The rallying cry “Remember the Alamo” is famous, but how much does the average person actually know about the Texas mission and the 1836 battle that took place there? This volume traces the Alamo’s history, from the Native American peoples who lived in the area when the mission was first built through the continuing efforts to preserve the historic site. Particular attention is paid to the Battle of the Alamo and how the bravery of its defenders inspired Texans during the Texas War of Independence. A timeline, primary resource transcriptions, and a wealth of primary-source images enhance the educational experience.
In the decades before the Civil War effectively ended the institution of slavery in the United States, many people risked their lives to rescue Southern African Americans from the shackles of slavery and shepherd them to the safety of the Northern states and Canada. Thousands of slaves made the journey under cover of night. Once free, some became agents of the railroad while others educated those in the North about the horrors of slavery. The remarkable stories of people who would achieve freedom or die trying are chronicled within these pages.
The story of California’s gold rush has all the aspects of a great drama. Countless characters crossed great distances to fulfill their dreams of obtaining riches in the golden land of “El Dorado.” The great rush to California’s goldfields from points around the globe changed the face of California and transformed the United States, a young country still grappling with the growing pains of its fairly new independence. Readers will explore this exciting chapter in American history through primary sources such as broadsheets, lithographs, and poems.
Snaking its way through 363 miles of upstate New York, the original Erie Canal was the most massive public works project the United States had seen before the Civil War. Many doubted that such a grand waterway could be constructed, but upon its completion, it almost instantly became an enduring national symbol of American ingenuity. This volume relates the captivating story of the Erie Canal, chronicling how some dedicated political figures and surveyors-turned-engineers helped make one of the earliest American engineering marvels a reality. Primary source documents provide historical context, showing how the Erie Canal transformed the greater American landscape.
The story of the Cherokee Nation and its tragic displacement by early colonial settlers is an integral part of American history. Here that tale is told through an investigation of primary sources related to the historic episode. Images and textual transcriptions are presented of such historical documents as presidential addresses, treaties, and the Cherokee constitution. Such examination of primary sources and their use in the narration of this all-too-often overlooked piece of history is in line with the skills outlined in the Common Core standards for reading informational text.
This detailed volume tells the dark story of the Salem witchcraft trials with a lively narrative and primary source documents, such as transcripts and letters, that highlight the tales and voices of both the victims and the perpetrators. Readers will learn about the harsh living conditions as well as the religious and social views of the day and how they influenced society's reactions to the unknown and difficult (or impossible) to explain. This text also meets the Common Core standards for history and social studies, such as evaluating various explanations for actions or events and determining which explanation best accords with textual evidence.
When the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution authorized women’s suffrage in 1920, it was the culmination of decades of work by women who had fought to be considered equal to men under the law. Accompanied by primary source documents, this resource chronicles the birth of the women’s rights movement at Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848; the suffragists’ sometimes-contentious partnership with the abolitionist movement; and the slow build toward national suffrage. The efforts of Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and other important leaders are recognized.
This fascinating look into American history uncovers how some of our ancestors came to the United States, seeking freedom and fortune, and often risking everything to make a home in America. This resource tells the story of the immigrant history of the United States, using documents and photographs from the heyday of one of the most important immigration ports. The history of Ellis Island is revealed to be one of grit, misfortune, and luck that is both true of the island and of the people it welcomed to America?s shores.
Westward Ho! was the call of many a pioneer heading into the western United States from the country's beginning. The insatiable desire for land that drove settlement westward is conveyed vividly by this collection of primary source documents. From the Monroe Doctrine to the end of the Spanish-American War with the Treaty of Paris, the documents and accompanying text provide rich context for a lively time in American history. Documents that detail the struggle of Native Americans provide a counterbalance to the ambitions of those who were convinced that the West was theirs by divine right.
A New York Times bestseller! “Lively and absorbing. . ." — The New York Times Book Review "Engrossing." —Wall Street Journal “Entertaining and well-researched . . . ” —Houston Chronicle Three noted Texan writers combine forces to tell the real story of the Alamo, dispelling the myths, exploring why they had their day for so long, and explaining why the ugly fight about its meaning is now coming to a head. Every nation needs its creation myth, and since Texas was a nation before it was a state, it's no surprise that its myths bite deep. There's no piece of history more important to Texans than the Battle of the Alamo, when Davy Crockett and a band of rebels went down in a blaze of glory fighting for independence from Mexico, losing the battle but setting Texas up to win the war. However, that version of events, as Forget the Alamo definitively shows, owes more to fantasy than reality. Just as the site of the Alamo was left in ruins for decades, its story was forgotten and twisted over time, with the contributions of Tejanos--Texans of Mexican origin, who fought alongside the Anglo rebels--scrubbed from the record, and the origin of the conflict over Mexico's push to abolish slavery papered over. Forget the Alamo provocatively explains the true story of the battle against the backdrop of Texas's struggle for independence, then shows how the sausage of myth got made in the Jim Crow South of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. As uncomfortable as it may be to hear for some, celebrating the Alamo has long had an echo of celebrating whiteness. In the past forty-some years, waves of revisionists have come at this topic, and at times have made real progress toward a more nuanced and inclusive story that doesn't alienate anyone. But we are not living in one of those times; the fight over the Alamo's meaning has become more pitched than ever in the past few years, even violent, as Texas's future begins to look more and more different from its past. It's the perfect time for a wise and generous-spirited book that shines the bright light of the truth into a place that's gotten awfully dark.
