Product Description
New sources of data, together with advances in theory, offer the opportunity for a fresh look at old and new questions.This book asks such questions as: did mercantilism cause the American Revolution?; was slavery profitable?; and what were the causes of the Great Depression? Illustrated ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

One of the best economic history books out there
This book gives you a great view of the nation as it develops.Instead of walking you though a timeline it explains in topics so that you have a full understanding of the development in every area.

college textbook
My son needed this textbook for a college class.It arrived really fast, in good condition, as advertised and saved us over $100. compared to the school bookstore price.

A great contribution
This is an exceptionally well-written and analyzed book. The authors are not historians, but economists, yet this still a unique book of economic history. I took a course that used this book and I really enjoyed reading and learning about the economic history of this country, in great part thanks to this book. As a student of history I recommend this book.

American History through an Economic Filter!
If you ever wanted to understand U.S. history on an economic basis, this is the book to read.

It's beautifully written with extensive economic analysis of various aspects and subjects covering U.S. history from the profitability of slavery to continous increasing of the standards of living.

The authors make some striking discoveries (for example, half of all farms in the south had no slaves at all, and yet managed to be as efficient as many which did have slaves) about productivity in the U.S. as new technologies and, in essence, a new economy evolved. The impact improvements in roads had on the economic development of the country is wonderfully detailed.

The author includes multiple tables and detailed explanations as to how they reached their conclusions.

All in all, an excellent book on U.S. history for economic professionals and/or buffs!

If You're Choosing Only One ...
Let me speak here in law teacher mode: if you wanted to read just one book as background for law school, I think perhaps this should be the one. It's a model in terms both of substance and of presentation. In substance, the authors have done an admirable job of summing up the best available knowledge about the economy and how it came to be. In presentation, what they've done is to take an array of technical or specialized studies and to make them accessible to the determined non-specialist.

I remember it in terms of so many wonderful anecdotes. There are the farm girls from Vermont who staffed the mills in Massachusetts until the great Irish immigration drove them back to the farm. There are the restless young men from the prairies who rode the rafts down river to New Orleans, and then set off to see the world. There are the canals that lost all their capital value with the coming of the railroads - but then kept operating anyway, because it was more worthwhile to use them than to tear them up.

This is not, of course, precisely a law book. But it is a book about issues for the law: about slavery, about public land policy, about the structure of industry and finance. The chapters on the Great Depression alone would make a sufficient background for any course in constitutional or administrative law.For the authors, only two words: new edition. ... Read more

Product Description
Words That Made American History, Colonial Times to the 1870's ... Read more

Product Description
Spiral Bound Activity book with 2 Cassette Tapes. Explore America's past through historical songs and narratives. Grades 4-8. Illustrated. ... Read more

Product Description

A Dynamic Account of Religion's Central Role in American History

Customer Reviews (10)

A Good Indicator on Religious History and Progress in America
Edwin Gaustand and Leigh Schmidt have written a good book on the religious history of this once-great land. It starts from the time when Columbus made his journey to the New World to claim it for Spain, to the time when European powers were making inroads into the new continent, the formation of the 13 colonies, the independence of America from Great Britain, the revivals and the formation of numerous church bodies (and sometimes cults), the church dealing not only with creeping liberalism but also with social issues, and with the influx of immigrants and the religious backgrounds they brought with them.

Probably one of the detracting things that could be noticed throughout the book is the fact that there was no possible way they could have been exhaustive on each and every movement that made its way to the religious history of this country. For example, I was left with the impression that the mentions of Charles Finney were a bit whitewashed, given his poor understanding and handling of Scripture and theology. Then again, a whole book could be devoted to the obvious effects that Finney's revival meetings had on the Northeastern United States, and how much he has plagued this country with bad theology since then - given the men who have lauded him since then.

