A History of US

A History of US #4

by Joy Hakim

Observe our very first President as he figures out how to do the job. Also, herein: Details of one of the world's greatest land bargains. News of an expedition to unmapped territory west of the wide Mississippi. And stories of a powerful Indian leader and of a man who made himself free.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, School, American History, Read For School, Reference, Childrens

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

I've just updated A HISTORY OF US to include some new stories, especially those on people who haven't had their full story told, like Native Americans and African Americans. I've been astounded by some of what I've learned, I think you will be too.


My husband and I live most of the year in Colorado. I grew up in Rutland, Vermont and graduated from Rutland High School. I earned a bachelor's degree in government at Smith College, a master's degree in education from Goucher College, as well as an honorary doctorate from Goucher.

I've been a teacher: in Syracuse, New York; Omaha, Nebraska; and Virginia Beach, Virginia. And I've taught in elementary school, middle school, high school, and in a community college.

I've also been a newspaper woman: a general reporter, a business reporter, and an associate editor and editorial writer at Norfolk's Virginian-Pilot.

We have three children and five grandchildren.

from: http://www.joyhakim.com/biography.html

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent entry in the series. Hakim tries to give both sides of the story, even in something so horrible as slavery. She puts it into the perspective of the times, why the Founding Fathers went along with it & how it changed over time. She spends a fair amount of time on the first 8 presidents, but only briefly mentions the next 8 pretty much dismissing 7 & we'll get to the 16th, Lincoln, in the next book.

I liked this a lot, but I think she bit off too much. The only mention of Aaron Burr was his duel in which he killed Alexander Hamilton. A thumbnail of Lewis & Clark, but no mention of Fremont, although I can't remember if she touched on him in the last book or will get to it in the next since she barely mentioned the Mexican War of the 1840s.

She never mentions why Andrew Jackson hated the Indians so much. She also ducked the Cherokee Nation issue - the fact that it was considered a foreign nation within our borders - & how that contributed to its fall, yet she does a marvelous job of setting up the similar schism that eventually led to the Civil War. She did a good job of showing how the differing economies & the failing Southern influence led to harsher treatment of slaves & the insistence on state rights. She did a great job with Fredrick Douglass. I expect we'll get to John Brown in the next book since he wasn't in this one.

It's tough to write a narrative of our history since the land & issues are so big & span so much time, but I wish she'd spent a bit more time on the War of 1812. She spent quite a bit of time on Thomas Jefferson, but never mentioned how the Louisiana Purchase was such a departure from his professed stance as was sending the fledgling navy & marines into Tripoli. They were both excellent moves, just unexpected from TJ. His foresight & pragmatism was incredible. I loved her inclusion of his letter to the Maine rep or senator about how the Missouri Compromise would cause a rift in the country.

All in all, she did a really good job, but I think this should have been 2 books. I'm looking forward to reading the next. These might be for kids, but they're great for adults, too.

[Joe Bondi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful history book that's just my speed (It's a children's book)

[Dana Schnitzel · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a few things a bit dated about the language of this book (how hard is it to say white PEOPLE or black PEOPLE every time?), but it does a better job than most of explaining America's complex history. Hakim calls out the evils of slavery and the Plight of the Native American, while also drawing attention to ways in which people did work to enact liberty and justice for all, all while explaining things that DID happen. I use this series to teach my history classes, but am often using it as background knowledge for me, more than a traditional textbook.

[Rykki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This, the fourth book in the series, had a very specific focus on the progress of the American government, from the first president up until Abraham Lincoln (though it didn't do more than merely mention him in the end). It was a decent read, specifically with the first 8 presidents of the United States, though it did briefly gloss over the 8 that followed. There was a lot of discussion on how the political parties formed, and what their sway was in the government, as well as how that was to influence so much of what would follow in history. On several occasions there was ominous foreshadowing of the Civil War. It seems that there were plenty of people who saw that as an inevitable conclusion to the struggles between the slave states and the free states.

There was a good bit covered in this time period as well, though there was a little bit of jumping around in the time period which made it a little more challenging to follow than I would like. However, many subjects were covered in this period, from the persecution and the pushing westward of the Native American tribes to the major industrial changes going on in the country which resulted in trains, steamboats, and the first factories in the country. It showed how much of the North was changing and becoming industrialized, while the Southern states were in a situation where they further relied on slavery to make profits, and what the results of those changes were. It covers the factors that influenced the change from slavery slowly starting to die out in the South to coming back into popularity as the demand for cotton grew with the invention of the cotton gin and the factories set to spin and weave the cotton in the North. It was a well thought out and detailed look into the factors of continuing slavery in the South, and the heated tensions that eventually led up to the succession of the Confederate States and the Civil War.

