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America Writes Its History, 1650-1850
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By turns irreverent, sympathetic and amusing, America Writes Its History, 1650-1850 adds to the public discourse on national identity as advanced through the written word. Highlighting the contributions of American writers who focused on history, the author shows that for nearly 200 years writers struggled to reflect, or influence, the public perception of America by Americans. This book is an introduction to the development of history as a written art form, and an academic discipline, during America's most crucial and impressionable period. America Writes Its History, 1650-1850 takes the reader on a historical tour of written histories-whether narrative history, novels, memoirs or plays-from the Jamestown Colony to the edge of the Civil War. The thread of history running through these two centuries from Jamestown to Fort Sumter is encapsulated by this question: What exactly did we, as Americans, think of ourselves? And more importantly; What did we want non-Americans to think of us? In other words, what was (and is) history, and who, if anyone, owns it?
The Brave New World: A History of Early America
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The Brave New World covers the span of early American history, from 30,000 years before Europeans ever landed on North American shores to creation of the new nation. With its exploration of the places and peoples of early America, this comprehensive, lively narrative brings together the most recent scholarship on the colonial and revolutionary eras, Native Americans, slavery, politics, war, and the daily lives of ordinary people. The revised, enlarged edition includes a new chapter carrying the story through the American Revolution, the War for Independence, and the creation of the Confederation. Additional material on the frontier, the Southwest and the Caribbean, the slave trade, religion, science and technology, and ecology broadens the text, and maps drawn especially for this edition will enable readers to follow the story more closely. The bibliographical essay, one of the most admired features of the first edition, has been expanded and brought up to date. Peter Charles Hoffer combines the Atlantic Rim scholarship with a Continental perspective, illuminating early America from all angles--from its first settlers to the Spanish Century, from African slavery to the Salem witchcraft cases, from prayer and drinking practices to the development of complex economies, from the colonies' fight for freedom to an infant nation's struggle for political and economic legitimacy. Wide-ranging in scope, inclusive in content, the revised edition of The Brave New World continues to provide professors, students, and historians with an engaging and accessible history of early North America.
Great Battles of the Civil War
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Experience Great Battles Of The Civil War Through Engaging Text, Detailed Illustrations, And Photos Of Artifacts.
Groundless: Rumors, Legends, and Hoaxes on the Early American Frontier
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Why did Elizabethan adventurers believe that the interior of America hid vast caches of gold? Who started the rumor that British officers purchased revolutionary white women's scalps, packed them by the bale, and shipped them to their superiors? And why are people today still convinced that white settlers--hardly immune as a group to the disease--routinely distributed smallpox-tainted blankets to the natives? Rumor--spread by colonists and Native Americans alike--ran rampant in early America. In Groundless, historian Gregory Evans Dowd explores why half-truths, deliberate lies, and outrageous legends emerged in the first place, how they grew, and why they were given such credence throughout the New World. Arguing that rumors are part of the objective reality left to us by the past--a kind of fragmentary archival record--he examines how uncertain news became powerful enough to cascade through the centuries. Drawing on specific case studies and tracing recurring rumors over many generations, Dowd explains the seductive power of unreliable stories in the eastern North American frontiers from the sixteenth to the mid-nineteenth centuries. The rumors studied here--some alluring, some frightening--commanded attention and demanded action. They were all, by definition, groundless, but they were not all false, and they influenced the classic issues of historical inquiry: the formation of alliances, the making of revolutions, the expropriation of labor and resources, and the origins of war.
The Louisiana Purchase and Westward Expansion
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The Louisiana Purchase stands out in American history for a number of reasons. It was the largest acquisition of land in United States' history. It was also the first time a president obtained new territory by purchase. But, perhaps most important, it fueled the American drive for westward expansion-a powerful force in U.S. culture and politics for the remainder of the 19th century. This authoritative title presents that history in depth, contextualizing the Louisiana Purchase and examining how it affected the early development of America, bringing this episode of American history to life for a new generation of readers.
