The Midwest region holds a pivotal place in the tapestry of American history. The Oxford Handbook of Midwestern History delves into this rich heritage with chapters on topics ranging from the early Native American and French Midwest to the impact of the Northwest Ordinance and the Great Lakes, the emergence of Midwest regional consciousness after the Civil War, and the role of the Midwest's natural resources in the region's economic success and later decline. It presents the newest research on race, ethnicity, culture, politics, and economic development. It also considers the role of religion, organized labor, the presence of a diverse population of Germans, Irish, Dutch, and Latinos, and the influence of sports, nostalgia, populism, and isolationism. This handbook moves beyond the examination of traditional topics in Midwestern history to provide significant attention to matters such as architecture, literary realism, visual culture, and constitutionalism. This treatment of Midwestern history marks a major turn towards the history of the American interior. In many ways, The Oxford Handbook of Midwestern History marks the coming of age of what scholars and commentators are calling the New Midwestern History.
