Books in Our American Story series

Although British colonist William Bradford once called America "a hideous and desolate wilderness," that type of sentiment did not keep colonists and future Americans from pressing westward to discover new lands, new riches, and new perils. Students will learn about famous and lesser-known explorers who traversed the great expanse. Through a variety of primary-source documents, readers will learn how the expansion affected not only the establishment of the country but international relationships and indigenous populations. Students gain a fuller understanding of the costs and benefits of Manifest Destiny.

<strong>A <em>New York Times </em>Notable Book of 2013</strong><strong>A <em>Kirkus</em> Best Book of 2013</strong><strong>A <em>Bookpage</em> Best Book of 2013</strong>Dazzling in scope, <em>Ecstatic Nation</em> illuminates one of the most dramatic and momentous chapters in America's past, when the country dreamed big, craved new lands and new freedom, and was bitterly divided over its great moral wrong: slavery. With a canvas of extraordinary characters, such as P. T. Barnum, Walt Whitman, Frederick Douglass, and L. C. Q. Lamar, <em>Ecstatic Nation</em> brilliantly balances cultural and political history: It's a riveting account of the sectional conflict that preceded the Civil War, and it astutely chronicles the complex aftermath of that war and Reconstruction, including the promise that women would share in a new definition of American citizenship. It takes us from photographic surveys of the Sierra Nevadas to the discovery of gold in the South Dakota hills, and it signals the painful, thrilling birth of modern America.An epic tale by award-winning author Brenda Wineapple, <em>Ecstatic Nation</em> lyrically and with true originality captures the optimism, the failures, and the tragic exuberance of a renewed Republic.

The Civil War is still one of the bloodiest wars in which Americans have fought. It not only split the country between North and South, but in many cases it also split families. Students will read speeches, newspaper articles, letters, and diaries entries from those both at war and on the home front. Through these primary sources, students will learn about the events that led to the Southern secession, the battles fought between the Union and the Confederate armies, and life in the midst of the conflict from the people whose lives were changed by it, including women and African Americans.

While some students might know about the Battles of Lexington and Concord and the Declaration of Independence, this book will offer them the opportunity to engage with riveting primary-source material about the war that formed a nation. Letters, newspapers, speeches, legal documents, and diary entries paint a picture of the toll and cost of the American Revolution. Students will learn from the words of soldiers, doctors, wives, and politicians about the laws that enraged the colonists. They'll get a glimpse at the lives of those who fought on both sides of the conflict as well as those who remained at home.

This book charts the course of colonial America from Christopher Columbus' "discovery" of the new world in 1492 to the beginning of the Revolutionary War in 1775. Works and personal accounts by historical figures like John Smith and Benjamin Franklin provide students an understanding of topics like life in Jamestown and colonial education. In addition to learning about European settlers and explorers through primary sources, students will learn about the Native Americans who originally inhabited the country. Similarly, students will learn about African Americans who were forced into slave labor. Overall, students will gain an understanding of the colonies and how they became the United States of America.

Although British colonist William Bradford once called America "a hideous and desolate wilderness," that type of sentiment did not keep colonists and future Americans from pressing westward to discover new lands, new riches, and new perils. Students will learn about famous and lesser-known explorers who traversed the great expanse. Through a variety of primary-source documents, readers will learn how the expansion affected not only the establishment of the country but international relationships and indigenous populations. Students gain a fuller understanding of the costs and benefits of Manifest Destiny.

Although World War I started in summer 1914 after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the United States didn't enter the war until April 1917. Students will learn about the United States' initial decision to remain neutral, the cost of this decision, and the effects of the war both abroad and at home. They'll hear directly from the words of civilians, soldiers, politicians, and doctors involved in the conflict. Through this cross-section of individuals, students will come to understand how the Great War not only changed the face of Europe but changed America and the nature of international warfare.