The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 102, July 1998 - April, 1999 Page: 260

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Southwestern Historical Quarterly

families reveals the ecclesiastical and secular forces that shaped rural perspec-
tives, and illustrates the continuing economic hurdles that, with decreasing farm
size over generations, escalated pressures on farmers-driving an increasing
number of them into tenancy. Race relations returned to pre-Civil War status
with the codification of long-held practices. Industrialization and agricultural
mechanization created new rifts in families and other social structures, reiterat-
ed caste strata, for white and black Arkansans alike, and highlighted the growing
tension between rural and increasingly urban areas of the state.
Driven by the same forces as those experienced in the rest of the nation,
Arkansas government became an instrument for sculpting a new social and eco-
nomic paradigm: a "Jim Crow progressivism." The results of such intervention
proved more successful than not, but by the end of the 1920s the state's ongoing
dependence upon agriculture and extractive industries had reduced hard-won
advances to mere memories.
Those interested in Texas history will enjoy this work. Many of the factors in-
volved in the evolution of Arkansas played significant roles in Texas as well. Cot-
ton cultivation, race relations, "foreign" investment/control in extractive
industries, and economic realities parallel those described in Moneyhon's work.
Arkansas and the New South, 1874-1929 is not an expansive volume; its com-
pact length nonetheless contains an extraordinary amount of material. Dr. Mon-
eyhon employed scholarly articles and a variety of primary sources to construct
his thorough overview of transitional Arkansas. As used herein, rather than re-
ferring to a lack of detail or deficiency of investigation, "overview" indicates the
author's thoughtful analytical assessments and successful synthesis of diverse
sources. Beyond being well researched, the volume is entertaining; it will appeal
to both "members of the choir" and casual readers alike.
A single, if slight, irritant in the work is the absence of foot- or endnotes. High
costs prohibit the use of notes in many series and the frustration over their ex-
clusion in this instance was more than ameliorated by the book's outstanding
bibliographic essay.
Professor Moneyhon has written a superb volume for those who wish to
launch an examination of Arkansans, their state, and the basis for the part they
play in the contemporary national scene.
Austin, Texas PAGE S. FOSHEE
Alexander William Doniphan: Portrait of a Missouri Moderate. By Roger D. Launius.
(Columbia and London: University of Missouri Press, 1997. Pp. xvi+316. Il-
lustrations, preface, bibliography, index. ISBN o-8262-1132-1. $37.50,
cloth).
As historians well know, writing a biography is a courageous task. Those indi-
viduals who dare embark on such an adventure would do well to take a lesson
from Roger D. Launius. In his most recent monograph, Alexander Willzam
Doniphan: Portrait of a Missouri Moderate, Launius sets out to provide a thorough
history of an important and provocative Missouri politician. He not only

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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 102, July 1998 - April, 1999, periodical, 1999; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101219/m1/303/ocr/: accessed March 29, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.

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