of the Depression era, and the migration of diverse peoples on the road to California.
• Detailed and comprehensive coverage of Native Americans appears throughout the text. Chapter 8 follows Indian responses to dispossession and forced boarding school education, Chapter 9 features an analysis of progressivism and Native Americans, and Chapter 12 offers readers an in-depth look at economic innovations on and off reservations.
• An inclusive approach presents Alaska and Hawaii in its coverage, in addition to the area west of the Mississippi. Chapter 7 contains thorough coverage of the territorial policies of Alaska and Hawaii, while Chapter 11 explores both regions’ roles in World War II and its aftermath.
• Chapter-ending questions and a glossary of key terms help students check their reading and comprehension.

Gary C. Anderson is Professor of History at the University of Oklahoma. He has written several books about Native Americans and the American West, and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for his work on the history of Texas.

Kathleen Chamberlain is Associate Professor of History and Philosophy at Eastern Michigan University. She has written extensively on the subject of Native Americans.

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