The Men Who Lost America: British Leadership, the American Revolution, and the Fate of the Empire
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The loss of America was a stunning and unexpected defeat for the powerful British Empire. Common wisdom has held that incompetent military commanders and political leaders in Britain must have been to blame, but were they? This intriguing book makes a different argument. Weaving together the personal stories of ten prominent men who directed the British dimension of the war, historian Andrew O'Shaughnessy dispels the incompetence myth and uncovers the real reasons that rebellious colonials were able to achieve their surprising victory. In interlinked biographical chapters, the author follows the course of the war from the perspectives of King George III, Prime Minister Lord North, military leaders including General Burgoyne, the Earl of Sandwich, and others who, for the most part, led ably and even brilliantly. Victories were frequent, and in fact the British conquered every American city at some stage of the Revolutionary War. Yet roiling political complexities at home, combined with the fervency of the fighting Americans, proved fatal to the British war effort. The book concludes with a penetrating assessment of the years after Yorktown, when the British achieved victories against the French and Spanish, thereby keeping intact what remained of the British Empire.
Outline of U. S. History
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This is a publication of the U.S. Department of State. The first edition (1949-50) was produced under the editorship of Francis Whitney, first of the State Department Office of International Information and later of the U.S. Information Agency. Richard Hofstadter, professor of history at Columbia University, and Wood Gray, professor of American history at The George Washington University, served as academic consultants. D. Steven Endsley of Berkeley, California, prepared additional material. It has been updated and revised extensively over the years by, among others, Keith W. Olsen, professor of American history at the University of Maryland, and Nathan Glick, writer and former editor of the USIA journal, Dialogue. Alan Winkler, professor of history at Miami University (Ohio), wrote the post-World War II chapters for previous editions. This new edition has been completely revised and updated by Alonzo L Hamby, Distinguished Professor of History at Ohio University. Professor Hamby has written extensively on American politics and society.
Presidents above Party: The First American Presidency, 1789-1829
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George Washington's vision was a presidency free of party, a republican, national office that would transcend faction. That vision would remain strong in the administrations of John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, and John Quincy Adams, yet largely disappear under Andrew Jackson and his successors. This book is a comprehensive and pathbreaking study of the early presidency and the ideals behind it. Ralph Ketcham examines the roots of nonpartisan leadership in Western thought and the particular influences on the founding fathers. Intellectual and political profiles of the first six presidents and their administrations emphasize the construction each put on the office, the challenges he faced, and the compromises he did and did not make. The erosion of nonpartisanship under Andrew Jackson is presented as a counterpoint that helps define the early presidency and the permanent transition from it. Addressing the thoughtful citizen as well as the scholar, the author poses the fundamental questions about presidential leadership, then and now. The best study of the early presidency, this book is an intellectual portrait of the age that will challenge received notions of American history.
Reconstruction
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Learn About Reconstruction In American History Through Engaging Text, Detailed Illustrations, And Photos Of Artifacts.
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Issues and Controversies in American History Video Clip Collection
This collection of 25 concise video clips is designed to spark thoughtful, productive dialogue on major turning points in U.S. history. Each clip lays out two opposing viewpoints, framing a complex historical episode as if it were a debatable “issue”—just as citizens of the time might have thought and argued about it.
Howard Zinn: The People’s Historian—Part 1: A Nation in Development (1492–1787)
Historian and author of A People's History of the United States Howard Zinn presents a moral perspective on early America, citing events and movements rarely covered in U.S. history textbooks. In this interview, he discusses Columbus’ atrocities against indigenous tribes in the Caribbean, slavery and Abolitionist Movement, colonial massacres against Native Americans that marked the beginning of Westward Expansion, Civil War Indian Removal policies, and the class conflict that shaped the Revolutionary War through army mutinies and veteran's uprisings.
Circulating books may be checked out in 3 week intervals.
1812: War with America
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In the first complete history of the War of 1812 written from a British perspective, Jon Latime offers an authoritative and compelling account that places the conflict in its strategic context within the Napoleonic wars. He crafts an intimate narrative that marches the reader into the heat of battle.
The American Civil War
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The American Civil War was by far the bloodiest conflict in American history. Arising out of a political crisis over the expansion of slavery, the war set the stage for the emergence of the modern American nation-state. This new interpretation of one of the most mythologized events in modern history combines narrative with analysis and an up-to-date assessment of the state of Civil War scholarship. The American Civil War: - emphasizes the importance of Northern public opinion in shaping the meaning and outcome of the crisis - argues that the war exposed deep social and political divisions within, as well as between, North and South - explores the experiences of ordinary soldiers and civilians, and the political and cultural context in which they lived - sets this distinctively American crisis over slavery and nationhood in the wider context of the nineteenth-century world. Concise and authoritative, this is an indispensable introduction to a critical period in modern American history.
