Empires, Nations, and FamiliesWinner of the 2012 Bancroft Prize in American History Finalist for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize in History To most people living in the West, the Louisiana Purchase made little difference: the United States was just another imperial overlord to be assessed and manipulated. This was not, as Empires, Nations, and Families makes clear, virgin wilderness discovered by virtuous Anglo entrepreneurs. Rather, the United States was a newcomer in a place already