The Men Who United the States: America's Explorers, Inventors, Eccentrics and Mavericks, and the Creation of One Nation, Indivisible

From Barnes & NobleOthers might view the story of America's transformation from a rag-tag assemblage of colonies into a unified nation as a history of heroic Founding Fathers or scheming politicians; Simon Winchester (The Map That Changed the World; Atlantic) sees it instead as an epic narrative about empirically-minded explorers, scientists, and inventors. With characteristic vigor, this new U.S. citizen follows the footsteps of Lewis and Clark, the builders of the first transcontinental telegraph, the civil engineers behind the Interstate Highway System, and other trailblazers who made our country what it is today. (P.S. The Men Who United the States features dozens of photographs which underline the significant message of its theme.