What Hath God Wrought

The Transformation of America, 1815 - 1848

By: Daniel Walker Howe

Narrated by: Patrick Cullen

Pulitzer Prize, History, 2008

In this addition to the esteemed Oxford History of the United States series, historian Daniel Walker Howe illuminates the period from the Battle of New Orleans to the end of the Mexican-American War, an era of revolutionary improvements in transportation and communications that accelerated America's expansion and prompted the rise of mass political parties.

He examines the rise of Andrew Jackson and his Democratic party but contends that John Quincy Adams and other advocates of public education, economic integration, and the rights of blacks, women, and Indians were the true prophets of America's future.

Howe's panoramic narrative - weaving together social, economic, and cultural history with political and military events - culminates in the controversial but brilliantly executed war against Mexico that gained California and Texas for America.

Please note: The individual volumes of the series have not been published in historical order. What Hath God Wrought is number V in The Oxford History of the United States.

Listen to more of the definitive Oxford History of the United States.©2007 Oxford University Press, Inc. (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"One of the most outstanding syntheses of U.S. history published this decade." ( Publishers Weekly)
"He is a genuine rarity: an English intellectual who not merely writes about the United States but actually understands it." ( Washington Post)
"A stunning synthesis....it is a rare thing to encounter a book so magisterial and judicious and also so compelling." ( Chicago Tribune)

comprehensive history

I am a casual history fan and I've always had trouble keeping track of the Taylor's and the Tyler's in the first half of the 19th century. This book is comprehensive, well-read and detailed, sometimes to the point where it can be hard to follow, especially if you listen while commuting. There are many themes, and he jumps back and forth between them. I found myself backing up several times to make sense of things, but it was not too much of a chore. As the author says in the conclusion, he is telling a story, not asserting a thesis--this type of history I think is the most fun to listen to. I never found it tiresome, and that is a lot to say about a book this long. The other reviewer is correct, there were a lot of changes in the recording, sometimes in the middle of a sentence. While this is unusual in audiobooks, I did not find it very distracting.

excellent history!

I loved this one, the story flows so well, ties together the different movements and events of the first half of the 19 th century into a great story. I am going to look into the other Oxford series. The best history audio I have yet listened to.

Excellent book, bad editing

It’s just a superbly written book but the edit of the narrator was not terribly good. And if you listen at a fast speed, it’s pretty noticeable. I have the kindle book as well and when I would listen to that was AWFUL. It would cut out the end of sentences.

Read it, but the narration edit on this is bad.

better editing would have improved this book

The story was good, well written book. The editing distracted you from the book. Parts were very choppy.

Above-average book, below-average narration

This is yet another excellent book from the Oxford U.S. History Series. I felt like David Walker Howe jumps around more than the authors of the other books within the series, neither using a thematic nor narrative approach to telling the story of the Jacksonian period. But all of the information is there, and the writing is good. Howe really demonstrates how much things change in U.S. society, politics and culture from 1815-1848. You'll have to stomach a substantial amount of religion in the book, but with the Second Great Awakening, religion is pivotal to the period, and it impacts other areas as well.

My biggest problem with the audiobook is narration/editing that borders on disastrous at times. Necessary pauses are removed; a different narrator will randomly appear in mid-paragraph, or even mid-sentence; and the main narrator isn't really that good to begin with. Most of the books in this series are narrated by Robert Fass, who's outstanding. The book on the Depression/WWII is narrated by Tom Weiner, who's peerless. Somehow the publishers swung and missed on this one, and unfortunately, the poor audio made following and enjoying the book more difficult.

A compelling narrative

Great narrative of the early 19th century America. Enjoyed listening. If the narrator 'Patrick Cullen' would slow down a bit it would be even more enjoyable.

overall outstanding

Where does What Hath God Wrought rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

well up there.

Any additional comments?

This was on my list to read for a long time given the excellent review, but thought I was not that interested in this period, however, this was an outstanding read. There were just a few sections that were a little slow, mostly to do with religious revivalism, however, overall this filled in so many knowledge gaps in a very interesting way. We think our world is changing to quickly, it is interesting to think that other generations felt very similarly about their own times. In addition, this really sets the stage for an understanding of the Civil war period and American history in general. One of the stronger sections of the Oxford Hisotry series. Well worth the read.

Good book, bad audio

Very informative book, often reads like a very detailed textbook. But the narrator and audio quality is very subpar. This book deserves another narration with a qualified narrator. Grove Gardner, comes to mind. This book was written for Grove Gardner to read.

Choose This Book

I’ve read Waking Giant and American Republics. Of the three this is the best (and it pains me to say that because I love Taylor’s books so much). The only reason I reduced the star was because the audio editing seemed overdubbed too often.

Great book, good narrator, terrible editing

This is a very interesting book about a period in United States history that seems to get overlooked — the period between the War of 1812 and the Civil War. The narrator seems to be fine, but he’s sabotaged by the editing. I don’t know what happened when they were editing this audiobook, but it is full of obvious splices and changes in speed or volume. Also, some sections seem to be missing spaces between sentences and sections, so the words come too fast to really process. Although these editing issues are, at times, distracting, I still enjoyed the book. I don’t think the problems make the audiobook “unlistenable.” Just be warned that it there are issues!