American Issues: A Primary Source Reader in United States History; To 1877

American Issues is an anthology of compelling primary source documents that offers a unique perspective on the American experience, in which those who actually lived the drama of the moment recount their observations, express their feelings and opinions, and draw their own conclusions about the events and issues that influenced their lives and ultimately shaped American society as a whole. The carefully chosen readings, which deal with a wide range of important political, social, cultural, and economic problems, reflect the complexity and diversity of the American past. Each section presents differing and often opposing points of view on matters that have had a profound impact on our individual lives as well as our collective life as a nation.

Irwin Unger and Robert R. Tomes provide a thought-provoking forum that forces readers to confront the American past as it was really lived, with all its intricate considerations, its passions, and its apparent contradictions. The readings are strategically arranged and framed with thorough background explanations to enable readers to challenge previously held assumptions, correct misinformation, stimulate critical. and analytical thinking, and, most of all, form mature, defensible judgments on the issues that have shaped our lives and comprise our past.