Book Description

On September 11th, America was attacked. But while we know what happened on that tragic day, many of us don't understand why it happened. In this important book, Time magazine reporter Mitch Frank clearly and concisely explains why and answers the following essential questions.

What happened on September 11th? € Who were the hijackers? € What is terrorism? € What is Islam? € Why does the Middle East matter? € Why did the terrorists target the United States? € Why did we go after Afghanistan? € Who are the Taliban? € What are the differences between Islamism, Islamic fundamentalism, and Islam? € Who is Osama bin Laden? € How has America changed since September 11th?

Written and designed on a level that sixth graders and up can easily comprehend, and filled with pictures, maps, and straightforward explanations, this is the book that will enable young people to understand both the events of 9/11 and the history leading up to it. September 11th is a part of history that Americans should both know and never forget. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Teacher's Perspective
As a teacher of adolescents, I often find myself unable to answer their "Why?" questions about the state of world affairs. This book gave me a deeper understanding of the history and issues underlying the events of September 11. Mr. Frank presents the information concisely and unsentimentally -- a difficult feat given the emotional import of the subject matter. I found it immensely informative and will undoubtedly refer to it during this school year as the first anniversary approaches and passes.

I'm also the mother of a two-year-old girl, and I've felt at a loss as to how to explain the attacks to her when the time comes. By the time she is of grade-school age, her social studies texts will definitely contain references to September 11. I now plan to read Mr. Frank's book with her to give her all the background information she could possibly need, and to share with her my husband's and my memories of that terrible day. ... Read more

Book Description

If trudging through your textbook to study and complete homework assignments has becoma frustrating grind, then get ready for a smooth ride to higher test scores and outstanding grades with The Princeton Review's High School U.S. History & Government Review.

We tell it to you straight, thoroughly explaining the important topics you'll need to understand to prepare for quizzes and tests, complete homework assignments effectively, and earn higher grades.We've carefully examined U.S. history and government textbooks just like yours to make sure that this book includes all the material essential to a thorough review.In this guide, we cover:

*The Colonial Era
*The American Revolution
*The Constitution
*Beginnings of Democracy
*Economic and Social History (1800-1860)
*The Civil War and Reconstruction
*The Industrial Age
*World War I
*The Great Depression
*The New Deal and World War II
*The Cold War
*The Sixties, Seventies, and Eighties

And since practicing your test-taking skills is just as important to getting good grades as knowing the material, we include two practice exams that feature the types of questions and problems that appear on in-class tests. ... Read more

Book Description

The words of President Abraham Lincoln in the Gettysburg Address are as relevant and meaningful today as they were in 1863. In this handsomely illustrated book, Michael McCurdy's art extends the power and force of Lincoln's speech, imbuing it with an excitement and energy that will ignite the interest of readers of all ages. With a foreword by one of America's preeminent historians, Garry Wills, and an afterword by McCurdy about his great-grandfather who fought at Gettysburg, this book is at once personal and universal. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

The soul of America is in this speech
What does Lincoln do at Gettysburg? Why are his words as moving today as they were when he uttered them?
I think that what he did is that he defined for America and Americans what it is, and what it means to be to itself. He did this in the most dignified and moving language imaginable with its deep Biblical cadences and its underlying tone of grief and dedication. He invokes the 'brave men living and dead'the heroic sacrifice of the war in order to urge a new dedication of freedom a new and higher realization of that fundamental human value which is so closely connected with the whole American enterprise. He defines not simply for those there, for those on that field the living and the dead, but for all American generations a ' new birth of freedom, so that government of the people by the people for the people shall not perish from this earth "

The most important speech in American History (illustrated)
As Gary Willis tries to indicate in his introduction to this illustrated edition of Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address," the reason it is the most important speech in American History is because until Lincoln made his few choice "remarks" at the dedication of the National Cemetery at Gettysburg, Americans did not believe the principle that "all men are created equal" that is enshrined in the Declaration of Independence.So while this is a sense that the Union Troops did not fight for self-determination, or to free the slaves for that matter, we now believe that they did and we do so because of what Lincoln said at Gettysburg (Willis develops this argument more comprehensively in his Pulitzer Prize-winning book, "Lincoln at Gettysburg").This is what historicans mean when they talk about how Lincoln elevated the war to a higher level.

