Books in Eyewitness to History series

Praise for the previous edition: "The breadth of the primary source material included makes this a truly valuable addition to any library. Highly recommended... - Library Journal From 1865 to 1901, a traumatic period following the Civil War, America unde rwent sweeping economic, social, and political changes. Known as the Gilded Age, this era was marked by technological advances, increased immigration, and the rapid urbanization of America. This dynamic period of building and rebuilding propelled the United States into the 20th century and the modern era. The Gilded Age, Revised Edition provides hundreds of firsthand accounts from memoirs and letters to speeches and newspapers that illustrate how historical events appeared to those who lived through this period. In addition to the primary sources, each chapter provides an introductory essay and a chronology of events. The book also includes critical documents, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1866, the four reconstruction acts, various antitrust measures, and the 1898 peace treaty with Spain, as well as capsule biographies of more than 100 key figures. This edition has been substantially revised and made much more comprehensive with new maps, graphs, and charts, as well as a new notes section. In addition,the narrative, chronology, and eyewitness testimony sections, as well as appendixes, biographies, and the bibliography have been expanded and revised. Eyewitness testimonies include Jane Addams, Booker T. Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, William Jennings Bryan, and many more.

What was it like to be a soldier in World War II? What was it like to survive the bomb dropped on Hiroshima? What was it like to be a witness to history? Step back in time to World War II and see history through the eyes of those who lived it. Discover what it was like to be aboard the USS Arizona when the Japanese struck Pearl Harbor. Find out how it felt to be a Russian child caught in a bombing raid during the Siege of Leningrad. Hear how, on June 6, 1944, a day called “D-Day” changed the life of one Canadian soldier forever.

Prelude to Revolution tells the story of a critical event in America’s early history, when a new nation’s fate was still uncertain.Before colonial Americans could declare independence, they had to undergo a change of heart. Beyond a desire to rebel against British mercantile and fiscal policies, they had to believe that they could stand up to the fully armed British soldier. Prelude to Revolution uncovers one story of how the Americans found that confidence.On April 19, 1775, British raids on Lexington Green and Concord Bridge made history, but it was an episode nearly two months earlier in Salem, Massachusetts, that set the stage for the hostilities. Peter Charles Hoffer has discovered records and newspaper accounts of a British gunpowder raid on Salem. Seeking powder and cannon hidden in the town, a regiment of British Regulars were foiled by quick-witted patriots who carried off the ordnance and then openly taunted the Regulars. The prudence of British commanding officer Alexander Leslie and the persistence of the patriot leaders turned a standoff into a bloodless triumph for the colonists. What might have been a violent confrontation turned into a local victory, and the patriots gloated as news spread of "Leslie’s Retreat."When British troops marched on Lexington and Concord on that pivotal day in April, Hoffer explains, each side had drawn diametrically opposed lessons from the Salem raid. It emboldened the rebels to stand fast and infuriated the British, who vowed never again to back down. After relating these battles in vivid detail, Hoffer provides a teachable problem in historic memory by asking why we celebrate Lexington and Concord but not Salem and why New Englanders recalled the events at Salem but then forgot their significance.Praise for the work of Peter Charles Hoffer"This book more than succeeds in achieving its goal of helping students understand and appreciate the cultural and intellectual environment of the Anglophone world."―New England Quarterly, reviewing When Benjamin Franklin Met the Reverend Whitefield"A synthetic essay of considerable grace and scope... An excellent overview of the field."―Journal of Legal History, reviewing Law and People in Colonial America

What was it like to lose all the money you had saved? What was it like to live in a shantytown? What was it like to be a witness to history? Step back in time to the Great Depression. See history through the eyes of those who lived it. Hear how on October 24, 1929, a day called Black Thursday sent Wall Street into disastrous decline. Discover what it was like in Germany when a month’s salary couldn’t buy more than a cup of coffee. Find out how it felt to have to pile all of your possessions onto a truck and head across the country in search of work.

What was it like to live under a communist government? What was it like to watch that government crumbling? What was it like to be a witness to history? Step back to the 20th century and see the rise and fall of communism through the eyes of those who lived through it. Discover what it was like to have a system of government that you did not want imposed upon your country. Find out how it felt to be part of the push for democracy that brought the system crashing down. Read how nations across the globe were affected by the collapse of communism.

What was it like to hear Hitler speaking at a rally? How did it feel to be a Jew in Hitler’s Germany? What was it like to be a witness to history? Step back to Nazi Germany and watch Hitler changing from unemployed young artist to brutal dictator through the eyes of those who lived at the time. Discover what it was like to belong to the German Girl’s League, read Hermann Göring’s ‘shoot first’ instructions to Nazi storm-troopers, and hear the tragic account of a woman whose children were killed by allied bombs.

Provides an overview of what life was like in the United States during World War II. Contents include: Franklin D. Roosevelt; Conducting the war; Recruiting efforts; Women's Air Force Service pilots; Financing the war; Advertising the war; Eleanor Roosevelt; Factory production; Women on the home front; Farm production; Victory gardens; Rationing; In the cities; The family; Children; Mistreatment of ethnic groups; The media; Sports and entertainment; The atomic bomb; Victory; What have we learned?