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CHANCE OR DESTINY: Turning Points in American History by Oscar Handlin

CHANCE OR DESTINY: Turning Points in American History

By

Pub Date: May 9th, 1955
Publisher: Little, Brown

The very lack of scholarly substance that may result in criticism of this collection of episodes in American history makes it a good highspotting of events, from a different angle, for popular consumption. Eight stories show how chance has determined the course of history, and they include such incidents as Washington's last stand decision to attack Cornwallis, which but for a sudden storm might have turned into a rout; the aligning of France with the Colonists, through the brilliant diplomatic masterstrokes of Franklin and others; an armada, icebound, turned Napoleon back from world conquest and so on. The episodes have considerable historical detail, if not the grounding some might demand.