I could have given this book a five-star review. However, I am more of the opinion that one's theology makes a very big difference on how they perceive things. Gaustad and Schmidt sought to cover all the bases - including on some of the more current issues on religion in America with regard to religious pluralism and dealing with social issues. Even if most of us are not comfortable with such things like gay-inclusive churches that continue to encourage people to do those things which run contrary to Scriptural command, it is better to know that such places exist instead of playing ostrich and burying our heads in the sand. Having said that, I just could not bring myself to completely endorse everything that is written in here. Then again, when people talk of the idea of unbridled religious freedom for all religions when the original intent was for the expansion of the Christian religion throughout the country, we see how much ideas have consequences. Ancient Israel paid a terrible price for allowing idols and "strange gods" other than the God of Scripture into their society, and all of this is documented in the historical books of the Old Testament.

Other than that, I do recommend it. At least the reader can get an idea where America has been religiously, and the possible direction she may be going.

Textbook
i ordered this for my daughter's class.She received it in great condition and in a timely manner.

A Marvelous Tapestry of Grand Arguments
Gaustad and Schmidt weave a gigantic tapestry of stories, heroes, movements, and culture wars, over the whole history of American religious life. A lot of Americans feel their country's history reveals the journey of God's people no less than the history of ancient Israel. And why not? Like that ancient history book, this one captures an epic series of running arguments between revolutionaries, imperialists, feminists, racists, egalitarians, ethnic purists, universalists, legalists, holy rollers or apocalyptic fanatics, all upholding their visions of justice, truth, and beauty. The story Gaustad and Schmidt present meets the literalist criteria of truth, because all those voices really spoke. The book provides a grand overview of the discussion, that helps us choose which voices will shape our lives.

--author of Correcting Jesus

Good overview but . . .
This book gives a good overview of the Religious history of America during most of the book but it begins to falter near the end.The authors completely leave out the Jesus Movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s.As the authro writes about more recent events, a bias seems to creap in.The activities of the religious left have a tone of approval while the activites of the religious right are written with a tone of disapproval.

Readble, Interesting and Informative
The author knows his subject and knows how to write as well. Sometimes in academia that is not the case. I have purchased other books by Gaustad. I have found them all to be quality, comprehensive and comprehendable.Enjoyable reads. ... Read more

Product Description
In this concise historical narrative, Jacqueline Jones provides a sweeping account of the most significant aspect of nearly every American's life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Best Because Only Survey
"A Social History of the Laboring Classes" is a welcome addition to US Labor history but it is weak, spotty, & fails to address the general lack of a serious labor history of the USA. To a large extent, the shortcomings of the book are the shortcomings of American Labor History writing. There are over 1,000 books on Black Slavery and we have hundreds of histories of the Union movement. Despite the wealth of documents available, there are several basic subjects that are inexcusably ignored! It may seem amazing to many people that there isn't a single serious history of White Indentured Servitude. Although this history is ignored (how many were there? What was their life like? Who were they? How did they live?), this fact does not prevent academic historians from presenting statements about them both qualitative and quantitative. In an age when most PhD dissertations and graduate papers are mere busy work and ritual for satisfying degree requirements, one marvels at the fact that some student with a zest for true history research and writing would decide to be the voice of the untold numbers of desparate people who were indentured servants.

One positive aspect of the book is for the first time it boldly states that slavery is part of US labor history. Now if we can get slave historians and labor historians to underestand this reality...

My criticism of this book is that it pretends to be something it is not, a social history of the American laborer. A lot of primary research needs be done before any social or cultural history of American Labor is possible. E.P. Thompson's masterpiece "The Making of the English Working Class" is a shinning example aspiring US labor historians could learn a lot from about being a scholar. Instead of presenting assumptions as fact, rather than be a slave to theory or ideology as most American (especially Labor) historians do today, Thompson explained in detail the reasons for conclusions he reaches.

