|
Books > History > American history
|
Not currently available
Measuring America (Paperback, New edition)
Loot Price: R304
Discovery Miles 3 040
|
|
|
Measuring America (Paperback, New edition)
 (sign in to rate)
Loot Price R304
Discovery Miles 3 040
Supplier out of stock. If you add this item to your wish list we will let you know when it becomes available.
|
In Measuring America Linklaker describes the effects that
scientific developments in the 17th and 18th centuries had on the
process of land acquisition in America. He also recounts the
Americans' attempts to develop a regulated set of weights and
measures. They believed that this would bring about a fairer, more
democratic society: in Europe it was the landowners and aristocrats
who owned the 'standard' sets of weights, and they would quite
frequently use large weights for buying and small weights for
selling. Indeed, practices of this kind had been one of the major
grievances that sparked off the French Revolution. It is to
Linklaker's credit that his book is more interesting that this
premise might suggest. If you are interested in the history of
measurement or the early history of the USA then you will find that
Linklaker writes clearly and entertainingly, and with an obvious
interest in his subject. An unusual but successful work. (Kirkus
UK)
The sheer scale of it makes the measuring of America extraordinary. Beginning in 1785, it became the largest land survey in history stretching from the Ohio river to the Pacific coast and from Lake Erie to the Mexican border. It prepared the ground for the sale of almost two billion acres, and shaped landscapes and cities across the US more drastically than any event since the last ice age.
Before the survey could begin, there had to be agreement about what kind of measurement should be used. What made the 18th-century debate so critical was the revolution taking place in Western thought as objective, scientific reasoning challenged the traditional, subjective view of the world. A battle began between those (like the British) supporting a centuries-old organic form of measurement (ounces and pounds, yards and acres) and the modernizers, like Thomas Jefferson, who backed a system based on scientific observation.
The effects of the measuring of America on the landscape and people (native and immigrant) were huge and long-lasting; the story itself an exotic blend of narrative history and popular science
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
|
You might also like..
|
Email address subscribed successfully.
A activation email has been sent to you.
Please click the link in that email to activate your subscription.
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
(2)
