Historian Peter C. Mancall discusses his sweeping new book, Contested Continent, the newest volume in the renowned Oxford History of the United States. Spanning the period from around 1000 to 1680, Mancall traces how North America was shaped through encounters among Indigenous peoples, Europeans, and Africans across a vast Atlantic world. From Norse exploration to waves of colonization and revolt, the book reveals how struggles over land, labor, belief, and resources forged the early foundations of what would become the United States.

Drawing on a wide range of voices and experiences, Mancall explores the rise of a trans-Atlantic economy, the displacement of Indigenous communities, and the entrenchment of African enslavement—developments that reshaped the continent but were never inevitable. In this talk, he reflects on the conflicts, contingencies, and human choices that produced a new and deeply contested world.

Following the presentation, Peter Mancall will sign copies of the book, which is available for purchase at the Autry Store.