Josh The Lighthouse Guy
Major
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2012
- Location
- Jupiter, FL
Mastering The Inland Seas: How Lighthouses, Navigational Aids, and Harbors Transformed The Great Lakes and America
by Theodore J. Karamanski
University of Wisconsin Press (2020)
I spotted this during my recent Michigan vacation and picked it up due to my interest in lighthouses. It puts Great Lakes lighthouses in the context of the lakes' overall maritime history. But I'm starting a thread about because I was pleasantly surprised to find a book that would be of great interest to those who like to read about antebellum and postbellum politics, and thus the Civil War's impact outside of the South.
I will let the author explain in his own words, which are surprisingly buried in an Endnote rather than more front and center in an Introduction:
"What is new in my argument is the emphasis on the Great Lakes infrastructure in particular as a source of intersectional division. Historians note that after the transportation revolution the South faced a hostile Northwest, but they fail to explain why. That is where the fight over internal improvements is key. The repeated vetoes of harbor bills by Presidents Polk, Pierce, and Buchanan weakened support for the Democratic Party in the Northwest and helped spur the Republican Party to dominance in that region." (p. 309)
2/3 of the book covers the period 1789-1910, including 55 pages covering the two decades immediately preceding Lincoln's election and 42 pages covering the subsequent two decades. Small-government administrations dismissed improvements of the Great Lakes as a local matter, despite the lakes touching 8 states plus Canada and being a major national source for iron, copper, lumber, and grain. The Erie Canal is shown as an outlier: very successful largely because it go there first during a period of strong economy. All other attempts were financial failures, or in the case of the original Sault Ste. Marie locks required federal assistance in the form of a land grand. Internal improvements were beyond the capability of the private sector and state governments. With Republicans in power, lighthouse construction increased substantially, lots of man-made harbors were constructed (the Great Lakes have surprisingly few good natural harbors), the lifesaving service began, the Sault locks were significantly improved to open Superior to shipping, and work by George Meade during his time heading the Great Lakes Survey was substantially expanded to not only better chart the lakes but institute weather forecasting for the benefit of shipping.
Come for a very interesting general maritime history of the Great Lakes; stay for an angle of the American Civil War you might not have really considered before.
by Theodore J. Karamanski
University of Wisconsin Press (2020)
I spotted this during my recent Michigan vacation and picked it up due to my interest in lighthouses. It puts Great Lakes lighthouses in the context of the lakes' overall maritime history. But I'm starting a thread about because I was pleasantly surprised to find a book that would be of great interest to those who like to read about antebellum and postbellum politics, and thus the Civil War's impact outside of the South.
I will let the author explain in his own words, which are surprisingly buried in an Endnote rather than more front and center in an Introduction:
"What is new in my argument is the emphasis on the Great Lakes infrastructure in particular as a source of intersectional division. Historians note that after the transportation revolution the South faced a hostile Northwest, but they fail to explain why. That is where the fight over internal improvements is key. The repeated vetoes of harbor bills by Presidents Polk, Pierce, and Buchanan weakened support for the Democratic Party in the Northwest and helped spur the Republican Party to dominance in that region." (p. 309)
2/3 of the book covers the period 1789-1910, including 55 pages covering the two decades immediately preceding Lincoln's election and 42 pages covering the subsequent two decades. Small-government administrations dismissed improvements of the Great Lakes as a local matter, despite the lakes touching 8 states plus Canada and being a major national source for iron, copper, lumber, and grain. The Erie Canal is shown as an outlier: very successful largely because it go there first during a period of strong economy. All other attempts were financial failures, or in the case of the original Sault Ste. Marie locks required federal assistance in the form of a land grand. Internal improvements were beyond the capability of the private sector and state governments. With Republicans in power, lighthouse construction increased substantially, lots of man-made harbors were constructed (the Great Lakes have surprisingly few good natural harbors), the lifesaving service began, the Sault locks were significantly improved to open Superior to shipping, and work by George Meade during his time heading the Great Lakes Survey was substantially expanded to not only better chart the lakes but institute weather forecasting for the benefit of shipping.
Come for a very interesting general maritime history of the Great Lakes; stay for an angle of the American Civil War you might not have really considered before.
Bringing the