Books in In American History series

Bring history to life for students in grades 6 and up using U.S. History: People and Events (1607–1865)! This 128-page book provides a full-spectrum view of some of the most fascinating and influential lives and occurrences in U.S. history. It features biographical sketches and overviews from the arrival of the Mayflower to the end of the Civil War. The book includes time lines and reinforcement questions and works perfectly as a full unit or classroom supplement. It supports NCSS standards and the National Standards for History.

There are few moments in American history in which the course of events tipped so suddenly and so dramatically as at the Battle of Midway. At dawn of June 4, 1942, a rampaging Japanese navy ruled the Pacific. By sunset, their vaunted carrier force, the Kido Butai, had been sunk and their grip on the Pacific had been loosened forever. In this absolutely riveting account of a key moment in the history of World War Ii, leading naval historian Craig L. Symonds paints an unforgettable portrait of ingenuity, courage, and sacrifice. Symonds begins with the arrival of Admiral Chester A. Nimitz at Pearl Harbor after the devastating Japanese attack, and describes the key events leading to the climactic battle, including both Coral Sea the first battle in history against opposing carrier forces and Jimmy Doolittle's daring raid of Tokyo. He focuses throughout on the people involved, offering telling portraits of Admirals Nimitz, Halsey, Spruance and numerous other Americans, as well as the leading Japanese figures, including the poker loving Admiral Yamamoto. Symonds' account of the battle itself is masterful, weaving together the many disparate threads of attack attacks which failed in the early going that ultimately created a five minute window in which three of the four Japanese carriers were mortally wounded, changing the course of the Pacific war in an eye blink.

The leading text, in a compact, value edition. Clear, concise, integrated, and up-to-date, Give Me Liberty! is a proven success with teachers and students. Eric Foner pulls the pieces of the past together into a cohesive picture, using the theme of freedom throughout. The Fourth Edition features stronger coverage of American religion and a reinforced pedagogical program aimed at fostering effective reading and study skills. The Seagull Edition includes the full text of the regular edition in a compact volume, for an affordable price.

Christopher Columbus was not the first to discover the Americas, but his voyages led to European exploration of the New World. Rich in resources and natural beauty, the Americas were irresistible to gold-hungry conquistadors. The newcomers gave little thought to those who had called the lands their home, and exploration soon came to signify conquest. The New World -- and the lives of its inhabitants -- would be changed forever.

With accurate historical information, this easy-to-understand book tells why and how the Constitution of the United States was created. A More Perfect Union includes a map and back matter with a table of dates and a summary of the Articles of the Constitution. "A simple, attractive, informative book about a milestone in American history. The simplest and most accessible history of the Constitution to date."—School Library JournalSupports the Common Core State Standards

Bring history to life for students in grades 6–12 using Exploration, Revolution, and Constitution! This 128-page book is perfect for independent study or use as a tutorial aid. It explores history, geography, and social studies with activities that involve critical thinking, writing, and technology. The book includes topics such as the land of the Vikings, Christopher Columbus, colonial life, the Boston Tea Party, and patriots. It also includes vocabulary words, time lines, maps, and reading lists. Aligned to Common Core State Standards, NCSS standards and national and Canadian provincial standards.

Bring history to life for students in grades 6–12 using Slavery, Civil War, and Reconstruction. This 128-page book is perfect for independent study or use as a tutorial aid. It explores history, geography, and social studies with activities that involve critical thinking, writing, and technology. The book includes topics such as slavery, the Civil War, the Reconstruction, the Fugitive Slave Law, Dred Scott, Lincoln's presidency, the Freedman's Bureau, and Jim Crow laws. It also includes vocabulary words, time lines, maps, and reading lists. Aligned to Common Core State Standards, NCSS standards and national and Canadian provincial standards.