The speech is only 272 words long and is illustrated with a dozen marvelously detailed etchings by Michael McCurdy (he calls them drawings in his afterword, but since they are white on black I think of them as "etchings").McCurdy depicts not only Lincoln speaking at Gettysburg, but also the actual battle and Lincoln's idealized vision of America.If students do not have the opportunity to hear "The Gettysburg Address" read out loud the first time they encounter it, then this book is a reasonable substitute for the experience.

Stark woodcuts communicate nobility and tragedy.
I read this book aloud to my children. The text is simply the Gettysburg address, broken into phrases with an illustration for each thought. Two-thirds of the way through the book, I found myself weeping. The combination of Lincoln's eloquence and the illustrations touched me. I would recommend using this book to introduce students of any age to Lincoln's famous speech and the history associated with it.

What a CROCK!!
This book perpetuates the out and out LIES surrounding the Gettysburg address.

This quote says it all...

"The Gettysburg speech was at once the shortest and the most famous oration in American history... the highest emotion reduced toa few poetical phrases. Lincoln himself never even remotelyapproached it. It isgenuinely stupendous. But let us not forgetthat it is poetry, not logic;beauty, not sense. Think of theargument in it.

Put it into the cold words ofeveryday.

The doctrine is simply this: that the Union soldiers who diedatGettysburg sacrificed their lives to the cause of self-determination-- that government of the people, by the people, for the people,should not perish from the earth.

It is difficult to imagine anything more untrue.

TheUnionsoldiers in the battle actually fought *against* self-determination; itwasthe Confederates who fought for theright of their people to governthemselves."--

The Gettysburg Address
This is an incredible book.The Gettysburg Address was something I had to learn in school, but reading this book brings the speech to life.

I makes you really think about what is being said and brings it more to life.I have visited the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. and the GettysburgAddress is incredible in Marble but in this book it really makes you thinkaboutwhat happened during the Civil War and what it means to us today. ... Read more

Book Description

Introduces the purpose and function of local governments, explores the three branches of governments at the city and county level. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

How Jim Crow came to rule the Reconstructed South
The title of "Reconstruction and the Rise of Jim Crow: 1864-1896" provides a concise encapsulation of what the North tried to do to the former Confederate states after the Civil War and how the South responded. This fits perfectly with the "core content" approach of The Drama of American History series by Christopher Collier and James Lincoln Collier. The irony here is the cover illustration of Abraham Lincoln reading the Emancipation Proclamation to his cabinet, since it was the political and social problem of what to do about the freedmen that was the crucial issue following the Civil War and Lincoln's assassination was arguably the biggest factor in what came to pass. As Collier and Collier contend at the end of their first chapter, while we can only speculate about what Lincoln would have done about the problem of Southern Reconstruction and black rights, we can be fairly certain he would have done a better than those who followed him.

This volume is divided into six chapter, each focusing on a key element in the Reconstruction struggle: (1) A Great War Ends and a New Conflict Begins defines the twin problems of how to treat the freedmen and how the Southern states should be readmitted to the Union. On both these topics there were wide ranges of opinion, from the radical Republicans who wanted to punish the South for the Civil War to common citizens who wanted to see the freed slaves shipped back to Africa. What would become important would be which political faction controlled the government. (2) A New President Tries to Reconstruct the South makes it very clear that Andrew Johnson's political motivation was not to give black Americans the vote but rather to bring down the aristocratic plantation owners he had hated most of his life. Consequently, he allowed the Southern states to adopt Black Codes that under cut the end of slavery. This was what galvanized the radical Republicans in Congress to go after Johnson himself. (3) The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson takes the position that the president was going out of the way to antagonize his congressional opponents and that the basis for the impeachment was obviously unconstitutional. However, they clearly dismiss the idea of Johnson being heroic or worthy of praise for his efforts. (4) The Tide Turns when the Republicans gained firm control of the Congress, because of the votes of not only blacks in the South but "scalawags" (poor farmers who felt the Civil War had been fought to preserve the power of the wealthy planters). (5) The South Strikes Back focuses primarily on the rise of the Ku Klux Klan as a reaction to the Northern attempt to promote black equality and the end of Reconstruction with the election of Rutherford B. Hayes, who had promised to give the South a free hand in dealing with the freedmen and other political issues. (6) The South Redeemed looks at how white supremacy was entrenched by the end of the 19th-century and officially endorsed by the Supreme Court's 1896 ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson.

