A Nation Without Borders

The United States and Its World in an Age of Civil Wars, 1830-1910

By: Steven Hahn

Narrated by: Barry Press

In this monumental story of American imperial conquest and capitalist development, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Steven Hahn dismantles the conventional histories of the 19th century and offers a perspective that promises to be as enduring as it is controversial. It begins and ends in Mexico and is throughout internationalist in orientation. It challenges the political narrative of sectionalism, emphasizing the national footing of slavery and the struggle between the Northeast and the Mississippi Valley for continental supremacy. It places the Civil War in the context of many domestic rebellions against state authority, including those of Native Americans. It fully incorporates the trans-Mississippi West, suggesting the importance of the Pacific to the imperial vision of political leaders and of the West as a proving ground for later imperial projects overseas. It reconfigures the history of capitalism, insisting on the centrality of state formation and slave emancipation to its consolidation. It identifies a sweeping era of reconstructions in the late-19th and early 20th centuries that laid the foundations for corporate liberalism and social democracy simultaneously.

©2016 Steven Hahn (P)2016 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

good overview of 19th century America

very detailed and involved. combines lots of recent scholarship. Lots on Mexico. Very well done.

Thorough history of a complex subject

The story is very well presented, but quite an advanced read/listen. Because the history covers a long period, it doesn't offer too much in the way of short biographies so there are lot of supporting historical characters that make cameos and then disappear back into the annals of time. This makes the story a little hard to follow.

I enjoyed the book very much, but will look for a more comprehensive history of the reconstruction to fill in some gaps.

Better Options Out There

The book is solid historical writing even though it uses a lot of loaded language. This may be author’s way of implying ideas to fill gaps when covering such a broad time span. When I say better options I think the Oxford History of the US is better, though longer. Too bad too because I like Foner (the series editor) and Taylor’s American Colonies is unparalleled.

Narration a real mixed bag

This is a great book tackling an immense array of history.

I’ve never felt such mixed feelings about narration in my life. Really one of the better narrators of a history book in general - most do not put the effort into a delivery with the kind of well paced and properly enunciated delivery.

But when he started using accents while quoting various people - the cringe set in hard. He uses a Mexican voice, an indigenous voice, a black voice, a southern voice and it’s just so cringe-inducing, I would be too thrown to understand what was being said. It’s so unnecessary. I hope this narrator does not continue to do that in future reads.

History from a guy left of Marx

Interesting story. Let's take the history of the US and do our best to cast every single item in the worst light while making some claims that appear close to impossible to prove.

At one point he claims that factories in late 19th century America has the worst injury and death stats in the world. I would really like to see the proof on this. I doubt the factories were great, safety only existed to reduce loss of profit from work delays but I find it impossible to believe that anyone kept any sort of objective and accurate stats for worker injuries world wide to even begin to make any sort of claims on what countries were good and which were bad.

Not sure in the end this book is worth the time.