A Nation Forged by Crisis: A New American History

Sexton (history, Univ. of Missouri; Debtor Diplomacy) has written a wide-ranging U.S. history by examining the greatest crises in each century of its existence—the American Revolution, the Civil War, and the Great Depression—within the international and national contexts that fueled these events. The author argues that the nation is a product of international forces, including the cyclical booms and busts of the global economy, international migration, and disruptions in relations among countries. Sexton puts to rest the nationalist myth of American exceptionalism, the idea that American history has uniquely been shaped by its institutions and ideology and shows how, even when trying to withdraw from the international order, the country has been inextricably bound within it. The author does not shy away from drawing conclusions about our current politics and the global situation we now occupy, providing much food for thought while pointing readers toward areas for further reading and consideration.