<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: Comprehensive and detailed
Review: American history can best be understood if the fundamental conditions that control both the social lives of ordinary people and the practice of politics are investigated through the decades. This means moving beyond conventional ways of organizaing a book around political events that historians like to think of as "turning points". Social change has a pace and rhythm of its own, and understaning its flow enables us to see poliitical changes in a new light.
The authors have divided American history into three unique periods: Preindustrial America, from the beginning of the sixteenth century to the 1820s; Industrializing America, from the 1820s to the 1920s; and State and Society, from the 1920s to the present. Each of these periods has its own logic and contains special kinds of human relationships that prodice a distinct history of the United States.
Rating: 
Summary: More of the same--lots of social history & little else
Review: I disagree strongly with the previous reviews of this book.My university department just chose this text for our US survey courses. Typically, it is much more focused on social and cultural history than on the "meat and potatos" that students need to master BEFORE any of the social/cultural stuff has a context: good, old-fashioned political, diplomatic, and yes, even military history (previous reviewers are simply wrong here, or maybe refering to an earlier edition--we have the 4th). I won't bother going into too many details, since the sad list is all too common with college textbooks on the market today. I merely submit two observations: 1) The growing evidence ranging from the anecdotal (Jay Leno) to the statistical that Americans under 40 are losing almost all of their historical heritage (aside from making us the laughing stock of the rest of the civilized world, I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that this just might have unfortunate implications for our future as a global military and economic superpower sometime in the not-too-distant future); and 2) The fact that the chapter on World War II contained in Henretta, 4th Ed., although thirty pages long, has just SEVEN PAGES on the actual war itself--and that covers all theaters and all belligerants from Blitzkrieg to Hiroshima (and even those pages are filled with large and small errors). That's no way to solve the problem, folks.
Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive and detailed
Review: I grew up reading political and military history; that's what I was taught in high school and college, for the most part. When I took over my school's Advanced Placement program in US History, I decided that while I could teach the traditional forms of history, such as politics and the wars, I simply didn't know enough social history. Given the fact that social history is the dominant form of history today (and realizing that there simply wasn't that much new to say about politics or wars), I turned to this masterful textbook. My students love this book: it's readable, entertaining, and thorough. I add in the political and military stuff, when it's needed. About the only major hole in the text is some short-changing of the Monroe Doctrine, which is the biggest error that I could see. Teachers have to choose textbooks that address their shortcomings; if you don't know your political or military history, choose another textbook. But if you have the same background I do (and most people over thirty do), then choose this one. It's been very successful in my classroom.
Rating: 
Summary: AP reading
Review: I love history and am a history minor, and yet I had a hard time reading this book. It did not devote much time to the Twenties or the Great Depression and spent too much time on the 1940's and the cold war. I had the opportunity to read the fifth edition of this book, the 2004 edition, and the fifth edition is far better. It appears to be completely rewritten and makes more sense. It also spend more time on each area of history. The fourth edition, to put it bluntly, stinks.
Rating:
Summary: boring, the fifth edition is better
Review: I love history and am a history minor, and yet I had a hard time reading this book. It did not devote much time to the Twenties or the Great Depression and spent too much time on the 1940's and the cold war. I had the opportunity to read the fifth edition of this book, the 2004 edition, and the fifth edition is far better. It appears to be completely rewritten and makes more sense. It also spend more time on each area of history. The fourth edition, to put it bluntly, stinks.
Rating:
Summary: I agree with Mr Leonard - a Social Studies book
Review: My son is a Junior in High School and brought this 5th Edition book home last week. I spent an hour going through this book and I have to tell you that I am disappointed in the content. It lacks historical information and focuses on Social issues. I want my son to know the historical information behind these social issues.
It is sad that so much of our history is no longer being taught in our schools in favor of diversity.
Rating:
Summary: AP reading
Review: O.K, this is for those using this book for AP American History in high school. This book is much better than texts used in previous AP classes, it's divided much more effciently and orderly, in terms of taking notes this is the easiest thus far. However, the summer reading assignment of the first 5 chapeters is an exercises in futility. The short answer and essay questions we are tested on are rediculous. Do not waste time doing the reading. Find a friend who knows a guy who knows this place where you can get an outline of the book. These notes are the holy grail for AP students. I recomend you use these notes only for the summer reading; during the year, do the reading! This book is not a horrible one for class use and doing the reading is essential for the AP test in may. The summer reading is simply a device used by teachers to "weed out" weaker students, I dont approve of cheating...but use all the resources you have before walking into school in september.
<< 1 >>
| 
