Citizen Explorer
The Life of Zebulon Pike
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Oxford University Press Inc
Published:18th May '17
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
This paperback is available in another edition too:
- Hardback£26.99(9780199768721)
This modern biography explores the life of Zebulon Pike, detailing his expeditions and the complexities of American nationalism as he sought new territories.
In November 1806, a group of explorers faced the harsh realities of nature, having gone without food for two days. Their young leader, determined to conquer the great mountain, found himself waist-deep in snow and reluctantly decided to turn back. However, this setback did not defeat Zebulon Pike; instead, it marked the beginning of a storied legacy. His name would forever be associated with the unclimbed peak, while new adventures awaited him and the burgeoning republic he served.
In Citizen Explorer, historian Jared Orsi presents a modern biography of Zebulon Pike, a soldier and explorer who stood alongside notable figures like Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. Born in 1779, Pike's military career began in the Ohio River valley, leading him to undertake a series of remarkable expeditions. His quest for the headwaters of the Mississippi and the sources of the Arkansas and Red Rivers culminated in his encounter with Pike's Peak and his eventual capture by Spanish forces. Throughout his journey, Pike interacted with a diverse array of individuals, including Aaron Burr, General James Wilkinson, and influential fur traders, all while navigating the complexities of American expansion.
Orsi's portrayal of Pike's life reveals the evolution of American nationalism as it expanded westward, shifting from Jeffersonian ideals to a more pragmatic outlook. As Pike worked to map and incorporate new territories into the republic, he became increasingly reliant on those who did not share his national allegiance. His life ended in service during the War of 1812, but Citizen Explorer captures the rich cultural and political tapestry of his time, offering a comprehensive view of a remarkable man and his contributions to American history.
In bringing the tools of environmental history to bear on themes that have long engaged scholars of the early republic, Orsi gives us a fresh take on Pike's life and the spaces he explored. ... [Citizen Explorer is] a boundary-crossing model worth emulating. * Western Historical Quarterly *
As Orsi demonstrates in this nifty environmental biography, the true state of Pike and his nation was in flux....Orsi's environmental biography invites further contemplations, large scale and small. * Jon T. Coleman, Environmental History *
This interesting and well-researched book fills the information gap concerning Pike. ... In Citizen Explorer Jared Orsi, an associate professor of history at Colorado State University, finally presents the complex and almost-quixotic life of Pike. ... In his impressive collection of primary and secondary sources, Orsi was able to discover the hidden life of a simple soldier who rose to the role of brigadier general. * Journal of American History *
With thorough research and clear prose, Jared Orsi insightfully recovers the dramatic life and violent death of a military hero and western explorer of the early republic. In an unstable age of competing regions, Zebulon Pike pioneered a national style of manhood which flourished in, and gave shape to, the American West. * Alan Taylor, author of The Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia, 1772-1832 *
Shifting his lens between grand politics and the nitty-gritty of early American life, Jared Orsi gives us a wonderfully real Zebulon Pike, grounded in the material realities that determined personal and social choices in the evolving West. He presents us with Pike as a man of his times, caught by the promises of a nation that couldn't yet deliver on them. * Anne F. Hyde, author of Empires, Nations, and Families, A New History of the American West, 1800-1860 *
[An] engaging, readable, and insightful biographical history * Ohio Valley History *
- Winner of 2015 Colorado Book Awards Finalist.
ISBN: 9780190674144
Dimensions: 231mm x 152mm x 25mm
Weight: 544g
394 pages