Measuring America: How an Untamed Wilderness Shaped the United States and Fulfilled the Promise ofDemocracy

In 1790, America was in enormous debt, having depleted what little money and supplies the country had during its victorious fight for independence. Before the nation's greatest asset, the land west of the Ohio River, could be sold it had to be 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.

Measuring America tells the fascinating story of how we ultimately gained the American Customary System--the last traditional system in the world--and how one man's surveying chain indelibly imprinted its dimensions on the land, on cities, and on our culture from coast to coast.

Author: Andro Linklater
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 09/30/2003
Pages: 320
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.65lbs
Size: 8.52h x 5.56w x 0.72d
ISBN: 9780452284593
Audience: Young Adult

About the Author
Andro Linklater (1944-2013) was a journalist, biographer, and author. Linklater was most known for exploring the history of property ownership in America in his work. His books include The Fabric of America and Measuring America. He died at age 68 of a heart attack while researching for a new book on the history of land possession in the Hebrides.