Introduction

A truly democratic history of any nation ought to account for all its people. Focused heavily on the eastern states, and sometimes on the west, American history must seem foreign to many in the middle. If a national history doesn't mention your town, or your county, or even your state, how can it be your history? This book is my attempt to show history marching through all the places that Americans know and call home: all 50 states; all 3100+ counties; some 20,000 cities and towns; and countless rivers, lakes, mountains, capes, bays, islands, etc. It is at once a comprehensive American history, a dictionary of American placenames, and a narrative encyclopedia of Americana – with periodic breakdowns in the narrative. Where history refused to march, I had little choice but to take it by the heel and drag its dead weight across geography.

I don't expect many to read this book cover to cover; in fact, it may be best if no one tries. Certain chapters were written for niche readers and are best avoided by others. Instead, I hope each person can read their own course through history and make their own way across the map.

There are at least five ways to read this book:

1: As a grand American epic, read from beginning to the end. This approach, recommended only for those with grand attention spans, covers 500 years of recorded history and almost 4,000,000 square miles of land.

2: As a regional history, with only select chapters read. Those interested in the southeast might read chapters 1, 2, 3, 4...Those interested in the southwest might read 1, 2, 6, 7...

3: As a collection of short essays, each read in isolation. Bible scholars might enjoy Chapter 58. Civil War buffs might prefer Chapter 70. Botanists can find skewed distribution maps in Chapter 65...

4: As a dictionary of placenames, entered through the index. Within the index of placenames, many readers will also find their forebears among thousands of listed surnames – often showing their migration westward across the map.

5: As a puzzle of footnotes, read or not read at all. While the main body of text charts domestic placenames, the footnotes focus on foreign placenames. Correctly assembled, the footnotes constitute a brief history of global exploration, conquest, and settlement since 1492.

There may be other things I should say about the book's unorthodox composition, but I've always thought that a good book should speak for itself.

Delian James.