In his book, “The Republic of Nature: An Environmental History of the United States,” Mark Fiegere-frames the canonical account of American history based on the simple but radical premise that nothing in the nation's past can be considered apart from the natural circumstances in which it occurred. Among the historical moments he revisits under this new framework: a revolutionary nation arises from its environment and struggles to reconcile the diversity of its people with the claim that nature is the source of liberty.