Books in Primary Sources in American History series

The Muckrakers were the writers and photographers who exposed the uglier side of American life, such as the disgusting and dangerous conditions that existed in Chicago’s stockyards, or the awful way patients were treated in insane asylums. They exposed the fact that young children were working in dangerous coal mines and factories. What were patent medicines and why were they a real problem? What happened in Tammany Hall? And what horrifying practice did Ida B. Wells-Barnett write about? Find out all this and more! Each book in the 'American History Through Primary Sources' series delivers curriculum content by way of primary source material. Background knowledge of the subject matter is incorporated into the text. The books use clear, predictable text structures and have been leveled by a literacy expert to ensure accessibility. Vocabulary is defined at the point of use.

In the Civil War, the Union's victory over the Confederacy was largely due in part to the superior Northern railroads, which kept the military stocked with supplies. As a result, the United States realized the great value of a transcontinental railroad and pushed to connect the east with the west. In THE INCREDIBLE TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD, author R. Conrad Stein tells the stories of those who, whether motivated by money and greed or by idealism and dedication to a lofty goal, played a part in creating a railroad that would unite a country.