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-Reading level about grade 6-8
-Size is about 8.75" x 5.5"
We've
been studying American history for a couple of years now. We included
the a little study of Mexico and Canada up until about the 1760's.
When I use the term "American" history, I'm referring to the area of land that became
and is the United States of America. Canada and Mexico are both part
of North America, and are, therefore, America, but they haven't been the
main focus of our studies in American history yet. It would be easy
to just say U. S. history, but U. S. history didn't start until the United
States became a reality with the Constitution. Okay, so maybe I'm splitting hairs.
We've
used a number of American history books and have a few more for reference.
I bought
A
History of the United States and Its People by Eggleston recently
since I'd been wondering about it for quite some time. It was written
in the 1880's. I think it will be helpful to have a different point
of view of history to complement our other texts. (See side bar for
a list of some of the other texts we've been using.)
My thoughts
on this are that history book authors see history through eyes that are
greatly affected (some would say prejudiced) by the society they live in.
Because of this, all history books are biased. Since we can't get
away from the bias, we might as well realize that and look at history and
its biases and then form our own views. History isn't just facts; it's also a record of people and how they lived their lives. It's beneficial to *see*
history through many people's eyes. An author from the 1880's, such
as Eggleston, is going to describe history from the point of view of the
1880's. His book is, by default, filtered through the political, philosophical,
and social issues of the day, as well as Eggleston's own personal biases.
When we read with that understanding, we get a broader view of history.
I'm excited to include Eggleston's book into our curriculum when we get
back to school this fall. We are currently in the middle of reading
Marrin's book on the Revolution aloud, and HUSIP
will be a good review book for my 11 year old daughter to read on her own.
Okay,
as for the content of the book, I'll start with a drawback first:
the book ends with the admission of ND, SD, MT, and WA state into the union
in 1889. That's the most recent event listed as far as I can tell.
So this book can't be used as a *complete* American history book.
That is a bit of a drawback, if you're looking for a complete curriculum,
because you'll then have to find another book to finish out the 1800's.
Some good news is that there are a number of books that focus exclusively
on the 20th century: Usborne
Book of the 20th Century, DK Visual Timeline of the 20th Century,
What
Everyone Should Know About the 20th Century. But I'm getting
ahead of myself here, so back to the content of Eggleston's book.
The obligatory story about Columbus is at the beginning, along with some
info on Amerigo Vespucci, Cabot and sons, Magellan, Balboa, Leif Ericsson,
and a fellow I've never heard of before called Madoc. The next chapter
covers Sir Walter Raleigh and his attempts in the late 1500's to settle
America. I think I'll just go ahead and list some of the chapter
topics so that you can see how well Eggleston covered American history.
| Columbus |
| Americus Vespucci, Magellan, Da Gama, Balboa, etc. |
| Sir Walter Raleigh, John White, Roanoke, tobacco |
| Jamestown, John Smith |
| More Jamestown, starving time, Sir Thomas Gates, De la Warr, Pocahontas |
| Great Charter of Virginia, free government begins, wives arrive, massacre by Indians |
| Pilgrims |
| Puritans, Roger Williams |
| Dutch, Henry Hudson, |
| Settlements in Maryland and the Carolinas, Lord Baltimore, Calvert |
| Quakers and others settling New Jerseys and Pennsylvania, William Penn |
| Settlement of Georgia, Germans, Irish, French, Oglethorpe |
| Indian life, children's games, dress, houses, furniture, agriculture, canoes, |
| Indian Wars, Pequot War, King Philip's War |
| Traits of War with Indians, weapons, strategy |
| Everyday life in colonial times, houses, furniture, food, dress, travel, education, amusements |
