Books in Jules Archer History for Young Readers series

At twenty-six, Douglas MacArthur was military aide to President Theodore Roosevelt. His courageous leadership of the Rainbow Division during World War I made him a general. At the same time, his reluctance to heed any authority but his own gained him a reputation of arrogance and insubordination that was to shadow his entire career.As MacArthur helped guide a defeated Japan to democracy, it was remarked that he himself tolerated no democratic questioning of his commands. When he was summoned from Japan to take command of the desperately beleaguered forces in Korea, the conflict between duty and pride brought his career to a dramatic conclusion. With brilliant generalship he saved his army from defeat, only to be removed from his post when he refused to obey the president himself. Douglas MacArthur’s deeds were of heroic proportion, but he is, and will continue to be, one of America’s most controversial figures.

The majority of the civil rights movement in the United States occurred in three stages. The first stage began with the slaves in America fighting for their freedom. Frederick Douglass was a key player from the very beginning. Born a slave, Douglass escaped and went on to become one of the most respected abolitionist leaders.After the Civil War, freed slaves fought to overcome the still-prevailing prejudice and persecution. During this phase, Marcus Garvey led the Back to Africa movement, promoting Black Nationalism and black pride among the newly freed people.And in the 1960s, a strong civil rights movement branched in two different directions. The first was headed by Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., who organized a powerful nonviolent civil disobedience movement to win equal rights through integration. Following a very different path, Malcolm X sought equal rights for blacks through violent confrontation and racial separation.Together, these four men shaped the American civil rights movement. Racism is still a very relevant problem in our country today, and to better understand where we are now and how to make progress in the future, we must first understand where we’ve come from.

Early in life, Joseph Stalin became convinced of the inevitability of social revolution. And in it, he was determined to play a prominent role. He carefully masked his great personal ambition during his long climb to power and devoted all this energies to furthering the cause of Lenin and Bolshevism. Only after Lenin’s death, with the Bolshevik takeover of Russia accomplished, did Stalin’s comrades in leadership find themselves forced to bow to Stalin’s will—or be eliminated.His rise to power was bloody and ruthless, yet under his twenty-nine-year leadership, Russia became a mighty industrial nation. Illiteracy was banished, interest in the arts began to flourish, and Russia moved toward amazing scientific triumphs. Man of Steel is the story of Joseph Stalin, the man who rose to become absolute master of Soviet Russia and who cast his shadow over the entire globe.

Why do people riot?From the Boston Massacre in 1770 to the Los Angeles riots of 1992, mob violence in the United States is often sparked by unjust court decisions, unfair taxes, unpopular wars, the fear of unemployment, and racial and ethnic prejudice. But there are also seemingly senseless riots over wild concerts and sports championships. What causes a peacefully assembled crowd to turn into a mindless, violent mob? What causes a police force or militia to lose control?In this timely, comprehensive overview, Jules Archer describes and explains the causes of mob violence in the United States and suggests that unless we make some basic changes in the nature of our society, the despair and rage that ignite mob violence may always be with us.

A House Divided is an exciting introduction to two of the most fascinating players in the American Civil War. Ulysses S. Grant was gruff and sloppy, the son of a hardworking but uneducated man opposed to slavery. Robert E. Lee, a slave owner himself, was a polite, aristocratic Virginia gentleman who descended from the Revolutionary War hero “Light-Horse Harry.” Both men studied at West Point but developed very different tactics—Lee proved to be a careful strategist who made brilliant use of standard military tactics, while Grant was instinctive, spontaneous, and unconventional. Pitted against one another, the two became the most influential players in the bloodiest and most wrenching episode of American history. In alternating chapters, historian Jules Archer begins by exploring their formative years and early careers all the way through their postwar lives. Archer focuses on the men’s roles during the Civil War, detailing down to specific battles and decisions made by each man. Perfect for reluctant young historians as well as history-buffs-to-be.Part of the Jules Archer History for Young Readers series by Sky Pony Press, this book is guaranteed to inspire interest in a crucial piece of American history

Today, feminism is as important as ever. Betty Friedan’s musings, “to take the actions needed to bring women into the mainstream of American society, now; full equality for women, in fully equal partnership with men,” still hold fervently true in current society. Young readers still fighting for equality today need to know how the movement began years ago, with such basics as the right to vote, the right to birth control, and the right to equal employment. Leading historian Jules Archer’s account offers fascinating biographies of Susan B. Anthony, Margaret Sanger, and Betty Friedan, with a full background of the political organizations they worked for and against.Forty-four percent of general American history books do not even mention the struggle for women’s suffrage, and 65 percent fail to record the name of Susan B. Anthony. Even more young readers have never heard the names of Margaret Sanger and Betty Friedan. As far as most of these books are concerned, women are invisible in American history. But these women dared to defy convention, at great personal risk, for the cause of sexual and gender equality. Their stories must be remembered. With a new foreword by feminist author Naomi Wolf, The Feminist Revolution relies heavily on letters, diaries, and other personal forms of communication to tell the story of women’s rights in this country. Part of Sky Pony Press’s revitalization of the Jules Archer History for Young Readers, series, this book is a must-read introduction to the Feminist Revolution for all young adults.

