The Growing of America: 1789-1848 (Forum's American History Series)

This text traces America's growth from a small republic of 13 states into a transcontinental one of 30 states. The first five chapters discuss the political life of the nation; the next focuses on the composition and institutions of American society, followed by four chapters, each detailing the economic life of a particular region. The book concludes with an examination of the national spirit that held the Union together as other forces worked to tear it asunder.