West of the Revolution: An Uncommon History of 1776

As momentous as the American Revolution was to the Colonists of the East Coast, the history of the United States as we know it is much more involved. West of the Revolution details several events that also happened around 1776. The Lakota Sioux moved into the Black Hills, terrorized the trading villages on the Mississippi river, and generally gained control of a huge swath of the upper Midwest. The Russians, causing the near extinction of sea otters, fur seals, walrus and whales, were attempting to colonize California. The Creek Indians tried to establish a link with the Spanish, even sending a trade mission to Cuba as a hedge against the encroachment of white settlers and the Osage. The Osage themselves were beginning to feel the pressure of disease and populations migrating westward. In the Southwest, San Diego had its own war and in the dry interior, Spain was attempting to broaden its footprint in the new world. The book is written very well, with enough facts to be believable and enough personal history to be enjoyable. Most of all, it affirms that the United States never existed in a vacuum and that our history is much more than just that of the east coast.