Opening of the West

Historians frequently make use of primary source documents to bring the past to life. Revealing the real words of actual inhabitants of the past, they invite readers to interpret the evidence for themselves. Similarly, American Voices offers young readers first-hand, sometimes arresting insight into key periods of America’s history. Set within a narrative framework that includes a concise introduction to the period under discussion, each book of the series features at leas thirty samples of original writings from colonial life, the Revolutionary War, the opening of the West, the Civil War, World War I or World War II. Included are newspaper accounts, speeches, diaries and journals, letters and government archives. The entries are as diverse as they are fascinating. Of varying lengths and accessibility, they are written by men and women, the famous and the obscure, soldiers and generals, farmers and explorers, factory workers and statesmen. Enhanced by photographs, maps, posters, cartoons and other illustrations, they shed dramatic light on a complex past. A group of critical-thinking questions – Think about This – follows each entry; unusual words are defined near the selections; and time lines enhance each book. These features help readers develop a deeper understanding of history through primary American sources.