Ark of Empire: The American Frontier, 1784-1803

The Frontier People of America #3

by Dale Van Every

Dale Van Every describes the perilous crises that threatened the young republic during the period when she struggled to remain one nation instead of becoming many. In this third volume of his major work, The Frontier People of America, the renowned historian tells how the Indians, allied with the British and Spanish, nearly won the battle for the West; how economic and military instability left the new frontiers dangerously unprotected, and finally, how the vision of leaders such as Washington, Jefferson, and Adams helped forge the government that was to unite a territory as large as Western Europe.

Genres: American History, History

Hardcover

First published September 1, 1964

About the author

Born in 1896, American author Dale Van Every turned out a number of volumes on American history, including a biography of Charles Lindbergh. Van Every was also a busy playwright in the 1920s; his Broadway offering Telling the World was filmed in 1929, whereupon the writer set up shop in Hollywood. His screenplays include the literary adaptations Trader Horn (1931) and Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932). In 1937, he shared an Oscar nomination for the film version of Kipling's Captains Courageous. In 1940, Dale Van Every produced the Paramount actioner Rangers of Fortunes, then returned to screenwriting, remaining in this field until 1957. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Reviews

[George Polansky · Rating 5 out of 5]

The continued advance of the American Frontier. A comprehensive look at this time frame.

[Christopher Sutch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dale Van Every has taught me that the mixture of hypocrisy and spinelessness that characterize contemporary libertarian and conservative thinking has been a constant in American life since the 1790s. Whenever the individualistic (and much-praised by Van Every) frontierspeople got a bug up their ass about something they would first refuse to do anything about it, then rebel against the Federal government, then give up when they realized they were outnumbered. Classic Tea Party move. They must really love the "founding fathers."

Otherwise, a very passable introduction to the intricacies of early life in our republic (albeit with a rather silly American exceptionalism).