The Making of the American South: A Short History, 1500-1877

“J. William Harris’s text offers an excellent and long overdue synthesis of recent scholarship on many different aspects of Southern history from the early seventeenth century through the era of Civil War and Reconstruction. Sensibly organized and beautifully written, it is a work that students will find readily accessible. It is a must for the classroom.” B.C. Wood, University of Cambridge

“This slim volume provides a crisp, up-to-date account of the South’s emergence as a distinctive, self-conscious region. Harris writes an engrossing narrative that is as convincing as it is readable.” Jane T. Censer, George Mason University

“An uncommonly good book by an especially talented historian, J. William Harris’s The Making of the American South is the panoramic story of many Souths told crisply and elegantly and with searching clarity. Gracefully written and thoroughly edifying, it is a terrific read.” Mark M. Smith, University of South Carolina

“This rich and readable introduction to the South from early exploration through the Civil War and Reconstruction deserves a wide audience of both students and general readers. Full of fresh insights and reflecting the latest scholarship on the region, William Harris’s narrative is concise and fast-paced, yet never shirks from the complexity or diversity that has always made the southern past so intriguing.” John C. Inscoe, University of Georgia