During the American colonial period, what would become the Midwest was the "backcountry," or the area behind the coastal population centers. It was rural and rough, the sort of place that fueled populist resistance to the federal taxation of whiskey. At the time of the Revolution, it was The West, often undifferentiated between north and south and largely associated with Kentucky. In the early years of the republic, however, the regional differentiation deepened and grew until the latter half of the 19th century, when the Midwest emerged as a fully formed region. The essays in this book help explain this process of region-making.

Contributors:

• Christa Adams
• Brie Swenson Arnold
• Terry A. Barnhart
• Michael Leonard Cox
• Wayne Duerkes
• Sara Egge
• Nicole Etcheson
• Edward O. Frantz
• Jacob K. Friefeld
• A. James Fuller
• Kenyon Gradert
• Joshua Jeffers
• Jason Lantzer
• David C. Miller
• Marcia Noe
• C.A. Norling
• Lisa Payne Ossian
• Barton E. Price
• Eric Michael Rhodes
• Gregory S. Rose
• Michael J. Sherfy
• Jason Stacy