The American Past: A Survey of American History, Volume II: Since 1865 - Softcover

Conlin, Joseph R.

3.53

17 ratings by Goodreads

9780495050599: The American Past: A Survey of American History, Volume II: Since 1865

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0495050598 ISBN 13: 9780495050599

Publisher: Cengage Learning, 2006

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Author Joseph R. Conlin's award-winning teaching and writing styles are reflected in this colorful and engaging look at the individuals, events, and ideas that have shaped our nation's past. Organized into short chapters and updated with new insights into recently published research, this text sets the story in a political context, weaving in social, cultural, economic, intellectual, constitutional, diplomatic, and military events along the way. Conlin's popular sidebars and How They Lived vignettes-many of which are new in this edition-bring historical stories to life and emphasize the human and social dimensions of history. With its literary prose style and its unifying voice, THE AMERICAN PAST, Eighth Edition will capture and hold your students' interest as it guides them on a fascinating, eye-opening walk through the years gone by. Conlin's text is available in the following volume options: THE AMERICAN PAST: A SURVEY OF AMERICAN HISTORY, Comprehensive, (Chapters 1-51), ISBN: 0495050148; VOLUME I: TO 1877, (Chapters 1-25), ISBN: 0495050571; VOLUME II: SINCE 1865, (Chapters 25-51), ISBN: 0495050598.

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About the Author:

Joseph Conlin was born in Philadelphia and educated at Villanova University (A.B.) and the University of Wisconsin (M.A., Ph.D.). He taught American history at half a dozen colleges and universities, spending most of his career at California State University, Chico. He was a Fulbright Professor in Rome and Salzburg and was twice Visiting Senior Lecturer at the Social History Centre at Warwick University, England. For 30 years (60 semesters), with a few subtracted for sabbaticals, he taught between one and four sections of the United States history survey course each term, a total of about 200 times. He won four awards for excellence in teaching. Conlin has written a dozen books, about 70 articles in scholarly journals and magazines of popular history, some 100 book reviews in a variety of journals, and more newspaper journalism than he can or cares to remember. Several of his published essays and one book were awarded "best of the year" prizes.

Review:

"I like that the chapters on war are divided into two - conceptually, this helps students break major events into two bits. The Civil War & WWII are divided chronologically, and WWI is divided by foreign & domestic activity which is nice for a short period of American involvement."

"The opening quotes for each chapter set the tone--a technique I already use to illicit discussion and critical thinking in my classes. Photo captions and sidebars are illuminating and seem to answer the questions students did not realize they needed to ask [e.g. p.464 sidebar on Lady Homesteaders.] They take students into the era rather than keep them as outsiders looking in--a shot of whimsy to lighten the rest of the load."

"I like the organization and the philosophy as I have stated above. I also like the "bite-sized" chapters and the "How They Lived" and "sidebars" within the chapters. Many students have short attention spans. They should not have a problem using this textbook."

"The boxed features in the chapters provide fascinating insights and little known facts for the student. They are a definite strength of this textbook and are real "gems"."

"[Regarding "How They Lived" and sidebar features] I loved them! I looked forward to them. I even made a point to look in other chapters to see what he had included."

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