"Shaped by the West is a primary-source reader that rewrites the history of the United States through a western lens. America's expansion west was the driving force for issues of democracy, politics, race, freedom, and property. The sources included in this volume reflect the important role of the West in national narratives of American history, from the pre-Columbian era to 1877. William Deverell and Anne F. Hyde provide a nuanced look at the past, balancing topics in society and politics and representing all kinds of westerners--black and white, native and immigrant, male and female, powerful and powerless--from more than twenty states across the West and the shifting frontier."--Provided by publisher.

Volume 1 : a history of North America to 1877 -- Volume 2 : a history of North America from 1850.