{"product_id":"9780809335145","title":"Making the Heartland Quilt: A Geographical History of Settlement and Migration in Early-Nineteenth-Century Illinois","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eMaking the Heartland Quilt\u003c\/i\u003e, Douglas K. Meyer reconstructs the settlement patterns of thirty-three immigrant groups and confirms the emergence of discrete culture regions and regional way stations. Meyer argues that midcontinental Illinois symbolizes a historic test strip of the diverse population origins that unfolded during the Great Migration. Basing his research on the 1850 U.S. manuscript schedules, Meyer dissects the geographical configurations of twenty-three native and ten foreign-born adult male immigrant groups who peopled Illinois. His historical geographical approach leads to the comprehension of a new and clearer map of settlement and migration history in the state.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Meyer finds that both cohesive and mixed immigrant settlements were established. Balkan-like immigrant enclaves or islands were interwoven into evolving local, regional, and national settlement networks. The midcontinental location of Illinois, its water and land linkages, and its lengthy north-south axis enhanced cultural diversity. The barrier effect of Lake Michigan contributed to the convergence and mixing of immigrants. Thus, Meyer demonstrates, Illinois epitomizes midwestern dichotomies: northern versus southern; native-born versus foreign-born; rural versus urban; and agricultural versus manufacturing.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Southern Illinois University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47300762468592,"sku":"9780809335145","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780809335145_p0.jpg?v=1763745711","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780809335145","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}