The American Revolution, 1775-1883
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A history of the Revolutionary War.
The Cultural Life of the American Colonies
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Sweeping survey of 150 years of colonial history (1607-1763) offers authoritative, perceptive views by a brilliant scholar on agrarian society and leadership, non-English influences, religion, education, literature, drama, music, architecture, science, and much more. "A significant contribution to early American history." -- American History Review. 33 black-and-white illustrations.
The Development of Southern Sectionalism, 1819-1848
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An overview of the events preceding the Civil War.
A Nation on Trial: America and the War of 1812
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History of the war of 1812.
Reconstruction: Opposing Viewpoints
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The period 1865-1877 was a time of social transformation and controversy as America struggled to rebuild and redefine itself after the Civil War. This anthology illustrates the significant debates on the restoration of the states of the former Confederacy.
The Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln
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In this magisterial work, Sean Wilentz traces a historical arc from the earliest days of the republic to the opening shots of the Civil War. One of our finest writers of history, Wilentz brings to life the era after the American Revolution, when the idea of democracy remained contentious, and Jeffersonians and Federalists clashed over the role of ordinary citizens in government of, by, and for the people. The triumph of Andrew Jackson soon defined this role on the national level, while city democrats, Anti-Masons, fugitive slaves, and a host of others hewed their own local definitions. In these definitions Wilentz recovers the beginnings of a discontent two starkly opposed democracies, one in the North and another in the South and the wary balance that lasted until the election of Abraham Lincoln sparked its bloody resolution. 75 illustrations.
United States History To 1877
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The Collins College Outline for United States History to 1877 starts with the founding of the country and continues through the Civil War and Reconstruction. The colonial era, the constitutional convention and founding of the American system of government, the beginning and rise of the Supreme Court, and many more monumental events in the early era of the United States are also covered. Completely revised and updated by Dr. Light T. Cummins, United States History to 1877 includes a test yourself section with answers and complete explanations at the end of each chapter. Also included are bibliographies for further reading, as well as numerous maps, timelines, and illustrations. The Collins College Outlines are a completely revised, in-depth series of study guides for all areas of study, including the Humanities, Social Sciences, Mathematics, Science, Language, History, and Business. Featuring the most up-to-date information, each book is written by a seasoned professor in the field and focuses on a simplified and general overview of the subject for college students and, where appropriate, Advanced Placement students. Each Collins College Outline is fully integrated with the major curriculum for its subject and is a perfect supplement for any standard textbook.
The War Before Independence, 1775-1776: Igniting the American Revolution
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The United States was creeping ever closer to independence. The shot heard round the world still echoed in the ears of Parliament as impassioned revolutionaries took up arms for and against King and country. In this captivating blend of careful research and rich narrative, Derek W. Beck continues his exploration into the period preceding the Declaration of Independence, just days into the new Revolutionary War. The War Before Independence transports readers into the violent years of 1775 and 1776, with the infamous Battle of Bunker Hill - a turning point in the Revolution - and the snowy, wind-swept march to the frozen ground at the Battle of Quebec, ending with the exciting conclusion of the Boston Campaign. Meticulous research and new material drawn from letters, diaries, and investigative research throws open the doors not only to familiar figures and faces, but also little-known triumphs and tribulations of America's greatest military leaders, including George Washington. Wonderfully detailed and stunningly layered, The War Before Independence brings America's early upheaval to a ferocious boil on both sides of the battlefield, and vividly captures the spirit of a fight that continues to inspire brave hearts today.
Books from the reference section are available for in library use, or are available for online viewing.
American Eras: Early American Civilizations
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American Eras is a fascinating, student-friendly reference that's patterned after Thomson Gale's award-winning American Decades series. Like its predecessor, America Eras offers insightful essays on events, publications, lifestyles and individuals important to U.S. history, but reviews them in a broader scope of time. Volumes cover the events, lifestyles, social history and key figures unique to each era.
