American myths about national character tend to overshadow the historical realities. Mr. Horsman's book is the first study to examine the origins of racialism in America and to show that the belief in white American superiority was firmly ensconced in the nation's ideology by 1850.
The author deftly chronicles the beginnings and growth of an ideology stressing race, basic stock, and attributes in the blood. He traces how this ideology shifted from the more benign views of the Founding Fathers, which embraced ideas of progress and the spread of republican institutions for all. He...
American myths about national character tend to overshadow the historical realities. Mr. Horsman's book is the first study to examine the origins o...
"Horsman has effectively analyzed American policy during a critical period. Throughout there are two themes: feuding between the national government and the states over who would formulate and execute Indian policy; and the contrast between the humanitarian instincts frequently moticating policy makers in the national capital and the injustice that the Indians experienced on the frontier....Much of his book deals with how the United States government tried to reconcile the 'Spirit of '76'with the land hunger of aggressive frontiersmen."-Journal of Southern History
"Horsman has effectively analyzed American policy during a critical period. Throughout there are two themes: feuding between the national government a...