The founding fathers and mothers of the United States were not, as history often makes them out to be, stuffy cardboard figures of virtue and nobility. They Made a Revolution introduces them as the real people they were—complete with their inevitable flaws and weaknesses. Through their letters, diaries, and reminiscences, discover what was going on in the minds of this country’s revolutionary leaders as they committed treason against the most powerful nation on earth, risking their lives for the sake of freedom. Meet “The Sly Fox,” Sam Adams; “The Rich Rebel,” John Hancock; “The Silver-Tongued Bumpkin,” Patrick Henry; and the very brave Abigail Adams and full-of-secrets Martha Washington. Each of these characters comes alive in this fabulous collection of historical biographies.These are the stories of the courageous men and women who stood up to the British king and made a revolution happen. To England, they were traitors. To the United States, they became patriots.

With expert storytelling skills, historian Jules Archer recounts the complete story of Watergate, from that first fateful predawn Saturday morning—June 18, 1972—when night watchman Frank Willis discovered “burglars” inside the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee to President Richard Nixon’s disgraced resignation two years later. This story dives into the cover-ups, the payoffs, the blackmailing, the scapegoats, and Nixon’s impending impeachment, conviction, and removal from office. As suspenseful as any detective story, Archer unveils the scandal of a president trying to steal an election that was already his.More than eighty-five historic black-and-white photographs record the events, and Archer’s thoughtful questions and conclusions leave readers with much-needed cause for hope. Part of Sky Pony Press’s revitalized Jules Archer History for Young Readers series, with a new foreword by Roger Stone, Watergate strives to give young readers the whole truth about this moment in history, which will enable young people to form intelligent judgments essential to being a part of a functioning democracy.

In the early stages of the Pacific War, General Douglas MacArthur was expected to prevent the Japanese from taking Australia. With limited forces, MacArthur had to be tactical, and the key to the continent’s defense was the island of New Guinea, just above the northeast tip of Australia. In order to defend New Guinea, MacArthur sent a small task force to Milne Bay, where the Coral Sea rounded the southeast tip of the island. His plan: to establish an airfield base for bomber and fighter planes that could attack enemy invasion convoys as they rounded the tip of New Guinea to attack Australia.In the fall of 1941, at the age of twenty-six, Jules Archer joined the US Armed Forces. A few months later, he joined MacArthur as a member of the small task force being sent to New Guinea.With good reason not to expect to return alive, Archer and his troop were plunged into a new kind of war. They fought in a jungle among a primitive Melanesian people, some tribes of which were headhunters. For nearly four years they endured in the distant jungle. This is an inside look at one of the lesser-known stories of one of the worst wars the world has known. It’s a story of the absurdities, fears, camaraderie, and even humor of life as a wartime solider.

Benito Mussolini was a man of many contradictions but with one driving ambition: to rule Italy and restore it to the power and splendor of the ancient Roman Empire, with himself as the new Caesar. He became the founder of the Fascist movement and dictator of all of Italy.The son of a poor blacksmith who was an ardent Socialist, Mussolini grew up in an atmosphere of political agitation. He taught school for a brief time and then became a fiery journalist, attacking the government with a violence that caused him to be imprisoned eleven times before he was thirty. He was a genuine idealist, but he was also an opportunist. Mussolini used his influence to get Italy into World War I by accepting a bribe from France, thus betraying his cause.Mussolini’s weaknesses were dramatically revealed by the fantastic blunders he committed during the war and by the swift collapse of his Fascist party under pressure. As defeat followed defeat, he was arrested but escaped to northern Italy, where he became head of a puppet government set up by Hitler. When World War II ended, he was executed.

The plane began to slowly glide,then much to Louie's shockit started shaking back and forth,then dropped down like a rock.It hit the water, blew apart,but Louie had survived!He saw a drifting raft he'd needto help him stay alive.One of America's fastest runners and a celebrated Olympic racer, Louis Zamperini (1917-2014) suddenly found himself adrift when his plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean during World War II. Louie applied his strength, determination, and cleverness to survive many dangers at sea. Captured by the enemy, he endured two years of harsh treatment as a prisoner of war. Battling fears and nightmares after his return home, he found hope and strength as he devoted his life to God and to serving others. The adventurous life of this survivor and champion is an inspiration to all.Whether reading for themselves or being read to, children love the captivating rhyming poems and unforgettable color illustrations of the Heroes of History for Young Readers series.

In order to advance their various causes and concerns, these groups hire individuals or firms called lobbyists to work on their behalf to influence the decisions of state and federal lawmakers.Lobbies have been a part of American history ever since Benjamin Franklin appealed to Britain’s Parliament to remove a tax on stamps in 1757. The right of any person or group to “petition the government for a redress of grievances” was and is protected by the first amendment, remembering the British government’s refusal to listen to the grievances of the American colonists, which brought on the American Revolution.Today, however, many lobbying activities have exceeded the boundaries of Thomas Jefferson’s original good intention and often involve the inappropriate use of money and influence to gain advantages that are not always in the public interest. Although lobbyists have the right to appeal to and advise our legislators, only our elected officials have the right to actually write our laws.Jules Archer has written a broad-reaching description of the lobbying system in America. He describes who lobbyists are and discusses perks, PACS, and pork, and the various other means that lobbyists use to influence legislators, the public, and even the White House.