| Farming and shipping, tobacco, tools, animals, shipbuilding |
| Bond-Servants and slaves, tenants, indentured servants, slaves from Africa |
| Colonial laws, religious laws, witches, Roger Williams, punishments |
| Spanish in Florida, French in Canada, St. Augustine, Quebec, Louisiana, causes of French & Indian Wars |
| Wars with France and Spain, four French and Indian Wars, |
| General Braddock's Defeat, Acadians, Sir William Johnson, Crown Point, Montcalm |
| Fall of Canada, French and Indian War, Pitt, Wolfe, Ticonderoga, Rogers Rangers |
| Government in the colonies, royal govt., charter govt., colonial legislatures |
| Early struggles for liberty,Bacon's rebellion, Andros overthrown, charter oak |
| Causes of the American Revolution, Patrick Henry, Sam Adams, Stamp Act, Boston Massacre, taxes, tea party, Boston port closed, congress called |
| Outbreak of the Revolution, Declaration of Independence, Jefferson, Lexington, Bunker Hill |
| Battle of Trenton, Burgoyne's Army (online at Amazon) |
| Dark Period of Revolution, La Fayette, Steuben, Brandywine, Valley Forge, Allied with France, British in Georgia and SC |
| Closing Years of Revolution, Arnold, Cornwallis, Yorktown |
| Nature of Revolutionary War, John Paul Jones, militia, equipment, government |
| Adoption of Constitution, federal government, division of power between states, three branches of govt. |
| New republic and its people, Washington's election/inauguration, colleges, mail carrying, population |
| Everyday life in Washington's Time, farmers, backwoodsmen, heating, prevalence of slavery, fashion |
| Washington as President, Anthony Wayne, Hamilton, Federalists, Republicans, Indian troubles |
| Troubles with England and France, John Adams as President, Illegal seizures |
| Election of Jefferson, War with Tripoli |
| Great Valley, northwest Territory, Louisiana Purchase, Burr, Daniel Boone |
| Beginning of War with England (1812 |
| Navy in War of 1812 |
| Army in War of 1812, Star-Spangled Banner, Jackson |
| Expansion of the Union, states admitted to Union, Missouri Compromise |
| Monroe to Van Buren, Rise of Whigs and Democrats, Clay, Calhoun, Webster |
| Steamboat, railroad, telegraph |
| Texas, Mexican War, Polk |
| Mexican War and new territory, Scott |
| Slavery in politics, Uncle Tom's Cabin, Texas, fugitive slaves |
| Approach of Civil War, decay of Whigs, Dred Scott, John Brown, Lincoln, Know-Nothings |
| Civil War begins, secession, states rights, Fort Sumter, Peace Convention |
| Bull Run, war conditions, border states, Shiloh, Fort Henry |
| Bull Run to Gettysburg, Stonewall, Meade, McClellan, Pope, Lee, Burnside and Hooker |
| 1862, 1863, Hampton Roads, Merrimac/Monitor, Emancipation Proclamation, Farragut, Vicksburg |
| Campaign between Nashville and Atlanta, Grant, Sherman, Bragg, Kenesaw Mtn. |
| War in the Valley, Wilderness, Cold Harbor, Breckinridge, Monocacy |
| Close of Civil War, Sherman and Hood, march to the sea, Lee surrenders |
| Nature and Results of Civil, death of Lincoln, Trent affair, money during war, Jefferson Davis arrest |
| Political Events since Civil War, no slavery, no secession, Johnson, Grant, Hayes, Garfield |
| Later Developments of the Country, Alaska, other states admitted, Custer, Sitting Bull |
| Population, wealth, modes of living, inventions, machines, factories |
| Literature and Art, Irving, Cooper, Hawthorne, Emerson, Poe, etc. |
| Index |
While
I wouldn't say that this is an in-depth text on American history, it does cover
most of the events in a matter-of-fact way. Carson's series gives
a much more analytical and in-depth version of the information--covering the issues
and effects of events and some of the attitudes involved. HUSIP
(A
History of the United States and Its People) is more of a Joe Friday
text ("Just the facts, Ma'am"). For this reason, it appears that
HUSIP
would be appropriate for use at the 5-8 grade level if you're planning
to use Carson's for high school.
There
is a total of 61 chapters. Almost every chapter is 3.5 to 5 pages
of reading for the student. There are section titles in the margins
which are helpful for getting an quick overview of the chapter prior to
reading it. Plus there are additional pages for study with each chapter.
