| Description |
310 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm |
| Summary |
"The most urgent problem facing the newly independent United States was how to pay for the war that won the country its freedom; America's debt was enormous. The nation's greatest asset was the land west of the Ohio River, but in order to sell this huge territory, it first had to be surveyed - that is, measured out and mapped. And before that could be done, a uniform set of measurements had to be chosen for the new republic out of the morass of roughly 100,000 different units that were in use in daily life." "Indeed, in his first presidential address to Congress, in January 1790, George Washington put the establishment of a single system of weights and measures immediately after a national defense and a currency as the country's most urgent priority. Measuring America tells the fascinating story of how this unique system was achieved and how it has profoundly shaped our country and culture over more than two centuries." |
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"How we ultimately gained the American Customary System - the last traditional system in the world - and how Gunter's chain indelibly imprinted its dimensions on the land, on cities, and on our culture from coast to coast, is both an exciting human and intellectual drama and one of the great untold stories in American history. Measuring America reveals the colossal power contained inside the acres and miles, ounces and pounds that we use every day without ever realizing their significance. In the process, it offers readers an opportunity to see our democracy in a brilliant new light."--BOOK JACKET |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 289-292) and index |
| Subject |
National characteristics, American.
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Public lands -- United States -- History.
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Frontier and pioneer life -- United States.
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Surveying -- United States -- History.
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Surveyors -- United States -- History.
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| SUBJECT |
Ohio River Valley http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85094291 -- Geography.
http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh00005919
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Ohio River Valley http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85094291 -- Surveys http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh99001768 -- History.
http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh99005024
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United States http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n78095330 -- Geography.
http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh00005919
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United States -- Surveys http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85140558 -- History.
http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh99005024
|
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United States -- Territorial expansion.
http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85140559
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| LC no. |
2002073573 |
| ISBN |
0802713963 |
|
