How The States Got Their Shapes Too: The People Behind The Borderlines, by Mark Stein
I randomly picked up this book from the library yesterday figuring it would be a good read, and I was right. That does not mean that this book is without its problems; indeed, there is a heavy and certainly left-wing political angle to a lot of the commentary here. To be sure, a few of the names chosen have not really affected borders at all, except in some metaphorical way by defending the dignity of certain groups like women and minorities, whom the author wishes to promote for obvious reasons of political bias, even if they do not meet the standard of actually influencing state borders, even those wishing for Puerto Rican statehood [1]. This is, it should be noted, a common trick among left wing writers, and it is as predictable as it is shabby. Thankfully, for the purposes of this book, such obviously biased choices are very rare, and most of the people in this book actually belong there.
This is a pleasure, because there were some odd people involved in the shaping of America’s states. Some of them are famous, like Thomas Jefferson, Stephen Douglas [2], John Quincy Adams, and Mason and Dixon, all of whom have their own chapters, and some are fascinatingly obscure. Some, indeed, participated in several different border fights over the course of lengthy political campaigns, one man playing a decisive role in Ohio’s victory over Michigan and Iowa’s victory over Missouri. Some people achieved their goals as a result of dogged determination, some were known for their rhetorical skill, more than a few appear to have owed a great deal of their success to corruption of one kind of another. This book, as might be expected, takes a somewhat tabloid approach to the political drama, eschewing lengthy and nuanced explanations for dramatic ones.
Overall, there are at least a few worthwhile insights that can be gained from a book like this. For one, it encourages one to read more about the people involved, from less obviously biased sources. As a sort of appetizer when it comes to the political history of the United States, this book is a worthwhile one. The author clearly has skill in writing a dramatic story, and this serves to draw at least a few broad patterns that can be found in how state boundaries were defined. For one, there appear to be a few clear principles when it comes to boundaries, including: possession is nine tenths of the law. Likewise, accuracy is likely to be trumped by power and convenience, although someone skilled at rhetoric and coalition building can succeed despite a lack of power under some circumstances. Where there is a large power disparity, a dispute is likely to be mediated by a biased party, while in the case of relatively balanced concerns, it is possible to find a fair and relatively impartial mediating party. Also of interest is the fact that those who succeeded often pursued their case in a systematic and indirect way, avoiding controversy while setting the stage with steady and gradual wins. This is a worthwhile strategy to consider in matters other than boundaries.
Edge Induced Cohesion 