Given the complexity of events in this time period, it isn't surprising that there is overlap between this and the next book in the series. There was a good deal going on in this time period, and it seemed that this book was specifically focused on the foundation of the government and the political environment of the time period, as well as the influences that would lead up to the Civil War. From the looks of the next book, it will share some of the same influences, as well as other discussions on the pursuit of liberty in the United States of America.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok, though I didn’t think it was as good as the previous book in the series. She falls into the same trap of many history textbooks in that there’s this desire to show only the positives of they Presidents, and to only talk about the Presidents. There were a number of times where I used the textbook to then ask my children what the wording or details given (or omitted) told us about the author, as well. So in that regard, it served as a good example. And there was some good material there, too.

[Apzmarshl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome review of an early nation and the things (slavery, driving out and slaughtering natives) that threatened its undoing. The author suggests a lot of personal study and other works for deeper understanding. We read extra books on Alexander Hamilton, Sequoyah, Frederick Douglass, and the trail of tears.

[Hank Pharis · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Note: I'm stingy with stars. For me 2 stars means a good book. 3 = Very good; 4 = Outstanding {only about 5% of the books I read merit this}; 5 = All time favorites {one of these may come along every 400-500 books})

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, Joy Hakim presents a somewhat glossy view of History. Again, she makes History so interesting any liberties may be forgiven if the reader is driven to further research.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining and somewhat interesting, and sometimes even a touch quirky, history of late 18th and early 19th USA - but don't look for much depth.

[Sunny Kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was ok I don’t rlly like history.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very well-written book, geared for younger kids. This book really showed what the new government of the United States looked like and talked about the first 14 presidents.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a teenager, and this was my spine book for history--I would then supplement with Abraham Lincoln's World by G. Foster, and kid books from the library. I loved this book! I read it every night before bed. Ms. Hakim is a Liberal, I believe, but she tries to be unbiased and shows both sides of history in her books. I learned a lot! I enjoyed the pictures, quotations, and photographs of people she talked about. I plan on reading all the other books in this series. Thanks, Ms. Hakim, for writing American History so it makes sense!

[The other John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 4 of A History of US (or, as they say in Britain, A History of THEM) looks at the United States from 1789 through 1850. Ms. Hakim covers the development of our government under the new constitution, looking at the contributions of our first seven presidents--and then skimming over the next seven. She speaks of the arrival of the Industrial Revolution on these shores and of the drive of our population to the west. She also gives a lot of coverage to the lives and events of America's native and black populations. Having read through this era of American history in the past few years, I kept getting the feeling that she was rushing through too fast. But in the end, I realized that she pretty much covered all the basics. She could have written a book that was ten times as long, but then that would defeat the purpose of covering the entire history of our country in a single school year.

[Jenevieve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to admit I learned more in this book than previous ones like the fact that there were presidents between Jackson and Lincoln. I mean, I knew that in a logical sense because Jackson was number 7 and Lincoln was sixteenth but still, they actually had names. Of course, she only gave one chapter to all 8 of them since they didn't seem to do much of anything. Otherwise, it was still better than the first book or two as it seemed to flow better and the presentation was easier to follow. I still dislike the gazillion side notes and extra articles that get stuck in tho. I find them distracting and I know that Jon tends to gloss over them. Sometimes you can as they aren't that important and sometimes they are really important. Ugh!

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

While Driving from Atlanta, GA to Penscacola FL, and a little bit back...we listened to this one! Tons of great information! I love how it is written. It isn't boring with facts and figures and dates. IT is written for kids but we adults enjoyed it It is told in a fun and interesting way, I might even remember presidents 8-15 with a mnemonic devices...or not... Very Happy Tennis Players take first place best. V H T P T F P B can you figure it out?? Or When A Joke Made Me A Joker W A J M M A J

[Rebecca Terry Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

i read this book in history class. it is really good

[Chrisanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love that she recounts the growing pains. Reminds me that, every so often, we go through another episode or so.

[Judy]

easy to read, but good to review what I had forgotten or never learned!

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

a good resource for children to learn about american history in relation to the building formation and implimnetation of the american society

[Skye · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is so great at explaining the issues in US history!

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this with my son as part of his history curriculum. Does a good job of covering most of the details in this time period.

[Ariel Paiement · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this a lot. It was clear and enjoyable.

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this book for school in my history class.

[Cws]

JRef3#4

[Super XXXXX Man · Rating 4 out of 5]

history is boring

[Lauren Colunga]

Another addition to a great series of US history books. We listed to The New Nation on audiobook while driving around and greatly enjoyed it. It made for a fun review to flip through the book when we got home to explore all of the images and captions about what we listened to.