How the States Got Their Shapes »

Mark Stein is a playwright and screenwriter. His plays have been performed off-Broadway and at theaters throughout the country. His films include Housesitter, with Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn. He has taught writing and drama at American University and Catholic University and lives in Washington, D.C.

Mark Stein is a playwright and screenwriter. His plays have been performed off-Broadway and at theaters throughout the country. His films include Housesitter, with Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn. He has taught at American University and Catholic University.

Publishers Weekly

America's first century was defined by expansion and the negotiation of territories among areas colonized by the French and Spanish, or occupied by natives. The exact location of borders became paramount; playwright and screenwriter Stein amasses the story of each state's border, channeling them into a cohesive whole. Proceeding through the states alphabetically, Stein takes the innovative step of addressing each border-north, south, east, west-separately. Border stories shine a spotlight on many aspects of American history: the 49th parallel was chosen for the northern borders of Minnesota, North Dakota, and Montana because they ensured England's access to the Great Lakes, vital to their fur trade; in 1846, Washington D.C. residents south of the Potomac successfully petitioned to rejoin Virginia (called both "retrocession" and "a crime") in order to keep out free African-Americans. Aside from tales of violent conquest and political glad-handing, there's early, breathtaking tales of American politicos' favorite sport, gerrymandering (in 1864, Idaho judge Sidney Edgerton single-handedly "derailed" Idaho's proposed boundary, to Montana's benefit, with $2,000 in gold). American history enthusiasts should be captivated by this fun, informative text.
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Acknowledgments     xi
Introduction     xiii
Don't Skip This     1
Alabama     11
Alaska     18
Arizona     21
Arkansas     27
California     33
Colorado     39
Connecticut     44
Delaware     52
District of Columbia     59
Florida     65
Georgia     70
Hawaii     75
Idaho     79
Illinois     86
Indiana     92
Iowa     95
Kansas     101
Kentucky     108
Louisiana     113
Maine     119
Maryland     126
Massachusetts     134
Michigan     141
Minnesota     145
Mississippi     151
Missouri     156
Montana     163
Nebraska     168
Nevada     174
New Hampshire     179
New Jersey     185
New Mexico     192
New York     197
North Carolina     206
North Dakota     216
Ohio     220
Oklahoma     226
Oregon     231
Pennsylvania     236
Rhode Island     243
South Carolina     248
South Dakota     253
Tennessee     257
Texas     263
Utah     270
Vermont     276
Virginia     281
Washington     288
West Virginia     293
Wisconsin     297
Wyoming     302
Selected Bibliography     305
Index     315