Thinking Through the Past: A Critical-Thinking Approach to U.S. History, Volume I: To 1877

This reader for the U.S. history survey course contains both primary and secondary sources concerned with motivation, causation, and the role of ideas and economic interests in history. The text's historiographical approach gives students the opportunity to strengthen their critical-thinking skills through the comparison of historical sources. Each chapter includes an introduction to the historical problem, information on the setting and the investigation, questions to consider, sources, and a conclusion.

John Hollitz received his PhD from the University of Wisconsin in 1981 and has been professor of history at the Community College of Southern Nevada since 1992. Previously, he taught at California State University, Chico. In addition to CONTENDING VOICES, John has also authored a biographical reader, THINKING THROUGH THE PAST (2010). John is a dedicated teacher of the U.S. History survey course.