The specific breakdown of chapters in "Reconstruction and the Rise of Jim Crow" certainly gives the big picture of what happened in the South after the Civil War. Rather than being tangled up with the scandalous woes of the Grant administration, the focus is simply on what the North tried to do to the South and how the South responded. Given that the issue of voting and other civil rights for blacks in the South would not be "settled" (for lack of a better word), until the 1960s it is important for students of American history to know that the system of what we now call the Jim Crow South was in place before the end of the 19th century. The book is illustrated with historic etchings and photographs, as well as some choice political cartoons (of which you can never have too many in a history book). This particular volume shows the strength of this series in focusing on a key issue, such as Reconstruction, within a specific time frame, to wit 1864 to 1896, which overlaps other volumes look at concurrent issues (e.g., the rise of industry, the settlement of the west). I know this series is designed for secondary students, but I think this approach to learning about American history would be useful at any level of study. ... Read more

Book Description

Just in time for Women's History Month, here are short, spirited profiles of twenty women who impacted life in America by speaking out against injustice and fighting for social improvements. The folksy, friendly narrative introduces such fascinating figures as Sojourner Truth, abolitionist preacher; Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, a Civil War physician; Margaret Sanger, birth control pioneer; and Doris Haddock, a ninety-two-year-old champion of campaign-finance reform. The book spans over two hundred years of American history and includes time lines for such important social movements as abolition, woman suffrage, labor, and civil rights. Readers inspired by these fiery women can use the civil action tips and resources in the back of the book to do some of their own rabble-rousing. ... Read more

Book Description

Featuring an extra-sturdy library binding!

Here is a spectacular and informative guide to the history of flags around the world. Superb color photographs give the reader a unique "eyewitness" insight into the story of flags -- from the earliest heraldic banners to the national flags of today. See the flag of a Chinese pirate ship, the banners of medieval knights and the standards of modern generals, the flags of the French and Russian revolutions, and the national flags of 160 different countries. Learn how to signal by semaphore, how to hoist a flag, why stars and stripes features in the American flag, how flags were hoisted on the Moon and at the South Pole, and how fascinating ceremonies connected with flags have evolved. Discover how Britain's Union Jack has changed over the years, the story behind the Japanese "rising sun," when a flag is flown as half mast, why many Dutch flags feature a picture of a hat on the end of a pole, what the stars on the Australian flag represent, and much, much more! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

An informative look at the history and meaning of flags
The first two-page spread of this Eyewitness book on "Flags" covers the anatomy of a flag and will probably tell you more about flags than you have managed to learn in the past. I learned that military flags are traditionally square, as are heraldic banners, that flags are divided into four quarters called cantons, and the various ways of fastening flags to the staff.

This volume is a photographic essay about flags that not only looks at the history of flags in general but of the flags of various (mostly European) nations. William Crampton goes back to the standards carried by the ancient Egyptians, Assyrians, and Romans that predated the first true flag, the Roman vexillum. Young readers will also learn about such special flags as signal flags for ships and boats, flags for special festivals and sports, political flags, and coats of arms. Information is also provided about the meaning of shapes and colors on flags. The flags of all nations are providing in the back of the book organized by continents and arranged by colors and symbols so that you can see the strong points of commonality (a nice touch).

As always, this Eyewitness DK book is a visual treat, in keeping with the goal of providing a mini-museum between the covers of a book. This means there are lots of nice little treats scattered throughout the book, from a handmade flag of resistance from Cameroon in the 1960s and a Norwegian cavalry standard to soldier's prayers written on a Japanese battle flag from World War II and the flags for every office and department at the time of the Russian Revolution. You will not find out as much about the flag of the United States as you will the flags of other nations around the world, but that seems a small price to pay in this informative photographic essay. ... Read more