The Americans: The National Experience [Paperback]

Daniel J. Boorstin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 12, 1967

Explores problems of community and the search for a national identity. Winner of the Francis Parkman Prize.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Daniel J. Boorstin, one of America's great historians, focuses on American ingenuity and emergent nationalism in this middle book of the Americans trilogy, dealing with a period extending roughly from the Revolution to the Civil War. Like its two companion volumes, The National Experience is a sometimes quirky look at how certain patterns of living helped shape the character of the United States. The book simply overflows with ideas, all of them introduced in entertaining chapters on subjects such as the New England ice industry and the boomtowns of the Midwest.

Boorstin is a delight to read, a genuine polymath whose wide-ranging interests and love of learning show up on every page. --John J. Miller

Review

"Boorstins achievement is to compel us to see again, ranged in order, the whole mass of attitudes and mechanisms that arise from American difference, and to display his material so abundantly and ingeniously that we see aspects of the nations' past as if for the first time." -- Marcus Cunliffe, Book Week

"This is the history of a nation 'beginning again and again, under men's very eyes. I can only repeat that this is a fine book -- controversial certainly, but a courageous, learned and most exciting work." -- George Dangerfield, The New York Times Book Review

"This exceptionally good book ... abounds in concrete, entertaining details, and in bright, original ideas about those fascinating people, us." -- The New Yorker

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Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Vintage (February 12, 1967)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394703588
• ISBN-13: 978-0394703589
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 0.9 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #250,005 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good exploration of what makes us Americans, November 2, 1999

By 

Kyle G. Brown (Apex, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Americans: The National Experience (Paperback)

In this book Daniel Boorstin puts some distinctly American attitudes into historical perspective as he shows how "Boosterism" -- the tendency to promote your town, region, etc. became a major force in the development of businesses, government and the press during the early 19th century. This theme runs throughout the book, and he deftly uses it to connect a number of otherwise disconnected threads into the rich tapestry of American life. He is equally at ease explaining why every American town, regardless of size, thinks itself a "city" and where our unique federal system of government has its foundation.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Unique Nation, its Origins and Growth, November 30, 2006

By 

Avid Reader (Franklin, Tn) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Americans: The National Experience (Paperback)

This work is absolutely dazzling, totally unlike any other history you will ever read. It is NOT a boring (or exciting) recount of wars, laws, political battles and big events - it is what future historians will say when they analyze the origin and growth of the United States. Over and over, Boorstin contrasts the Old World (European) with the New, noting the huge differences in purpose and direction and even meaning.

Several themes emerge: First and perhaps foremost, despite the fact that we are a nation of laws we made up a lot of it as we went along. The saving grace - and a point made endlessly - is that ours was never an ideological struggle and to this day Americans, unlike Europeans, are wary of ideology. Not only did we reject the idea of a radical transformation of society, we fought to preserve the status quo, i.e. the ability of the states to rule themselves. Our political parties were non-ideological. We embraced common law - a point that bears repeating over and over. Laws were interpreted for each new situation (based on some basic principles) rather than codified in mind-numbing detail in an attempt to made a final and definitive ruling on every possible case.

Much of the book dealt with the expansion of the country. He points out that the very vagueness of national purpose was an instrument in the great march Westward. Expansion of the nation beyond its original boundaries was not a given by any means and was actively opposed by many of the great minds. But once it started, we established a pattern that was used to introduce state after state. It is noteworthy that our form of government is replicated on the federal, state and city levels. Paradoxically, the power of the states is an asset not a hindrance to national unity. The book is filled with little-known biographies of people who were instrumental in the nation's progress. My grade - A+

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enlightening and enjoyable history, August 13, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Americans: The National Experience (Paperback)

Both this book and its counterpart, The Democratic Experience, offer an anecdotal and entertaining approach to American history. In The National Experience, Boorstin focuses on the development of a national character and national customs. Rather than trying to force history to fit into a deterministic and logical mold, Boorstin shows just how the disconnectedness of American history has contributed to American development.

I find Boorstin's works very readable, and the style enjoyable. My only concern is that sometimes it seems that some complexities are ignored in favor of developing an overall theme. However, this remains one of very few histories I pick up for fun to read a few chapters.