1877: America's Year of Living Violently

(Paperback)

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Description

In 1877, a decade after the Civil War, not only was the US gripped by a deep depression, but the country was also in the throes of nearly unimaginable violence and upheaval marking the end of the brief period known as Reconstruction and a return to white rule across the South. Celebrated historian Michael A. Bellesiles reveals how the fires of that fated year also fuelled a hothouse of cultural and intellectual innovation. The story of 1877 is also related through the the lives of famous historical icons such as Billy the Kid and John D. Rockefeller.

Reviews

"A superb and troubling book about the soul of Modern America."
William Deverell, director of the Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West

"A bold, insightful book, richly researched, and fast paced... Bellesiles vividly portrays on a single canvas the violent confrontations in 1877."
Alfred F. Young, co-editor of Revolutionary Founders: The Promise of the American Revolution

"Every reader will be caught up in this powerful examination of a nation trying to make sense of the complex changes and challenges of the post-Civil War era."
Carol Berkin, author of A Brilliant Solution: Inventing the American Constitution and Revolutionary Mothers: Women in the Struggle for America's Independence

[A] wonderful read that is sure to appeal to those interested in the challenges of creating a post-Civil War society.
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Author Bio

Michael A. Bellesiles teaches history at Central Connecticut State University. The author of numerous books, including Arming America: The Origins of a National Gun Culture. He lives in Connecticut.