Review of These United States: The Questions of Our Past
The textbook I am reviewing is These United States: The Questions of Our Past, by Irwin Unger with the historical portraits and documents by Debi Unger, Prentice Hall publishing with last publication date being 1995. This text is written by one single author and not by a committee. This is the sixth edition of this book so the author has made significant changes to its historical context and the general styling of the book. His focus was to address not only the "political, diplomatic, and military events" but also "social, cultural, and economic events and currents" (Irwin Unger, preface xiv). He attempts to include all human aspects of these events by integrating women and men of all culture, race, religion, economic stature, and age.
The text is set up chronologically separated by individual chapters, the chapters are not grouped together to form one specific unit. At the beginning of each chapter it has the title, a timeline of events for that period and then a question. The purpose of the question is to get the students to think about it as they read the chapter, encouraging them to engage in active thinking as they read. Some of the questions ask for a decisive answer, such as was this event a failure or a success, hoping to receive conflicting answers at the end. Others simply question why were things they were and why would people feel this way. I feel these questions are effective in encouraging students to think outside of the way the information is being presented to them. There does not seem to be a correct answer for any of them, which then eliminates a certain bias. It forces the students to think in an historical perspective rather than thei...
... middle of paper ...
... in a religious or political bias, but more one of his personal admiration or distaste for certain historical figures. He often times uses superfluous adjectives to make a certain event seem more dramatic and emotional, not to the extent that it hinders the information, but is still obvious to the reader.
Overall I was impressed with this text. It was difficult for me to find an inaccurate historical event because I found myself learning about topics I had never heard of before. His ability to incorporate the little picture with the big made for informative chapters, with more context than an ordinary textbook would have. Compared to other textbooks I have encountered, this one addresses facts, stories, the "little people" and diversity in a way that none is more important than the other and encourages us to criticize and also appreciate the United States.
Rauchway created more of a story with factual information making it more engaging to the reader. I felt the arguments that Rauchway provided were fairly accurate creating a balance of both sides of the story. With being engaged in the novel, it helped me understand a time in history that I never understood before. I was able to understand more of Roosevelt’s direction of his presidency as he helped America become hopeful of the future. After the assassination many citizens were devastated, but it came to their realization that it was a wakeup call for the political system. Rauchway makes it clear in the novel of how Roosevelt faced one of America’s toughest times, but through that time helped American grow stronger as a nation. What I like about Rauchway writings is that he organizes the storyline and it is detailed in every chapter explaining the smallest parts of the story. For example, he mentions the time of the hour, the emotions of the characters, Czolgosz life history, etc. He does not miss any facts, which is very helpful to know background information when just learning about a
Most reviewers rate this book between three and four out of five, with the majority of reviews being four out of five. The book does a great job of depicting the historical events that are covered, and the author does so while still maintaining the entertaining qualities of a fiction book. I would rate this book a four out of five because it is not only entertaining to read while still accurately depicting historical events, but the author does a great job of keeping the reader’s attention with the characters’ depiction. Overall, I am pleased with the book and have learned much more from it than what is covered in The American Journey.
Unfortunately, by choosing to focus on only a few events, Ellis's book fails in that it lacks somewhat of a scope. The book also focuses on some of the founding brothers in much greater detail than others. While I come away with a wealth of knowledge about both Adams and Jefferson, I have less knowledge of Ben Franklin and Aaron Burr, as Ellis's focus is significantly less on them.
William Hogeland did a great job at finding hidden stories that the majority didn’t know about. I wish it was a easier read but the information was told correctly. He indeed completed his point of the book because sometimes the past is lost to us future readers and we need to know all the events our founding Americans did to give us the country we have today. Also the book show the reader where exactly the federal government started taking control and how the people tried to fight for what they thought was an unjust law.
The author is graphic in his detail of the people and the places of importance during this time in history. The book is written more from a Northern point of view and so I didn’t get quite the same perspective of the Southern side but still learned more than I knew before.
My overall opinion of this book is good I really liked it and recommend it to anyone. It is a good book to read and it keep you interested throughout the whole book.
In conclusion, I liked this book because it told about two different perspectives, one from the past and one from the present. It showed me the struggles Lewis and Clark faced, during their expedition, and what it was like to explore unknown terrain. I learned that the information gathered and the proof of an overland passage to the Pacific helped to open up the entire continent for rapid expansion and settlement to the new nation. It also told me about a family following in the footsteps of the Lewis and Clark expedition, and their excitement in doing so. I would defiantly recommend this book to my friends.
