American Republics: A Continental History of the United States, 1783-1850

Maine Historical Society - Programs Podcast

Recorded April 26, 2022 - Between 1783 – 1850, the newly constituted United States emerged as a fragile, internally divided union of states contending with European empires and other independent republics on the North American continent. Native peoples sought to defend their homelands from the flood of American settlers; the system of American slavery grew increasingly powerful and expansive separating Black American families; and bitter party divisions pitted elites favoring strong government against those espousing a democratic populism for white men. Alan Taylor’s history of this tumultuous period looks at key characters involved and captures the high-stakes political drama as leaders contended over slavery, the economy, Indian removal, and national expansion. A ground-level account of American industrialization conveys the everyday lives of factory workers and immigrant families, while the immersive narrative puts us on the streets of Port-au-Prince, Mexico City, Quebec, and the Cherokee capital, New Echota.