Pulitzer Prize History Winner

What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815–1848

by Daniel Walker Howe

Summary

Howe explores the decades when revolutions in communication and transportation remade the young United States. He links the telegraph, the railroad, religious revivals, and fierce political battles to the expansion and division of the nation. The book matters for showing how this period of growth set the stage for both American power and the coming conflict over slavery.

Historical Context & Significance

Daniel Walker Howe wrote this volume for the Oxford History of the United States series and won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for History.