Major Problems in Atlantic History: Documents and Essays

Major Problems in American History

by Alison Games, Adam Rothman

Designed to encourage critical thinking about history, the Major Problems Series introduces students to both primary sources and analytical essays on important topics in US history. The Atlantic Ocean and the interactions between the continents that make up the Atlantic rim, North America, South America, Africa, and Europe, have all figured largely into the history of both the United States and the world. Major Problems in Atlantic History covers the history and evolution of this area, with special attention to such topics as the origins of the Atlantic world, migrations throughout the Atlantic world, European interactions, Atlantic economies, slavery, and independence.

Genres: History

512 pages, Paperback

First published November 9, 2007

About the author

Alison Games is the Dorothy M. Brown Distinguished Professor of History at Georgetown University.

Reviews

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Major Problems contains a superb collection of primary sources for atlanticists that are organized into chapters thematically and accompanied by essays from notables in the field (Games herself, Armitage, Curtin, Crosby, Thornton). However, I would have appreciated slightly denser chapter introductions that provide a bit more synthesis and gave the student a bit more of a basic chronological grounding in where/when the primary documents are coming from. Overall, the book ends up having a very fragmented feel, which is ironic for a book supposedly adopting an integrative historical framework.