The end of the myth : from the frontier to the border wall in the mind of America / Greg Grandin.
Grandin, Greg, 1962- author.
2019
E179.5 .G76 2019 (Mapit)
Available at General Collection

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Title The end of the myth : from the frontier to the border wall in the mind of America / Greg Grandin.
Author Grandin, Greg, 1962- author.
Edition First edition.
ISBN 9781250179821 (hardcover)
1250179823 (hardcover)
9781250214850 (paperback)
1250214858 (paperback)
Published New York : Metropolitan Books, Henry Holt and Company, 2019.
Copyright ©2019
Language English
Description xii, 369 pages : maps ; 25 cm
Call Number E179.5 .G76 2019
Dewey Decimal Classification 973
Summary "Ever since this nation's founding, the idea of an open and ever-expanding frontier has been central to American identity. Symbolizing a future of endless promise, the frontier made possible the United States' belief in itself as an exceptional nation -- democratic, individualistic, forward-looking. Today, though, the country has a new symbol: the border wall. In The End of the Myth, acclaimed historian Greg Grandin explores the effect that constant, relentless expansion had on America's domestic politics, examining the full sweep of U.S. history -- from the American Revolution to the Spanish-American War, the New Deal to the election of 2016. For centuries, he shows, the ability to move outward -- fighting wars and opening markets -- provided America with a 'gate of escape,' helping to deflect domestic political and economic conflicts. But this deflection meant that the country's problems, from racism to inequality, were never confronted directly. And now, the combined catastrophes of the 2008 financial meltdown, our unwinnable wars in the Middle East, and a deepening ecological crisis have slammed this gate shut, bringing political passions that had long been directed elsewhere back home. It is this new reality, Grandin says, that explains the rise of reactionary populism and racist nationalism, the extreme anger and polarization that catapulted Trump to the presidency. The border wall may or may not be built, but it will survive as a rallying point, an allegorical tombstone marking the end of American exceptionalism"--Jacket.
Bibliography, etc. Note Includes bibliographical references (pages 293-352) and index.
Record Appears in On-Campus Resources > Books
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Introduction. Fleeing forward
All that space
The alpha and the omega
A Caucasian democracy
The safety valve
Are you ready for all these wars?
The true relief
The outer edge
The pact of 1898
A fortress on the frontier
A psychological twist
A golden harvest
Some demonic suction tube
More, more, more
The new preëmptor
Crossing the blood meridian
Epilogue. The significance of the wall in American history.

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