Reading the American Past, Volume II: From 1865: Selected Historical Documents

by Michael P. Johnson (Editor)

This two-volume primary-source collection provides a diverse selection of voices from the nation’s past while emphasizing the important social, political, and economic themes of a U.S. history survey course. Edited by one of the authors of The American Promise and designed to complement the textbook, Reading the American Past features over 150 documents, each accompanied by a headnote and questions for discussion to encourage students’ understanding of the sources.

Genres: History, School, Nonfiction, Textbooks

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Michael P. Johnson (Ph.D., Stanford University) is a professor of history at the Johns Hopkins University. He has written or edited six books, including No Chariot Let Down: Charleston’s Free People of Color on the Eve of the Civil War (1984) and The American Promise.

Reviews

[Bob Newby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly some really interesting accounts from the American Past

[Marcus Goncalves · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me awhile to read this book. It offers a rich array of primary documents from 1865 onwards, presenting diverse voices across social, political, and cultural landscapes.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, good sources (I admit I did not read 'em all), but I wish there had been more stereotype overturning. I felt like I was given the documents from which our Politically-Correct history of the 20th century was made.

Still, no gaping flaws and it is helpful to see the sources behind our history.

[Matthew Hurley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, so I didn't read the whole thing, but I read what we were supposed to read for school, which was a good chunk of it. Historical documents, primary sources are fun to read. Makes one feel like a historian.