American Confluence: The Missouri Frontier from Borderland to Border State

History of the Trans-Appalachian Frontier

by Stephen Aron

In the heart of North America, the Missouri, Ohio, and Mississippi rivers come together, uniting waters from west, north, and east on a journey to the south. This is the region that Stephen Aron calls the American Confluence. Aron's innovative book examines the history of that region—a home to the Osage, a colony exploited by the French, a new frontier explored by Lewis and Clark—and focuses on the region's transition from a place of overlapping borderlands to one of oppositional border states. American Confluence is a lively account that will delight both the amateur and professional historian.

Genres: History, American History

301 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Tyron Surmon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked how the author framed his argument, showcased how fragile imperial rule really was in the confluence region, its melting pot nature and the varied ways different peoples came together and coexisted. If the first half of the book had been condensed down and turned into a journal article, I would have given it 5 stars.

However, the book felt quite weak elsewhere. The Osage were much-discussed at the start of the book, but then their role in the narrative then just fizzled out. It felt like we were missing a chapter on what caused their decline, and maybe if the book was more centred on them (they're presented as mere background characters in European exploits, odd given they're lauded several times as being the most powerful group in the region) it would feel less jarring. Likewise, the arrival of tens of thousands of Americans in 1810 led to the end of the intercultural 'frontier', but this is presented as something that just happened, with no real explanation. Like, if the region was so bountiful, why did it take so long for it to be settled? And whilst this book does a good job of showcasing intercultural exchange, the claim that the confluence region was somehow unique in this was less convincing, given the enduring focus in Native American studies on 'middle grounds' more broadly.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

*read for class

[Jeremy Neely · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I had found this in their early stages of my dissertation rather than the weeks just before I submitted my book manuscript to the publisher.

[Indiana University Press]

Now in paperback

"This sophisticated analysis . . . focuses upon the sprawling lands that marked the intersection of the country's three primary rivers—the Mississippi, Ohio, and Missouri—as well as the diverse peoples who inhabited those lands between 1600 and 1860. . . . Recommended." —Choice

[Paul Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frames the narrative in a fresh and revealing way. Culture contact was more complicated than the racial and national stereotypes relied on in conventional wisdom.