No other nation has ever expanded as rapidly as the United States
between the years 1820 and 1860. Marching onto immense stretches of
territory belonging to Mexico, the Indians and foreign powers, America’s
pioneers brought with them a new language, new religions and new
concepts of society. Within the brief span of 40 years they had spread
political unity and cultural uniformity over this vast new land.
Few will deny that the pioneers who subdued that last, great West
between the Rockies and the Pacific braved a more hostile country,
endured more gruelling hardships and faced greater dangers than did any
other settlers in the three-century-long conquest of the continent.
_America’s Pioneer Heritage_ is comprised of scarce and long
out-of-print books that detail our western saga. Among the works
included in the series are eyewitness accounts, journals, letters and
other primary source materials which are so crucial to an understanding
of the American character.