The four major events significant to the foundation and evolution of the United States today that I have chosen are: the Positive and Negative Impacts of European Contact, the American Military Victory in the Revolutionary War, Slavery and States Rights, and Reconstruction and the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments. All four of these events from the first half of the history of the United States played integral roles into making the United States into what it is today.
The author presented the information in a very solid way and sectioned it out very well. I understood what he was trying to explain. It was somewhat a long book but very much full of knowledge and history that in spirit is still alive today. We may not have slavery like it was then, but we still deal with racism and prejudice daily.
Howard Zinn’s main point in chapter one of A People’s History of the United States is that history is more accurate through the eyes of the oppressed. Zinn states that choosing to ignore the oppressed in history is “...more than technical, it is ideological” (Zinn 5). This is because in not paying attention to the subdued, one also chooses to ignore the majority of history. If the champion is the only one who gets to tell the story it is more often than not missing key details and glorified in favor of the oppressor. An example of this is Columbus’ descriptions of the Arawak people. He describes them as ignorant, naive, and even compares them to animals. In reality the Arawaks were a developed people with advanced laws and traditions. Also
The topic(s) that will be discussed in this paper include Laws and Federal Policies during early American history. The material discussed in this paper comes exclusively from Exploring American Histories by Nancy A. Hewitt and Steven F. Lawson. This paper will cover documents within the text that pertain to the topic. The aim of this paper is to argue that from even the earliest points in American history, there was an opposing and supporting standpoint to each law and federal policy. Since its start, the United States has been a two-sided coin of support and opposition. Issues such as Independence, Slavery, and Succession are three of the many that show the United States to be a country that does not always come to a consensus.
The Young Reader's Companion to American History. Ed. John A. Garraty. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1994. 384+. Print.
Humans have a tendency to to change with time. Human are the most intelligent creatures and can adapt and survive in any environment. People evolve as time changes. It is human nature to want for new things and new change. United States changed a lot since the mid-1400s till today. Some are good, some are bad. But even though change is inevitable, there are lot things that are still common. Some things never change. From the time Columbus discovered America till today, a lot of things have changed. He is known as the father of this country. Even though he didn’t have the end that he deserved, he is the reason for this great country to bloom out of sheer darkness. Great leaders like Thomas Jefferson have played an important role to shape America to what it is right now. John Winthrop was the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the chief figure among the Puritan founders of New England. He was the one to establish a civilized society in the middle of nowhere and help United States bloom. Thomas Jefferson- author of the Declaration of Independence, third president of United States and the founder of the University of Virginia- crafted the freedom of the United States from the brutal British regime. Jefferson was an exceptionally vivid man, and very politically motivated. He helped found our country, nurturing it along in its youthful, tempestuous beginnings, and he struggled to improve upon it in many ways. As time passes, we see a lot of differences and somewhat similarities in racism, gender equality, freedom, religion, slavery, and standard of life and these factors are responsible for the America we stand upon today.
I found this book to be a rather interesting read. I enjoyed how Levathes researched this book and wrote it to try to explain about this specific period of time and how it is very non-fiction.
American history, though nowhere near as epic as the history of Europe, is wrought with its own heroes and legendary personalities. The three most important span political, economic, and social borders. In its 300 years, the United States has not seen finer heroes than Benjamin Franklin, Alan Greenspan, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Their contributions in politics, regulation of the US economy, and roles in racial diversity, these legends have no precedent. Benjamin Franklin contributed to the culture of the US through his literature and his political presence. Franklin was born in the early 18th century, when England still had a grip on the politics of the colonies. Following the revolutionary war, in which he had important diplomatic duties, Franklin was one of the key framers of the Constitution. By then, Franklin was a ripe 81 years old, in the twilight years of his life. During his youth, he was an important author, contributing to one of the first papers, and also writing the Poor Richard’s Alamack. His autobiography is also a very important work to this day. Franklin was also an important scientist of his time. His personality influenced many of the leaders of the baby American government. This coupled with his exceptional achievement made Franklin a great inspiration to the people of his time that lasts to this day. Alan Greenspan is a recent figure in history, but his impact on the present and future economics of America is incalculable. The chairman of the...