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The Americans: The Democratic Experience (Americans, Vol 3)
The Americans The Democratic Experience - Americans, Vol 3 Author:Daniel J. Boorstin The 3rd and final volume in Daniel Boorstin's award-winning trilogy, The Americans: The Democratic Experience wraps up his remarkable exploration of the American character. Beginning roughly from the time of the Civil War and ending with the moon landing, — The Democratic Experience, like its predecessors, spends remarkably little time with p... more »residents, senators and famous battles. Indeed, in his account it's the leaders and their high-level dealings that are the footnotes to the experience of common people. Boorstin begins with an exploration of a distinctively American type, the "go-getter." The Western states, largely unexplored and unmapped, comprised a territory rich in opportunities for those willing to go find them, or, even better, to go make them. He provides fascinating looks into the formation of American society thru the lens of these found and made opportunities. Oil, cattle and gold are just a part of the story. His exploration extends across the whole web of social relations and business practices that were influenced and created by a nation's early experiences with its own vastness. We think of the typical go-getters, the prospectors and oil men striking out into the heart of the continent looking to make their fortune. But with this phenomenon comes a whole host of seconndary effects that he examines in fascinating detail.
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize. A study of the last 100 years of American history.« less