Southern Crucible: The Making of an American Region seeks to fashion a new narrative about the American South. Informed by the most current scholarship in the field, the book offers a balanced look at the region's social, political, cultural, and economic history over four centuries, from pre-contact to the present. Focusing on several major themes in southern history--including the role of racial hierarchy, the role of women and gender, and the impact of immigration--author William A. Link presents the area's distinct history while carefully highlighting its remarkable diversity and geographic, cultural, and economic differences. Fast-paced and engaging, Southern Crucible challenges students to reexamine the region's history and culture and discover the legacy that the South has had on the entire nation's history. -- Amazon.com.