Peter C. Mancall, Series Editor
This series looks at how ordinary people from all parts of American society influenced—and were affected by—the defining eras and pivotal events in U.S. history.
How did the outbreak of the Revolutionary War change the daily lives of colonial citizens? What did everyday Americans think about slavery, women's suffrage, and the Vietnam War? Questions like these lie at the heart of this unique series, one that draws on the groundbreaking work of social historians to bring to light the people history books often overlook.
Perspectives in American History examines important moments in the American past, not from the perspective of the famous and powerful, but through the eyes of everyday citizens. It is a ground-level view of history—a complementary way of exploring crucial moments when American society underwent significant change.
Students will learn how military conflicts altered the lives of women, ethnic minorities, and children; how individuals in towns and cities responded to the challenges of their time; and how the formal political questions of the age—independence from Britain, the Emancipation Proclamation, the Gulf of Tonkin resolution—were understood across American society.
Highlights
- Topics are selected to fit curriculum standards for both high school history classes and undergraduate American history courses
- An emphasis on social history brings a groundbreaking new trend in historical analysis into the classroom while focusing discussions on topics that will engage students and enhance the traditional approach to history
- The format provides both flexibility and relevance as curriculum support materials—teachers can select the specific volumes that best suit their lesson plans
Features- Contributions from experts on each specific era and on the social history approach to historical analysis that is producing dramatic changes to our understanding of the past
- Primary sources detail the words and voices of everyday Americans through excerpts from letters, diaries, journalism, and other direct sources
- Illustrations from the period such as maps, drawings, engravings, and photographs provide the reader with a visual sense of each era
- Relevant sidebars and call-outs discuss important parallel events and present primary source quotations
- Summary bibliographies at the end of the respective volumes
- The chronology includes important dates in the history of the era in question, enabling readers to chart specific stories and set other events into context
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