Keys to American History: Understanding Our Most Important Historic Documents

Unlock and explore American history firsthand though this nation’s most important documents. Much more than a reference book, The Keys to American History tells the story of a growing, vibrant democracy through its laws, Supreme Court rulings, treaties, and presidential speeches, from colonial times to the present. Organized chronologically, each document includes a brief introduction and excerpts, and often an image of the original. Most are followed by interesting and relevant historical quotes from books, newspapers, and speeches of their eras, providing a rich and varied framework to understand each document’s significance. The more than 60 entries include: • Mayflower Compact • Declaration of Independence • Washington’s Farewell Address • Missouri Compromise • Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments • Emancipation Proclamation • Homestead Act • Wilson’s Fourteen Points • Brown v. Board of Education • Voting Rights Act • Resignation Speech of Richard Nixon • …and more By reading the essential documents of American government, and the viewpoints of the leaders and citizens who wrote them, you will gain a profound understanding of the United States and the men and women who built it.

Richard Panchyk is the author of American Folk Art for Kids, Archaeology for Kids, Franklin Delano Roosevelt for Kids, Galileo for Kids, Our Supreme Court, and World War II for Kids.