Of the People: A History of the United States, Concise, Volume I: To 1877

by James Oakes, Michael McGerr, Jan Ellen Lewis

Of the People: A Concise History of the United States, Second Edition, not only tells the history of America--of its people and places, of its dealings and ideals--but it also unfolds the story of American democracy, carefully marking how this country's evolution has been anything but certain, from its complex beginnings to its modern challenges. This comprehensive survey focuses on the social and political lives of people--some famous, some ordinary--revealing the compelling story of America's democracy from an individual perspective, from across the landscapes of diverse communities, and ultimately from within the larger context of the world.
The Concise Second Edition tells the same great story, but with fewer words and images. Maintaining the structure, the features, and maps of the comprehensive edition, this concise version has been thoughtfully condensed--paragraphs now contain trimmed sentences and a reduced number of examples--thus leaving the book's core content and compelling narrative unchanged. The second edition includes 75 percent fewer margin quotations and 60 percent fewer images than in the comprehensive edition.

Genres: History, American History, Nonfiction, Textbooks, Read For School, School

648 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2009

About the author

James Oakes is the author of several acclaimed books on slavery and the Civil War. His most recent book, Freedom National, won the Lincoln Prize and was a long-list selection for the National Book Award. He lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Espresso · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was more interested in culture than in some of the other aspects of history. It was refreshing to read a book written about people instead of dates and activities.

[Sonya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for history buffs and those who want to catch up on all you may have missed in history class. The narratives and personalization of history is what kept me enthralled.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this textbook doesn’t necessary cover the Native Americans enough, it still makes up for that shortcoming by showing the evolution in American culture from the colonial era to Reconstruction. How the average person did things is just as important as massive events, and this textbook recognizes that.

[Virginia Garrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book, as a college textbook in a state school I was surprised by the focus given to our nation's Christian heritage.

[Jungshi · Rating 3 out of 5]

"US History 101" for a university student.

[Sinai C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, compared to other history textbooks, this was relaxing and quick. It was organized in a clear way, there was a lot of interesting information and it was so clean-cut. I really don't mind reading it at all, I'll look at it fondly as being a very cute and easy textbook that I'll always have if I ever need to re-learn my American history. ^,^ It's a bit sad, but there's a second book and I'm excited.