Books in Uncovering the Past: Analyzing Primary Sources series

Using speeches, photos, and paintings of the time, as well as material that addresses historical context, The Civil War guides readers in critically examining primary and secondary source materials. Discussions include how emerging technologies such as photography and the telegraph affected the messages being conveyed, and how ideologies of the era shaped what was seen, as well as whose voices were heardand whose were not. Readers will gain an understanding of the sad and brutal aspects of a war whose echo continues to have an impact even today.

Using speeches, photos, and paintings of the time, as well as material that addresses historical context, The Civil War guides readers in critically examining primary and secondary source materials. Discussions include how emerging technologies such as photography and the telegraph affected the messages being conveyed, and how ideologies of the era shaped what was seen, as well as whose voices were heardand whose were not. Readers will gain an understanding of the sad and brutal aspects of a war whose echo continues to have an impact even today.

From about 1820 to its height in the early 1900s, the United States and Canada experienced a huge influx of people from other countries seeking to become citizens. This fascinating book details the historical evidence that helps explain why there was a mass migration of people from around the world. Readers will learn how prejudice and circumstances at the time of an event can influence people's interpretation of evidence.

"This comprehensive title is a thought-provoking examination of how early gold rushes shaped settlement and industry in North America. Using material from the 1848 California Gold Rush, the 1896 Klondike Gold Rush, and other rushes in Georgia, Montana, and British Columbia, primary and secondary sources about these rushes are examined with respect to race and ethnicity, the displacement of Indigenous peoples, and different perspectives on law and order in the emerging West. Readers will be encouraged to think critically about labor and environmental practices, and the relationships between settlers and Indigenous people both in the past and today."--Provided by publisher.

The Holocaust was the deliberate extermination of Jews and other people deemed undesirable by Germany's Nazi party during World War II. This thoughtful book examines evidence from the early 1900s of racism, intolerance, and nationalism in Germany that led up to this genocide. Readers will learn how history repeats itself when evidence is denied or misinterpreted, and find out how to use critical thinking in their own examinations of evidence.

In the 1800s, the Underground Railroad was a system of secret routes and safe places to hide for black slaves trying to escape to freedom. This astonishing book details the evidence that led up to the acceptance of slavery as well as the rejection of it. Readers will discover that when faced with evidence of the plight of slaves, such as slave auction posters, engravings, photographs, and interviews, white people had varying views depending on whether they benefited from slavery themselves. Readers will learn how prejudice and circumstances at the time of an event can influence people's interpretation of evidence and how that perspective can change over time. They will also learn how to use critical thinking in their own examinations of evidence. Present-day examples show how history repeats itself when evidence is denied or interpreted to one side's benefit.

This timely title discusses the creation of the atom bomb and the post-World War II nuclear arms race that shaped the consciousness of generations. Primary and secondary source materials such as contemporary photos, speeches, letters, and newspaper accounts are examined, offering readers insight into a world reeling from years of conflict, and the competing political and social ideologies of the former Soviet Union and the United States and its allies. Topics covered include the Manhattan Project, the dropping of the first atomic bombs, and the escalation of the arms race, as well as nuclear treaties and the relevance to todays nuclear threats.

In the 19th Century, railroads were a form of transportation that changed the world. Transcontinental Railroads looks at the sweeping changes made to society and the challenges created by the building and running of these railroads in North America. Readers will be encouraged to critically analyze source material on why the railroads were built, who built them, and how they changed the movement of people and products. Topics include settlement and nation-building, as well as who gained through railroad buildingand who lost.

Astronauts and cosmonauts were the heroes of a 20th Century battle without weaponsthe race for global dominance in space. The Space Race explores how the quest to put a man on the moon fueled fast-paced scientific research and kept the world occupied with more peaceful pursuits at a time when the world seemed to be on the edge of nuclear annihilation. Readers will learn how to examine primary and secondary source materials, which reveal the political and scientific implications of the space programs in the United States and the former Soviet Union.

This interesting book examines the events and people who were involved in the War of 1812 between the United States and what would later become Canada. Unusal for a war, the conflict ended with friendly relations established and no major loss of territory for either country. However, an examination of primary and secondary source materials reveals the War of 1812 is remembered differently in each country, as well as by the Indigenous peoples whose territory and dreams of an independent nation east of the Mississippi River vanished.

Victory or Death the famous and stirring words of William Barrett Travis were written in a letter from the Alamo to the people of Texas in February 1836. This and other brash and brave letters, first-hand accounts, and documents are skilfully deconstructed in this detailed examination of The Battle of the Alamo, a last stand that proved to be a turning point in Texas War of Independence from Mexico. Readers will learn about the events leading up to and after the battle, be able to separate fact from myth, and better understand the perspectives of both the Texans and Mexicans.