A military victory in the Mexican-American War and the discovery of gold in California led to the great land and gold rushes that renowned historian Elliott West calls the Great Coincidence. Learn about the westward expansion, the violence that erupted, the opportunities it offered, the wealth it created, and how the new lands leveraged America's power in the world. A memorable conversation full of information, dispute, and American history.

Elliott West is the Alumni Distinguished Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Arkansas. He is the author of several works, including The Last Indian War: The Nez Perce Story, The Contested Plains: Indians, Goldseekers, and the Rush to Colorado, which won the Francis Parkman Prize and the PEN Center Award. And his latest book, which we are going to discuss, Continental Reckoning: The American West in the Age of Expansion.

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