Continental Reckoning: The American West in the Age of Expansion

National Archives Museum
Online

In Continental Reckoning, historian Elliott West presents a sweeping narrative and a fresh approach to the dawn of the American West and its vital role in the transformation of the nation. From the expansion to the Pacific, to the story of numerous vibrant Native cultures, to the infrastructure of rails, telegraph wires, and roads, the author offers a fresh approach to the American West, one of the most pivotal periods of American history, arguing that these changes should be given equal billing with the Civil War in this crucial transition of national life.

This program is made possible in part by the National Archives Foundation.