Elusive Empires

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Focusing on the Ohio Valley, the book explores the imperial ambitions of France, Britain, and the United States, highlighting the complex interactions among Europeans, Euroamericans, and Native Americans. It presents three competing imperial models: commerce, land, and liberty, the latter emerging from the American Revolution. While European trade transformed Native American societies, neither France nor Britain achieved lasting territorial control. The Revolution introduced a new empire framework that favored white landowners, significantly diminishing Native American sovereignty.