The American Frontier: Pioneers, Settlers, and Cowboys, 1800-1899
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In The American Frontier, historian William C. Davis masterfully chronicles the history of the territory beyond the Mississippi, with particular attention to exploration, expansion, conflict, and settlement. The first bold steps of Lewis and Clark in 1804 inspired the emergence of a nation in a momentous century of migration and settlement. During the next few decades, while Texas and California fought to be free of Mexican rule, the slow spread westward began: the Mormons in Utah, the '49ers in California, and the development of stage routes, railways, and other overland trails. With the end of the Civil War, in 1865, people of all nations and tongues sped to the West--the pioneers, trappers, entrepreneurs, buffalo hunters, miners, soldiers, gamblers, cowboys, lawmen, gunfighters.
Colonial America to 1763
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From the first European explorations of the Americas to the coming of age of American cities in the 18th century, this volume vividly portrays the realities of daily life for those who came to the New World in search of a better life and settled a vast continent. The book provides unparalleled coverage of the economy, politics, culture, society, art, and other elements that defined colonial life. Brief sketches and extended essays on a wide range of topics are used as appropriate to place quantitative data into perspective. Topics covered include: The harsh weather extremes that tested the endurance of the earliest European settlers The impact of the Europeans' arrival on Native American populations and cultures Colonization and regional settlement patterns, including the first permanent English settlement in America founded at Jamestown in 1607 The Mayflower Compact of 1607 and the establishment of a legal basis for a civil society The arrival of African Americans in Anglo-America Witchcraft in the 17th century, including the witchcraft craze in Salem Village Prominent and representative Americans of the period, such as Pocahontas, John Smith, Edward Teach (Blackbeard), and Benjamin Franklin Education and its value to Anglo-Americans, including the founding of Harvard in 1636 Publishing and literature, including the colonies' first imprint in Cambridge, Massachusetts in early 1639, the publication of "Poor Richard's Almanac," and Boston's recognition as the cradle of colonial journalism The coming of age of American cities Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Charles Town, and Newport by the 1750s. A chronology of colonial American history through 1763 documents significant developments as well as events related to social customs, law, and the economy, such as the first American woman denied the right to vote (Martha Brent of Maryland in 1647), and the earliest antismoking legislation passed by Massachusetts Bay in 1646 (which forbade smoking in town as a fire hazard). To enhance readers' appreciation of this period, the text includes more than 100 illustrations and maps.
Encyclopedia of American Social History
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This reference focuses on processes and people - how they chose sites for towns and built their homes, how they led their lives, how they modified and were modified by their physical surroundings. Race, gender, ethnicity, work, culture, technology, education, and family history are included.
Encyclopedia of the American Revolution
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Entries cover the period of the Revolutionary War.
Encyclopedia of the Industrial Revolution in America
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The Industrial Revolution changed the course of American history, accelerated the American economy, and affected the way people lived. This ready-reference encyclopedia offers in-depth coverage of the economic, political, and social developments of the Industrial Revolution in the United States from 1750 to 1920. More than 200 substantial entries cover key individuals--among them entrepreneurs, inventors, captains of industry, and robber barons--significant technologies, inventions, court cases, companies, political institutions, economic events, and legislation. Highlights of the work include numerous entries on developments in water and rail transportation, agriculture, manufacturing, mass production, the labor movement, big government, and the key inventions that changed the American economy. Entries on the social implications of the Industrial Revolution will help students to understand how the Industrial Revolution affected the social fabric of the nation. Each entry is placed in economic, political or social context to show how it contributed to the great changes that were occurring in the United States, such as how the development of new technologies altered agriculture, manufacturing, trade, and even patterns of immigration. Each entry is followed by a short list of suggested reading for further study. A comprehensive, engagingly written introduction traces the history of the Industrial Revolution in the United States. A timeline of important events in the history of the Industrial Revolution in the United States and a topically organized bibliography are important research aids. More than fifty historical illustrations and photos enliven the text. This curriculum-related reference work will supplement the American history course and is ideal for student research.
