American Monster: How the Nation's First Prehis. Semonin<|

American MonsterHow the Nation's First Prehistoric Creature Became a Symbol of National Identity\nAuthor(s): Paul Semonin\nFormat: Hardback\nPublisher: New York University Press, United States\nImprint: New York University Press\nISBN-13: 9780814781203, 978-0814781203\nSynopsis\nFresh insights into the ongoing fascination with dinosaurs and their place in 19th century American nationalism\n In 1801, the first complete mastodon skeleton was excavated in the Hudson River Valley, marking the climax of a century-long debate in America and Europe over the identity of a mysterious creature known as the American Incognitum. Long before the dinosaurs were discovered and the notion of geological time acquired currency, many citizens of the new republic believed this mythical beast to be a ferocious carnivore, capable of crushing deer and elk in its \""monstrous grinders.\"" During the American Revolution, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson avidly collected its bones; for the founding father.