By all means read this book but do not think you will leave it with more answers than questions. ... Read more

Product Description

MySearchLab provides students with a complete understanding of the research process so they can complete research projects confidently and efficiently. Students and instructors with an internet connection can visit www.MySearchLab.com and receive immediate access to thousands of full articles from the EBSCO ContentSelect database. In addition, MySearchLab offers extensive content on the research process itself–including tips on how to navigate and maximize time in the campus library, a step-by-step guide on writing a research paper, and instructions on how to finish an academic assignment with endnotes and bibliography.­

This book is for undergraduate courses in American Military History. It covers from the colonial period through the War on Terror, using a narrative and thematic approach. Includes the development of civilian control of the military; the American military at war; the professionalization of the American military; the use of American military power to achieve national strategic objectives; and the non-military uses of the American military throughout American history.

Customer Reviews (1)

ok
in a little worse condition than I thought it would be.But still just fine. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Easy History
This is an exceptional book written by an exceptional historian.It is easy to read and written in the language of the layman.Superb general military history and background to all American wars that is a must on the shelf of any military historian or just someone who wants to understand the development of the American military.
As a researcher in military history I found this book to have background information not only pertinent to many issues of military history but reading it enhanced my knowledge and understanding.Lastly, it is a very good read.

Enjoyable in its Scope and Style
In The History of American Wars, T. Harry Williams takes us from the early wars of the colonies (The French and Indian War and skirmishes with the natives), through the Revolution, the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the Civil War, and finally World War I.He differs from some other historians in that he is able to place the conflicts in their larger political and social context without getting bogged down in those areas.He writes enough about them to give you the broader picture and causal relationships, but not so much that the book starts to drag.

Another aspect of this book that I enjoyed was the coverage he gives to the inter-war periods and attention to the broader development of weapons and tactics.Chapters on the interludes that followed the Civil War and Spanish American War are just as interesting and informative as those about the wars themselves.Williams is not just writing about interesting battles, he is showing how the United States developed as a nation and a military power through each conflict.Not only in its techincal ability and organizational approach to armed conflict, but in its attitudes and opinions about the armed forces and military intervention. ... Read more

Product Description
This bibliography is the first comprehensive guide to the entire field of Amerian demographic history. It contains over 3,800 citations of published materials on all aspects of the subject, including marriage and fertility, family and societal values, and the interactions of population with economics, politics, and society. Each section is introduced with a substantial bibliographic essay highlighting the chief works, the contours of the field, and the directions it appears to be taking. ... Read more

Product Description
Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free.This is an OCR edition with typos.Excerpt from book:CHAPTER II.VIRGINIA: THE FIRST WRITER.I.—The arrival in America of the first Americans—A fortunate blunder— Satisfaction with their new home.II.—The sort of men they were—Their leaders—Captain John Smith—His previous career—His character—His important relation to early American settlements—The first writer in American literature.III.—His first book—Its publication in London in 1608—A literary synchronism—American literature and John Milton—Synopsis of the book— Notable passages—The fable of his rescue by Pocahontas—The place of the book at the head of American literature—Summary of its literary traits.IV.—His second American writing—A bold letter to his London patrons— His knowledge refusing to be commanded by their ignorance—The kind of men to make good colonists of—Early symptoms of American recalcitrance.V.—His third American work—Vivid pictures of Virginia—The climate— The country—The productions—The Indians—His fine statement of the utility of the Virginian enterprise.VI.—Captain John Smith's return to England—His subsequent career—A baffled explorer—His pride in the American colonies—Utilized by the playwrights—Thomas Fuller's sarcastic account of him—His champions —Final estimate.The three little ships which bore so many hopes, dropping from London down the Thames on the 2Oth of December,1 1606, were vexed by opposing winds and were kept shivering within sight of the English coast for several weeks; then, instead of pursuing the straightforward westerly course to America, they curved southward, meandering foolishly by the Canaries, Dominica, Guadeloupe and elsewhere, to the great loss of time, food, health, and patience; and did not reach their journey's end until the 26th of April, 1607—a journey's end to which they were at last blown by the... ... Read more

Product Description
Originally published in 1917-19.This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies.All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks notations and other marginalia present in the original volume. ... Read more