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Title details for The War That Made America by Fred Anderson - Available

The War That Made America

A Short History of the French and Indian War

by Fred Anderson
Simon Vance
Audiobook
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Apart from The Last of the Mohicans, most Americans know little of the French and Indian War-also known as the Seven Years' War-and yet it remains one of the most fascinating periods in our history. In January 2006, PBS will air The War That Made America, a four-part documentary about this epic conflict. Fred Anderson, the award-winning and critically acclaimed historian, has written the official tie-in to this exciting television event.


In The War That Made America, Anderson deftly shows how the expansion of the British colonies into French territory in the 1750s and the ongoing Native American struggle for survival would erupt into seven years of bloodshed and unrest spreading from the backwoods of Pennsylvania to the high courts of Europe, eventually overturning the balance of power on two continents and laying the groundwork for the American Revolution. Beautifully illustrated, richly detailed, and utterly compelling, this is the story of how America as we know it today emerged from a series of fractured colonies and warring tribes into a nation ripe for independence-and nobody tells this story better than Fred Anderson.


"Overall, this work is an excellent introduction to a complex, dynamic conflict that set the stage for the American Revolution. Recommended for all libraries."—Library Journal


"Lucid and swift-moving. With luck, Anderson's book will awaken interest in a critically important period in colonial history that, he laments, is about as familiar now as the Peloponnesian War."—Kirkus Review


"Like the best popular historians, Anderson combines exhaustive research and an accessible prose style in a volume that should help rescue the French and Indian War from historical obscurity."—Publishers Weekly


"...(Anderson's) writing is fluid, energetic, and gripping and his exploration of this period in early American history is unforgettable. His book is brought to life in this unabridged audio recording by Simon Vance, a British actor and skilled reader who has recorded more than 200 audiobooks."—Reviewed by Sheldon Ztvordokov, Large Print Reviews


"Simon Vance handles this complex narrative with a stately intelligence...He pronounces the many Native American place names and French-Canadian phrases with ease. Look for a young George Washington, who learns a number of valuable lessons that will serve him well two decades later."—AudioFile Magazine

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    December 29, 2005

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781400121960
      • File size: 217789 KB
      • Duration: 07:33:43

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      In 1754 an uneasy balance existed on the North American continent between three great nations: France, the Iroquois Confederacy, and the British Empire. Seven years later, following the French and Indian War, only one superpower remained, England. Simon Vance handles this complex narrative with a stately intelligence, although his British accent belies the preeminence of England in this story. He pronounces the many Native American place names and French-Canadian phrases with ease. Look for a young George Washington, who learns a number of valuable lessons that will serve him well two decades later. This project coincided with a PBS documentary series and the 250th anniversary of the French and Indian War. B.P. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      October 10, 2005
      The author of the award-winning, scholarly account of the French and Indian War Crucible of War
      (2000) offers a scaled-down, popular version of that history in this companion volume to the January 2006 PBS documentary. It is an excellent introduction to a conflict that most Americans know little about, and that Winston Churchill called the first worldwide war. Anderson focuses on the North American theater, the outcome of which he claims "transformed the colonists' world forever" and, in effect, "made America." He shows how the conflict encouraged colonials "to conceive of themselves as equal partners in the empire," a concept that Britain did not share and that led inexorably to postwar strife and revolution. In a departure from earlier accounts, Anderson gives unprecedented coverage to the role of Native Americans in the struggle and demonstrates how the war paved the way for the American government's eventual "destruction or subjugation of native societies." Like the best popular historians, Anderson combines exhaustive research and an accessible prose style in a volume that should help rescue the French and Indian War from historical obscurity.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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