Our Nation's Archive: The History of the United States in Documents

Rating:
Summary: Better than any history book I have ever seen.
Review: A unique look at america through our documets including the govermental papers, first hand accounts of key events, songs, poems, speaches and prose of many kinds that define out nation. A great resource for the home or classroom and fun to read. A true learning experience.

Rating:
Summary: Good Primary Source Guide
Review: Excellent book of primary sources. The author did not intend to put whole documents in this book. If you feel like you need the whole document, most of these can be found on the web.

Rating:
Summary: Good Primary Source Guide
Review: Excellent book of primary sources. The author did not intend to put whole documents in this book. If you feel like you need the whole document, most of these can be found on the web.

Rating:
Summary: Failed Attempt at a Good Idea
Review: This book has one redeeming quality: the volume contains many unusual and telling 'pieces' descriptive of American history.
However,the volume is flawed in two fatal and fundamental ways. 1) There is no bibliography, thus the reader has no way to determine where the editors located their material. For example, the first piece in the volume ("How the World was Made") is simply attributed to 'The Cherokee Nation'. 2) The editing of the material is suspect at best. The Rev. Dr. King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" has been redacted from its original fifty pargraphs to a mere 18 without wxplanation. Don't buy this book.

Rating:
Summary: Will, a Historian of some type.
Review: This is a credible source, don't get me wrong, however history, in the form of documents, quotations, etc., can be very misleading. While, I'm certain, the editor selected the articles and quotes with some discretion, you need to stay objective and remind yourself that quotes alone are not always representative of a sinle person or time. Use this book, but read Howard Zinn's A Peoples History of the United States first, to get a good foundation of American History. History has always been told from a biased viewpoint from persons capable of being heard (Usually because of a higher position in a social-economic/political system). Use your mind to discriminate information from propaghanda.