The Handy American History Answer Book (The Handy Answer Book Series) - Softcover

Hudson J.D., David L.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1578594715 ISBN 13: 9781578594719

Publisher: Visible Ink Press, 2015

Synopsis

Early civilizations, Native Americans, the English colonies, slavery, the American Revolution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights begin the journey and lay the foundation for the United States of today. The Handy American History Answer Book takes a walk through the economic, political, and social forces, as well as the military conflicts that created, changed, and built the United States. It explains the impact of the biggest events, the wars, the presidents, lesser-known personalities and figures, sports, music, and much more. This handy primer is a captivating, concise, and convenient history of America and Americans.

From Washington to the microchip, Columbus to modern terrorist threats, the Anasazi to the iPhone, The Handy American History Answer Book traces the development of the nation, including the impact of the Civil War, the discovery of gold in California, the inventions, the political and economic crises, and the technology transforming modern culture today. It answers nearly 900 commonly asked questions and offers fun facts about American, its history, and people, including What was the Lost Colony? Who were the robber barons? Was the U.S. mainland attacked during World War II? What was Reaganomics? How many states recognize same-sex marriages?

About this title

About the Author

David Hudson, Jr., JD is the author or co-author of over three dozen books, including The Handy History Answer Book, The Handy Law Answer Book, and The Handy Supreme Court Answer Book, all from Visible Ink Press, as well as The Rehnquist Court: Understanding Its Impact and Legacy (Praeger), and (as co-editor with John Vile and David Schultz) The Encyclopedia of the First Amendment (CQ Press). He works as a senior law clerk at the Tennessee Supreme Court and teaches classes at Vanderbilt Law School and the Nashville School of Law. Hudson earned his undergraduate degree from Duke University and his law degree from Vanderbilt Law School. He lives in Nashville with his wife, Carla, who assists him greatly with her excellent research skills.

From School Library Journal

Gr 10 Up—Hudson provides a largely conventional "war and politics" survey of U.S. history. Like other volumes in this series, topics are presented in question-and-answer format. The work reads like an encyclopedia, following the course of American history in chronological order, beginning with the colonial period and concluding with the Obama administration. Subjects such as sports and popular culture are tacked on as final chapters, and these entries discuss movies, pop stars, and athletes. Photographs and illustrations, ranging in size from a quarter to a full page, are scattered throughout. Individual chapters are broken down into more specific subheadings. Some of the entry questions feel organic ("What was the Emancipation Proclamation?"), while others come off as somewhat forced ("What major law signed by President William Howard Taft (1857–1930) gave the federal government greater control over railroad rates?"). The work devotes only a few pages to pre-Columbian Native American civilizations before it dives into the colonial period: a serious omission. Nevertheless, this volume succeeds as a history reference for school projects. VERDICT A supplemental history reference for middle and high school libraries.—Jeffrey Meyer, Mt. Pleasant Public Library, IA

Edition details

• Publisher: Visible Ink Press
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1578594715
• ISBN 13: 9781578594719
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 448