How the States Got Their Shapes

"How the States Got Their Shapes is the first book to tackle why our state lines are where they are. Here are the stories behind the stories, right down to the tiny northward jog at the eastern end of Tennessee and the teeny-tiny (and little known) parts of Delaware that are not attached to Delaware but to New Jersey." "How the States Got Their Shapes examines: why West Virginia has a finger creeping up the side of Pennsylvania; why Michigan has an upper peninsula that isn't attached to Michigan; why some Hawaiian islands are not Hawaii; and why Texas and California are so outsized, especially when so many Midwestern states are nearly identical in size." "Packed with oddities and trivia, this guide also reveals the major fault lines of American history, from ideological intrigues and religious intolerance to major territorial acquisitions. Adding the fresh lens of local geographic disputes, military skirmishes, and land grabs, Mark Stein shows how the seemingly haphazard puzzle pieces of our nation fit together perfectly."--BOOK JACKET.Stein, Mark is the author of 'How the States Got Their Shapes', published 2008 under ISBN 9780061431388 and ISBN 0061431389.