Encyclopedia of the North American Colonies
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This groundbreaking compendium covers the colonial experience from the 11th-century Norse settlers in Newfoundland to the Spanish in New Mexico and the Russians in 1850s Alaska. Articles speak to the daily circumstances, historical events and prevailing climates of thought that gave shape and purpose to people's lives during the centuries of imperial expansion and settlement.
Encyclopedia of the Underground Railroad
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Fugitive slaves were reported in the American colonies as early as the 1640s, and escapes escalated with the growth of slavery over the next two hundred years. As the number of fugitives rose, the Southern states pressed for harsher legislation that they thought would prevent escapes. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 criminalized any assistance, active or passive, to a runaway slave - yet it only encouraged the behavior it sought to prevent. Friends of the fugitive, whose previous assistance to runaways had been somewhat haphazard, increased their efforts at organization. By the onset of the Civil War in 1861, the Underground Railroad included members, defined stops, set escape routes and a code language. From the Abolitionist Movement to the Zionville Baptist Missionary Church, this encyclopedia focuses on the people, ideas, events and places associated with the interrelated histories of fugitive slaves, the African American struggle for equality and the American antislavery movement. Information is drawn from primary sources such as public records, document collections, slave autobiographies and antebellum newspapers. Entries contain pointers to related entries and suggestions for further research. Appendices include information such as a geographical listing of selected friends of the fugitive, noted Underground Railroad sites administered by the National Parks Service, a bibliography of slave autobiographies and selected Underground Railroad songs. A chronology of slavery and the Underground Railroad is also included.
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First Invasion: The War of 1812
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"This second war for independence inspired the national anthem and allowed the founding fathers to make way for a new generation of common men with uncommon courage who would lead the nation to its manifest destiny." -- Container.
The History of the United States
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Chronicles the history of the United States from colonial origins to the beginning of the 21st century. Lectures presented by Allen C. Guelzo, Eastern University; Gary W. Gallagher, University of Virginia; Patrick N. Allitt, Emory University.
John Adams
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While our new nation was suffering attacks from both within and without, John Adams had a vision of a nation of liberty and justice for all. He guided his peers--General George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson--in setting the values and agenda for a glorious, free America. Adams and his wife Abigail refined these ambitious democratic ideals, and their partnership became one of the most moving love stories in American history.
Lafayette: The Lost Hero
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With Lafayette's triumphant 'return tour' of the United States in the 1820s, he became one of the most important and admired figures in post-Revolutionary America. Chronicles Lafayette's dramatic life story, his enduring ideals, and influence on both countries during the Revolutionary War as explored by filmmaker Oren Jacoby.
Lewis and Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery
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Tells the story of the most important expedition in American history, led by Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.
Liberty!: The American Revolution
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"Liberty! is an exuberant documentary about the American Revolution and our fight for freedom. This critically acclaimed six-hour series chronicles the events leading up to the declaration of war, and the lasting effects these events had on shaping our country today"--Container. A documentary of the American Revolution. Chronicles events leading up to the war, the revolution, and the writing of the Constitution. Features dramatic readings from letters and diaries of the period, comments by historians, and live-action recreations.
Lincoln and Lee at Antietam : The Cost of Freedom
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It's September 17, 1862 and President Abraham Lincoln needs a victory in order to issue the Emancipation Proclamation and end slavery in the south. But Robert E. Lee has other plans - invade the North. When Lee's strategy falls into the hands of the Union army, the result is the bloodiest day in American history at the Battle of Antietam in Sharpsburg, Maryland.
The New World: Nightmare in Jamestown
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The latest discoveries reveal the true story of Jamestown as you've never seen it before. With exclusive access to forensics and archaeology, National Geographic reveals shocking new evidence of starvation and disease, secret plots and Spanish spies.
The Trail of Tears : Cherokee Legacy
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Documents the forced removal in 1838 of the Cherokee Nation from the southeastern United States to Oklahoma. Shows the suffering endured by the Cherokees as they lost their land and the difficult conditions they endured on the trail. Describes how thousands of Cherokees died during the Trail of Tears, nearly a quarter of the nation, including most of their children and elders.
The War That Made America
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The French and Indian War pitted French forces for almost a decade against the British, yet few Americans realize its historic contribution to the revolutionary fervor which swept the continent in 1776. The critical and sophisticated role of Native Americans in this conflict is highlighted.
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