Download or read book Astoria written by Washington Irving and published by London : R. Bentley. This book was released on 1839 with total page 466 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Astoria and Empire written by James P. Ronda and published by U of Nebraska Press. This book was released on 1993-02-01 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In late December 1788 a worried Spanish official in Mexico City set down his fears about a new and aggressive northern neighbor. Viceroy Manuel Antonio Florez offered a gloomy prediction about the future of Spanish-United States relations in the West. He already knew about the steady march of frontiersmen toward St. Louis and now came troubling word of Robert Gray's ship Columbia on the Northwest coast. All this seemed to fit a pattern, a design for Yankee expansion. "We ought not to be surprised," warned the viceroy, "that the English colonies of America, now being an independent Republic, should carry out the design of finding a safe port on the Pacific and of attempting to sustain it by crossing the immense country of the continent above our possessions of Texas, New Mexico, and California." Canadian fur merchants and Russian bureaucrats also viewed the young republic as a potential rival in the struggle for western dominion. The viceroy's vision of the future proved startlingly accurate. Within the next two decades an American president would authorize a federally funded expedition to find just the sort of transcontinental route Florez imagined. Equally important, a New York entrepreneur would propose and put into motion an ambitious plan to make the Northwest an American political and commercial empire. John Astor's Pacific Fur Company, with Astoria as its central post on the Columbia River, was Florez's nightmare come true. Astoria had long represented either a daring overland adventure or simply a failed trading venture. The Astorians surely had their share of adventure. And the Pacific Fur Company never brought its founder the profits he expected. But all those involved in the extensive enterprise knew it meant more. Thomas Jefferson once described Astoria as the "germ of a great, free and independent empire," believing that the entire American claim to the lands west of the Rockies rested on "Astor's settlement at the mouth of the Columbia." And John Quincy Adams, the expansionist-minded secretary of state, labeled then entire Northwest as "the empire of Astoria." This book seeks to explore Astoria as part of a large and complex struggle for national sovereignty in the Northwest. The Astorians and their rivals were always engaged in more than trading and trapping. They were advance agents of empire. -- from Preface
Download or read book Astoria written by Peter Stark and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2014-03-04 with total page 333 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the tradition of The Lost City of Z and Skeletons in the Zahara, Astoria is the thrilling, true-adventure tale of the 1810 Astor Expedition, an epic, now forgotten, three-year journey to forge an American empire on the Pacific Coast. Peter Stark offers a harrowing saga in which a band of explorers battled nature, starvation, and madness to establish the first American settlement in the Pacific Northwest and opened up what would become the Oregon trail, permanently altering the nation's landscape and its global standing. Six years after Lewis and Clark's began their journey to the Pacific Northwest, two of the Eastern establishment's leading figures, John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson, turned their sights to founding a colony akin to Jamestown on the West Coast and transforming the nation into a Pacific trading power. Author and correspondent for Outside magazine Peter Stark recreates this pivotal moment in American history for the first time for modern readers, drawing on original source material to tell the amazing true story of the Astor Expedition. Unfolding over the course of three years, from 1810 to 1813, Astoria is a tale of high adventure and incredible hardship in the wilderness and at sea. Of the more than one hundred-forty members of the two advance parties that reached the West Coast—one crossing the Rockies, the other rounding Cape Horn—nearly half perished by violence. Others went mad. Within one year, the expedition successfully established Fort Astoria, a trading post on the Columbia River. Though the colony would be short-lived, it opened provincial American eyes to the potential of the Western coast and its founders helped blaze the Oregon Trail.
Download or read book The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon Gent written by Washington Irving and published by . This book was released on 1822 with total page 402 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Astoria Or Anecdotes of an Enterprize Beyond the Rocky Mountains written by Washington Irving and published by U of Nebraska Press. This book was released on 1982-06-01 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1811 a group of American traders built a fort at the mouth of the Columbia River, named Fort Astoria in honor of its financier, John Jacob Astor. Envisioned as the spur of a fur-trading empire, by 1813 the project was a business failure and the fort was surrendered to the British. But in its short life Astoria rendered incalculable benefits to public understanding of the Great Northwest. The exploration of trade routes, the description of various Indian tribes and their customs, and an American claim on the Northwest coast were among many of its legacies. Astor never relinquished his pride in the enterprise and insisted that the West would one day be a dominating factor in national politics. To drive his point home he asked Washington Irving, the country's most renowned and respected author, to transform the papers of Fort Astoria into a unified and readable history. Irving accepted the offer and published Astoria in 1836. From its first appearance--when it was hailed by no less a reviewer than Edgar Allan Poe--to the present day, Astoria has been read as a vivid and fascinating history, comparable indeed to the finest of romances, but rooted in the rough and hardy life of trapping, hunting, and exploration. The text of this edition is approved by the Center for editions of American Authors, Modern Language Association of America.
Download or read book The Humboldt Current written by Aaron Sachs and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2007-07-31 with total page 516 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A masterly and beautifully written account of the impact of Alexander von Humboldt on nineteenth-century American history and culture The naturalist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) achieved unparalleled fame in his own time. Today, however, he and his enormous legacy to American thought are virtually unknown. In The Humboldt Current, Aaron Sachs traces Humboldt's pervasive influence on American history through examining the work of four explorers—J. N. Reynolds, Clarence King, George Wallace, and John Muir—who embraced Humboldt's idea of a "chain of connection" uniting all peoples and all environments. A skillful blend of narrative and interpretation that also discusses Humboldt's influence on Emerson, Whitman, Thoreau, Melville, and Poe, The Humboldt Current offers a colorful, passionate, and superbly written reinterpretation of nineteenth-century American history.
