Finding a New Midwestern History

Jon K. Lauck is an adjunct professor of history and political science at the University of South Dakota and the author of numerous books, including The Lost Region: Toward a Revival of Midwestern History. Gleaves Whitney is director of the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies at Grand Valley State University near Grand Rapids in Michigan. He is the author or editor of sixteen books, including Colorado Front Range: A Landscape Divided. Joseph Hogan is the director of fact-checking at Retro Report, and has written for the New York Times, the Nation, and the Middle West Review.

"In 2015, a group of historians met in Michigan to reinvigorate the study of midwestern history. The result of the meeting was a series of essays published in this engaging volume. Individual essays cover virtually every imaginable topic of the history of the American Midwest. . . . This book could be assigned in advanced undergraduate courses, and any faculty or academic staff whose teaching even remotely deals with the Midwest should read this book."-J. Shelton, Choice “Engaging, provocative, and cogently argued. . . . This collection provides an insightful, perceptive, smart regional consciousness. This book will make its mark as an important contribution to the intellectual history of the Midwest as well as to the historiography of the region.”-R. Douglas Hurt, professor of history at Purdue University and author of The Big Empty: The Great Plains in the Twentieth Century "Together the essays offer multiple ways of defining, identifying, understanding, and grappling with the Midwest and its history. They pose crucial questions and suggest some important conversations for the field."-Annette Atkins, Missouri Historical Review "Finding a New Midwestern History aims to invigorate the field of midwestern history, and its collection of essays succeeds at providing an expansive overview of potential areas of study."-Rachel Boyle, Nebraska History "Collectively, the book's contributors illuminate the richness and complexity of the field, and they articulate why the Midwest deserves consideration anew in both scholarly research and the popular imagination."-Elizabeth Grennan Browning, Michigan Historical Review "This new book reflects the laudable strengthening of Midwestern academic studies in recent years and is another important contribution to Midwestern studies by the University of Nebraska Press."-Omaha World-Herald “The result isn’t comprehensive (even ten such volumes couldn’t claim to be), but the menu is richly varied. . . There is no single ‘Midwest,’ of course, but projects such as this . . . offer a much-needed alternative to disdain and cheerleading alike.”-John Wilson, First Things"This engaging collection of essays examines midwestern history from a wide variety of perspectives, offering valuable insights into the region."-William C. Barnett, Annals of Iowa  "This is a valuable contribution to a reenergized field of study. Students of midwestern history will need to be familiar with it, and the region’s academic and public libraries will want to add it to their collections."-Robert G. Barrows, Indiana Magazine of History "Finding a New American History [is] a valiant effort . . . like the area it treats, it's unexpected, intensely satisfying, and full of riches."-Steve Donoghue, Open Letters Review

• List of Illustrations    Introduction: Toward a New Midwestern History    Jon K. Lauck, Joe Hogan, and Gleaves WhitneyPart 1. The Midwest as a RegionChapter 1. The Birth of the Midwest and the Rise of Regional Theory    Michael C. SteinerChapter 2. How Nature and Culture Shaped Early Settlement in the Midwest    James E. DavisChapter 3. First Cousins: The Civil War’s Impact on Midwestern Identity    Nicole EtchesonPart 2. The Midwest’s PeopleChapter 4. Native Americans and Midwestern History    Susan E. GrayChapter 5. American and European Immigrant Groups in the Midwest by the Mid-Nineteenth Century    Gregory S. RoseChapter 6. Civic Life in a Midwestern Community    Paula M. NelsonChapter 7. Politics in the Promised Land: How the Great Migration Shaped the American Midwest    Jeffrey HelgesonPart 3. The Iconic MidwestChapter 8. Midwestern Small Towns    John E. MillerChapter 9. The Agrarian Midwest: A Geographic Analysis    Christopher R. LaingenChapter 10. The Role of Sports in the Midwest    David R. McMahonPart 4. Midwestern LandscapesChapter 11. The View from the River: Another Perspective on Midwestern History    Michael AllenChapter 12. The Midwest’s Spiritual Landscapes    Jon ButlerChapter 13. The Development of Midwestern Cities    Jon TeafordPart 5. The Midwest’s VoicesChapter 14. Of Murals and Mirrors: Midwest Regionalism Then and Now    Zachary Michael JackChapter 15. Midwestern Intellectuals    James SeatonChapter 16. Midwestern Musicians    James P. LearyChapter 17. Midwestern Writers: The Fourth Wave    David PichaskePart 6. The Midwestern ExperienceChapter 18. The Upper Midwest as the Second Promised Land    Gleaves WhitneyChapter 19. Growing Up Midwestern    Pamela Riney-KehrbergChapter 20. The Best of Babbitt: The Midwestern Vision of Arthur Vandenberg    Hank MeijerChapter 21. Of Conformity and Cosmopolitanism: Midwestern Identity since World War II    J. L. AndersonList of Contributors    Index