In the dramatic narratives that comprise The Republic of Nature, Mark
Fiege reframes the canonical account of American history based on the
simple but radical premise that nothing in the nation's past can be
considered apart from the natural circumstances in which it occurred.
Revisiting historical icons so familiar that schoolchildren learn to
take them for granted, he makes surprising connections that enable
readers to see old stories in a new light.
Among the historical moments revisited here, a revolutionary nation
arises from its environment and struggles to reconcile the diversity of
its people with the claim that nature is the source of liberty. Abraham
Lincoln, an unlettered citizen from the countryside, steers the Union
through a moment of extreme peril, guided by his clear-eyed vision of
nature's capacity for improvement. In Topeka, Kansas, transformations of
land and life prompt a lawsuit that culminates in the momentous civil
rights case of Brown v. Board of Education.
By focusing on materials and processes intrinsic to all things and by
highlighting the nature of the United States, Fiege recovers the
forgotten and overlooked ground on which so much history has unfolded.
In these pages, the nation's birth and development, pain and sorrow,
ideals and enduring promise come to life as never before, making a
once-familiar past seem new. The Republic of Nature points to a
startlingly different version of history that calls on readers to
reconnect with fundamental forces that shaped the American experience.
For more information, visit the author's website: http:
//republicofnature.com/