Download or read book the american indian frontier written by william christie macleod and published by . This book was released on 1928 with total page 586 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book A History of Western American Literature written by Susan Kollin and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2015-12-11 with total page 662 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The American West is a complex region that has inspired generations of writers and artists. Often portrayed as a quintessential landscape that symbolizes promise and progress for a developing nation, the American West is also a diverse space that has experienced conflicting and competing hopes and expectations. While it is frequently imagined as a place enabling dreams of new beginnings for settler communities, it is likewise home to long-standing indigenous populations as well as many other ethnic and racial groups who have often produced different visions of the land. This History encompasses the intricacy of Western American literature by exploring myriad genres and cultural movements, from ecocriticism, settler colonial studies and transnational theory, to race, ethnic, gender and sexuality studies. Written by a host of leading historians and literary critics, this book offers readers insight into the West as a site that sustains canonical and emerging authors alike, and as a region that exceeds national boundaries in addressing long-standing global concerns and developments.
Download or read book The Encyclopedia of the Wars of the Early American Republic 1783 1812 3 volumes written by Spencer C. Tucker and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2014-06-11 with total page 1134 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Relatively little attention has been paid to American military history between 1783 and 1812—arguably the most formative years of the United States. This encyclopedia fills the void in existing literature and provides greater understanding of how the nation evolved during this era. This encyclopedia offers a comprehensive examination of U.S. military history from the beginning of the republic in 1783 up to the eve of war with Great Britain in 1812. It enables a detailed study of the Early Republic, during which ideological and political divisions occurred over the fledgling U.S. military. The entries cover all the important battles, key individuals, weapons, Indian nations, and treaties, as well as numerous social, political, cultural, and economic developments during this period. The contents of the work will enable readers at the high school, college, university, and even graduate level to comprehend how political parties emerged, and how ideological differences over the organization, size, and use of the military developed. Larger global developments, including Anglo-American and Franco-American interactions, relations between Middle Eastern states and the United States, and relations and warfare between the U.S. government and various Indian nations are also detailed. The extensive and detailed bibliographies will be immensely helpful to learners at all levels.
Download or read book American Literature from 1600 Through the 1850s written by Britannica Educational Publishing and published by Britannica Educational Publishing. This book was released on 2010-04-01 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fiercely nationalistic, the first prominent American writers exhibited a profound pride in the territory that would come to be known as the United States. Predating even the Declaration of Independence, much early American writing entailed commentary on the newly developing American society. This volume examines the literature of the country in its nascence and writers such as Poe, Hawthorne, and Emerson, who helped cultivate a uniquely American voice.
Download or read book A History of American Literature written by Percy Holmes Boynton and published by . This book was released on 1919 with total page 534 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Biographical Dictionary of American and Canadian Naturalists and Environmentalists written by George A. Cevasco and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 1997-12-09 with total page 958 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Casting a wide net, this volume provides personal and professional information on some 445 American and Canadian naturalists and environmentalists, who lived from the late 15th century to the late 20th century. It includes explorers who published works on the natural history of North America, conservationists, ecologists, environmentalists, wildlife management specialists, park planners, national park administrators, zoologists, botanists, natural historians, geographers, geologists, academics, museum scientists and administrators, military personnel, travellers, government officials, political figures and writers and artists concerned with the environment. Some of the subjects are well known. The accomplishments of others are little known. Each entry contains a succinct but careful evaluation of the subject's career and contributions. Entries also include up-to-date bibliographies and information concerning manuscript sources.
Download or read book Encyclopedia of American Literature of the Sea and Great Lakes written by Jill B. Gidmark and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2000-11-30 with total page 565 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The sea and Great Lakes have inspired American authors from colonial times to the present to produce enduring literary works. This reference is a comprehensive survey of American sea literature. The scope of the encyclopedia ranges from the earliest printed matter produced in the colonies to contemporary experiments in published prose, poetry, and drama. The book also acknowledges how literature gives rise to adaptations and resonances in music and film and includes coverage of nonliterary topics that have nonetheless shaped American literature of the sea and Great Lakes. The alphabetical arrangement of the reference facilitates access to facts about major literary works, characters, authors, themes, vessels, places, and ideas that are central to American sea literature. Each of the several hundred entries is written by an expert contributor and many provide bibliographical information. While the encyclopedia includes entries for white male canonical writers such as Herman Melville and Jack London, it also gives considerable attention to women at sea and to ethnically diverse authors, works, and themes. The volume concludes with a chronology and a list of works for further reading.
Download or read book Exploring the American West 1803 1879 written by and published by Government Printing Office. This book was released on 1982 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Big Bend This compact handbook, which is a part of the official National Park Handbook series is divided into 3 sections. Part 1 provides a brief introduction and history of Big Bend Big Bend National Park, including such major attractions a the Rio Grande River, the Chihuahuan Desert, and the Chisos Mountains; part 2 concentrates on the area's natural beauty and history; and part 3 presents an authoritative travel guide and reference materials.
Download or read book Encyclopedia of American Humorists written by Steven H. Gale and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-04-14 with total page 578 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First published in 1988, this book contains entries on famous American Humorists. Humor has been present in American literature, from the beginning, and has developed characteristics that reflect the American character, both regional and national. Although American literature was, in the past, treated as inferior to British literature, there has always been a large popular audience for the genre, which this book shows. The figures with entries in this encyclopedia not only amuse in their writing, but also aim to enlighten- setting out to expose the foibles and foolishness of society and the individuals who compose it. It is the manner in which these authors try to accomplish this end that determines whether they appear in the volume. Indeed, the book will demonstrate that the best humor has at its base, a ready understanding of human nature.
Download or read book Proceedings American Philosophical Society vol 23 1886 written by and published by American Philosophical Society. This book was released on with total page 676 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
