1877: America's Year of Living Violently

Michael A. Bellisiles. 1877: America's Year of Living Violently. New York: The New Press, 2010.

Ten years after the publication of his controversial Arming America, Michael A. Bellesiles returned to the public eye with a much less contentious account of what most historians would agree was indeed an exceptionally violent and unsettled year in American history. Eight years after its appearance, none of the controversy over sources and integrity which rightly plagued the reputation of his previous book have arisen. This is a solid, well-supported account of a very bad time in American history.

The book is organized thematically, framed by brief vignettes from the beginning and end of the year. Each chapter covers a particular issue or event--the aftermath of the contested 1876 Presidential election, which led to increased sectional and partisan tensions which many thought would lead to another civil war; the violent re-imposition of white supremacy in the former Confederacy; military actions against Western Indian tribes and Mexican-American citizens; the violent suppression of the labor movement and Women's suffrage; and the increase in homicide and the prevalence of guns in the civilian population.

Bellesiles, doesn't cover much new ground, but he does tie together many different events through extensive research of contemporary newspaper coverage, creating a convincing picture of an overarching national conversation about--and anxiety over--violence overtaking the nation and society. Each chapter is a well-written summary of an important facet of the story, but the book gathers its strength from the overall effect of a year which most Americans were happy to see the end of, but which also shaped much of the social, legal, political, and economic inequalities which marked the next several decades of American history.

The War that Made America

Fred Anderson. The War that Made America: A Short History of the French and Indian War.

New York: Penguin Books, 2005.

Anderson has written a longer work on the French and Indian War, Crucible of War, which is considered an important work on the subject. Anderson has become such an acknowledged expert on the subject that he was brought in as an adviser for a PBS special. This book serves as a companion to that special; it might also double as a de facto 'abridged' version of his award-winning work.

As a stand-alone volume, this book is a fine addition to the literature aimed at the general reader. Anderson writes well and entertainingly, and the volume is richly illustrated and includes an ample number of useful maps. Brevity does not mean incompleteness; this is no mere chronological recitation of battles and diplomatic intrigue.

The locus of the war is found not in London or Paris, or even in colonial capitals, but in the world of the Indians of the West who will be more detrimentally affected by the outcome of what would end up being a world war. The concept of the Middle Ground, and the centrality of Iroquois diplomacy in colonial conflicts, are no longer novel in historical circles but for many general readers this is still eye-opening and unexpected information.

Anderson has a great eye for character; he brings many of the participants alive with empathy, humor, and an appreciation for the shared humanity of Indian, Euro-American, British, and French participants. 

In short, there are more complete versions of this story available, but not necessarily more well-informed; and at any rate this one is as readable and enjoyable as a reader could hope.