Books in Words That Shaped America series

"The Civil War was one of the darkest times in the history of the United States. From the new nation's very beginning, slavery was a battle between the country's economy and its morality. The "slavery question" was argued in courts, in Congress, in homes, in newspapers, and eventually on the battlefield. In this striking volume, readers will come to understand the powerful statements that drove a country into war. Through simple, accessible text and photographs, young historians will feel themselves moved by those same words that nearly tore apart the United States forever"--

Four score and seven years ago... The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. The words of American presidents have comforted and challenged Americans since the country's earliest days, and readers discover the riveting stories behind the most powerful presidential words in this unique look at American history. Filled with memorable quotes, detailed sidebars, graphic organizers, and historical and contemporary images, this reading experience expands on common social studies curriculum topics in creative ways.

"Today, women can have careers in fields such as medicine, engineering, and politics. But it wasn't always that way. Women couldn't even vote when the United States was founded. Readers of this powerful volume will discover the history of women's rights through the words of women who fought for them, including Abigail Adams urging her husband to "Remember the Ladies," Elizabeth Cady Stanton's "Declaration of Sentiments," Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique, the contemporary #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, and much more. Vivid images bring the text to life, and sidebars, fact boxes, and a graphic organizer enhance the main text"--

"The Civil War was one of the darkest times in the history of the United States. From the new nation's very beginning, slavery was a battle between the country's economy and its morality. The "slavery question" was argued in courts, in Congress, in homes, in newspapers, and eventually on the battlefield. In this striking volume, readers will come to understand the powerful statements that drove a country into war. Through simple, accessible text and photographs, young historians will feel themselves moved by those same words that nearly tore apart the United States forever"--

The Magna Carta was an astonishing document in its time. As the first document to limit the power of the British monarchy, it also protected the rights of the individual. The Magna Carta's impact reverberated throughout history and was on the minds of the American colonists as they prepared to fight England. They believed that their rights, established by the Magna Carta, had been stripped from them by their mother country. This book explains what was happening in England in 1215 when the Magna Carta was forced into the hands of King John. Readers will come to understand how the Magna Carta is still relevant to our nation and world.

The speech that inspired a generation of Americans John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address of 1961 was an unforgettable, stirring call to arms, in which he exhorted all Americans "Ask not what your country will do for you, but what you can do for your country." In honor of the 50th anniversary of that address, Viking will issue a handsome, collectible edition of the speech, which also features an introduction by Caroline Kennedy, daughter of the late president, and a vivid historical overview of the state of the world at that date by award-winning author, Elizabeth Partridge. Also included are Robert Frost's poem read on the occasion of the inauguration, and excerpts from some of John F. Kennedy's most memorable speeches.