American Passages: A History of the United States - Hardcover

Ayers, Edward L.; Gould, Lewis L.; Oshinsky, David M.; Soderlund, Jean R.

3.36

14 ratings by Goodreads

9780618914463: American Passages: A History of the United States

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0618914463 ISBN 13: 9780618914463

Publisher: Cengage Learning, 2006

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American Passages places a unique emphasis on cause-and-effect relationships over time, offering students a complete, compelling narrative, and providing balanced coverage of political, economic, social, cultural, military, religious, and intellectual history. Rather than grouping facets of historical change into "themes" or "topics," the authors focus on the intertwined nature of three characteristics of time: sequence, simultaneity, and contingency. The Third Edition includes four new Passages features that use visuals and narratives to illustrate the passage of time and act as both a summary of previous material and a bridge to new chapters. These essays are accompanied by maps that indicate political boundaries, settlements, and geographical changes; charts of population growth; a comprehensive timeline; and photographs.

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About the Author:

Edward L. Ayers is the President of the University of Richmond. He was educated at the University of Tennessee and Yale University, where he received his Ph.D. in American Studies. Previously Dean of Arts and Sciences at the University of Virginia, where he began teaching in 1980, Ayers was named National Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation and the Council for the Support of Education in 2003. His book, IN THE PRESENCE OF MINE ENEMIES: WAR IN THE HEART OF AMERICA, 1859-1863 (2003), won the Bancroft Prize for distinguished work on the history of the United States. THE PROMISE OF THE NEW SOUTH: LIFE AFTER RECONSTRUCTION (1992) won prizes for the best book on the history of American race relations and on the history of the American South. It was a finalist for both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. He is the co-editor of THE OXFORD BOOK OF THE AMERICAN SOUTH (1997) and ALL OVER THE MAP: RETHINKING AMERICAN REGIONS (1996). The World Wide Web version of "The Valley of the Shadow: Two Communities in the American Civil War" was recognized by the American Historical Association as the best aid to the teaching of history. His latest book is WHAT CAUSED THE CIVIL WAR? REFLECTIONS ON THE SOUTH AND SOUTHERN HISTORY (2005).

Lewis L. Gould is Eugene C. Barker Centennial Professor Emeritus in American History at the University of Texas at Austin. After receiving his Ph.D. from Yale University, he taught at Texas for 31 years before his retirement in 1998. He was honored for outstanding undergraduate and graduate teaching during his career. His most recent books include THE MODERN AMERICAN PRESIDENCY (2003), GRAND OLD PARTY: A HISTORY OF THE REPUBLICANS (2003), and THE MOST EXCLUSIVE CLUB: A HISTORY OF THE MODERN UNITED STATES SENATE (2005). He has written op-ed essays for "The Washington Post," the "Austin American-Statesman," and "The Dallas Morning News," and has been a frequent commentator on radio and television about modern politics, First Ladies, and Congress.

David M. Oshinsky received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and his doctorate from Brandeis. His is currently Jack S. Blanton Chair of History at the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to that he taught for 26 years at Rutgers University, where he held the Board of Governors Chair as well as chairman of the History Department. Oshinsky is the author of five books, including A CONSPIRACY SO IMMENSE: THE WORLD OF JOE MCCARTHY (1983), which was voted one of the year's "best books" by the "New York Sunday Times Book Review," and won the Hardeman Prize for the best work about the U.S. Congress. His book, WORSE THAN SLAVERY: PARCHMAN FARM AND THE ORDEAL OF JIM CROW JUSTICE (1996), won both the Robert Kennedy Book Award for the year's most distinguished contribution to the field of human rights and the American Bar Association's Scribes Award for distinguished legal writing. Oshinsky's latest book is POLIO: AN AMERICAN STORY (2005).

Jean R. Soderlund is Professor of History and Deputy Provost for Faculty Affairs at Lehigh University. She received her Ph.D. from Temple University and was a post-doctoral fellow at the McNeil Center for Early American Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Her book, QUAKERS AND SLAVERY: A DIVIDED SPIRIT, won the Alfred E. Driscoll Publication Prize of the New Jersey Historical Commission. Soderlund was an editor of three volumes of the PAPERS OF WILLIAM PENN (1981-1983) and co-authored FREEDOM BY DEGREES: EMANCIPATION IN PENNSYLVANIA AND ITS AFTERMATH (1991). She has written articles and chapters in books on the history of women, African Americans, Native Americans, Quakers, and the development of abolition in the British North American colonies and early United States. She is currently working on a study of the Lenape people within colonial New Jersey society. She is a council member of the McNeil Center for Early American Studies, and she served as a committee chair for the American Historical Association and the Organization of American Historians.

Review:

"'American Passages presents a more highly integrated message of themes and ideas. It is a text that builds on itself using multiple formats, while others'seem to only have disparate elements. One of its greatest strengths is its narrative and the degree of integration between the images, extra passages, and maps. This text, more so than the vast majority on the market, is integrated to a degree that is meaningful and productive; IT WILL FACILITATE LEARNING."

"The strong narrative style is exceptional, and does not bog the reader down with tedious detail. It is well written and flows easily from topic to topic, weaving the facts together. ' In addition to the obvious careful scholarship and research apparent in this text, I found it to be extremely readable, and often lively in its presentation. This is important for the student who comes reluctantly to the study of history, as well as those who come with a passion for it."

"The narrative cohesion of the various chapters is by far the greatest strength of American Passages. I would recommend this text to a colleague, and in so doing, I would emphasize the engaging nature of the text rendered so by the richness of its narrative. The document and photo features of each chapter are creative and stimulating and effectively compliment narrative content. The book's content organization and chapter layout more-or-less parallel other textbooks'. American Passages, though, links disparate content within and between chapters more lucidly than I have noticed in other texts."

"Quite frankly this is a wonderful text. I have used it in the past and I will definitely use it again. It is one of the best written texts on the market. Students find it easy to read and very understandable. ' It is amazing how the authors can cover such complex issues without making value judgments. It provides the student with a good look at what happened in America and allows the student to make up his or her own mind to whether or not it was a good or bad thing."

"I think [students] will be engaged by the clear narrative style. I think it is written perfectly for my students (who all too often hate to read and seem to look for chances to tune out if confused by the text). Though I didn't find it to be "dumbed down", I thought that my average students will find it much more clear than [another text]."

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