The birth of rock 'n roll ignited a firestorm of controversy--one critic called it "musical riots put to a switchblade beat"--but if it generated much sound and fury, what, if anything, did it signify? As Glenn Altschuler reveals in All Shook Up, the rise of rock 'n roll--and the outraged reception to it--in fact can tell us a lot about the values of the United States in the 1950s, a decade that saw a great struggle for the control of popular culture. Altschuler shows, in particular, how rock's "switchblade beat" opened up wide fissures in American society along the fault-lines of family, sexuality, and race. For instance, the birth of rock coincided with the Civil Rights movement and brought "race music" into many white homes for the first time. Elvis freely credited blacks with originating the music he sang and some of the great early rockers were African American, most notably, Little Richard and Chuck Berry. In addition, rock celebrated romance and sex, rattled the reticent by pushing sexuality into the public arena, and mocked deferred gratification and the obsession with work of men in gray flannel suits. And it delighted in the separate world of the teenager and deepened the divide between the generations, helping teenagers differentiate themselves from others. Altschuler includes vivid biographical sketches of the great rock 'n rollers, including Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Buddy Holly--plus their white-bread doppelgangers such as Pat Boone.Rock 'n roll seemed to be everywhere during the decade, exhilarating, influential, and an outrage to those Americans intent on wishing away all forms of dissent and conflict. As vibrant as the music itself, All Shook Up reveals how rock 'n roll challenged and changed American culture and laid the foundation for the social upheaval of the sixties.

A New York Times Notable Book of 2013A Kirkus Best Book of 2013A Bookpage Best Book of 2013Dazzling in scope, Ecstatic Nation 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, Ecstatic Nation 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, Ecstatic Nation lyrically and with true originality captures the optimism, the failures, and the tragic exuberance of a renewed Republic.

Designed for middle-school history curriculum, independent study, or tutorial aid, the American History series provides 128 pages of challenging activities that enable students to explore history, geography, and social studies. Activities include critical thinking, writing, technology, and more! Vocabulary words, time lines, maps, and reading lists are also provided. It meets NCSS standards and is correlated to state, national and Canadian provincial standards. Topics in Industrialization through the Great Depression include early American factories, Morse code, Henry Ford, the roaring 20s, the New Deal program, and more!Mark Twain Media Publishing Company specializes in providing captivating, supplemental books and decorative resources to complement middle- and upper-grade classrooms. Designed by leading educators, the product line covers a range of subjects including mathematics, sciences, language arts, social studies, history, government, fine arts, and character. Mark Twain Media also provides innovative classroom solutions for bulletin boards and interactive whiteboards. Since 1977, Mark Twain Media has remained a reliable source for a wide variety of engaging classroom resources.

It began in Boston, with angry colonists objecting to the tyranny of a king who ruled from an ocean away.It was voiced by patriots such as Sam Adams and Patrick Henry and echoed by citizens from New England all the way to the Carolinas.It was fought by many -- colonists and patriots, Loyalists and slaves, Frontiersmen and Indians, British and French soldiers.Over more than ten years, sides were taken, guns drawn, lives lost. But through it all, one man -- a general from Virginia named George Washington -- held the young colonies together and led them to victory, beating almost impossible odds.History lovers Betsy and Giulio Maestro tell this true story of extraordinary times, incredible drama, and the birth of a new nation.

Six months after the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution was all but lost. A powerful British force had routed the Americans at New York, occupied three colonies, and advanced within sight of Philadelphia.Yet, as David Hackett Fischer recounts in this riveting history, George Washington and many other Americans refused to let the Revolution die. On Christmas night, as a howling nor'easter struck the Delaware Valley, he led his men across the river and attacked the exhausted Hessian garrison at Trenton, killing or capturing nearly a thousand men. A second battle of Trenton followed within days. The Americans held off a counterattack by Lord Cornwallis's best troops, then were almost trapped by the British force. Under cover of night, Washington's men stole behind the enemy and struck them again, defeating a brigade at Princeton. The British were badly shaken. In twelve weeks of winter fighting, their army suffered severe damage, their hold on New Jersey was broken, and their strategy was ruined.Fischer's richly textured narrative reveals the crucial role of contingency in these events. We see how the campaign unfolded in a sequence of difficult choices by many actors, from generals to civilians, on both sides. While British and German forces remained rigid and hierarchical, Americans evolved an open and flexible system that was fundamental to their success. The startling success of Washington and his compatriots not only saved the faltering American Revolution, but helped to give it new meaning.