The additional study usually follows this format:
- Questions for Study (usually)
- Study by Topic (usually)
- Geography (often)
- Skeleton Summary (occasionally)
- Blackboard Illustration (occasionally)
- Composition (rarely)
- Recommended Books (often)
The "Questions for Study" section is exhaustive -- meaning that it includes questions on just about every little fact discussed in the chapter, and it would exhaust me and my kids if we answered them all! Ugh! Too many questions! For instance, Chapter 33 is not even 3 pages long, but includes 43 questions. Another instance, Chapter 46 is 4 pages of reading and 51 questions are provided for it. Most chapters have between 35 and 50 questions. There is no possible chance that my children will be answering that many questions each chapter. There are no answers provided, but they will be easy to find in the text since the chapters are so short.
The "Study by Topic" could be very helpful if you like to use the outlining method of studying. The "Study by Topic" section is just an outline of the chapter -- sometimes it's very basic and other times it's a little more fleshed out. The Well-Trained Mind (TWTM) system of learning advocates outlining. HUSIP is easy to outline and has at least a basic outline with almost every chapter to get a student started if need be. TWTM doesn't cover U. S. history by using a regular history book, but HUSIP could easily be substituted in during the 3rd year of the 2nd history cycle (7th grade)--or maybe at the end of 6th grade. Four chapters a week probably wouldn't be too much for a 7th grader (outlining two of the four chapters), and it could be finished in four months. Another option is that when the "Study by Topic" section is very basic, the student could be asked to flesh it out in writing or do a narration of the information that's been left out.
The "Skeleton Summary" that is occasionally included can be done verbally or on a separate sheet of paper. Playing *Stump the Teacher* is always a fun game to play. Either the student or the teacher can read the chapter aloud and then the student can read the "Skeleton Summary" and have the teacher verbally fill in the blanks. These aren't easy, so watch out! What is instructive about this is that the student will have to know the answer before he'll know whether his teacher has given a correct answer or not!
Are you interested in reading a chapter of the book to see if the reading level will be a good fit for your student? Well, Amazon.com has Chapter 29 online at their site. It's "The Battle of Trenton and the Capture of Burgoyne's Army." It's about 2.5 pages of reading in the book. So it's one of the smaller chapters; most are longer.
A few cautions, the term "Negro" is used in this book along with other anachronisms. I suppose this is to be expected when using a book written in the 1880's. I mention this for those that are bothered by the term. Eggleston is described in his biography near the front of the book as being militant in his opposition to slavery, giving up a chance to attend the University of Virginia. But that doesn't negate the fact that he was a product of his times. Native Americans are called terms such as savages, red men, heathens, etc. Also, the original illustrations are used, so they are all black and white line drawings. And as I page through this book looking at all the pictures of great men in American history, I'm surprised to realize that there are only about three pictures of women of note in this book: Queen Anne, Queen Elizabeth, and Pocahontas. Yeah, no Betsy Ross, no Dolly Madison--I'm so used to plenty of women being included in the texts of today, that I didn't even think to look for that type of bias! I think you have to have an appreciation for old books to be able to use this book.
There are over 60 maps in the book which make learning geography much easier. Plus, with the inclusion of maps, there can be a deeper understanding of the event being covered. Again, they're all black and white. There are eight "Review" sections. These review sections are very basic, but they do include the main points of each chapter. No tests are included.
So who
is this Edward Eggleston fellow that we should read a book written by him?
Well, here's his short Online
Biography (no longer available). Also, here's an
interesting little note from page 34:
| "In this and the preceding chapters some statements are made which will be unfamiliar even to those well acquainted with the history of the settlement of Virginia. These are founded, however, on a careful study of the oldest existing manuscript authorities, preserved in the Library of Congress, in the British Museum and in the British Public Record Office." |
So, it
does appear that he did quite a bit of research and verifying of facts.
Eggleston did not want well-worn fables included in his history book.
He says in the preface that no work of history is free of error, but that
he has "... tried to make this a genuine history, in harmony with the best
historical scholarship of the time." One example that supports this is that he doesn't present the story about Pocahontas "saving" John Smith as truth (it's possibly just a story Smith made up). In his one-page biography, it
tells us that Eggleston conceived of the ideal history book being primarily
a record of the culture of a people.
Well,
I think that about covers it.
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Homeschool RAQ
Award Winners at Amazon
Other American and U.S. history texts that we are currently using off and on
- History of US
- Idiot's Guide to American History
- American History Smart Junior
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A Basic History of the United States
- The Landmark History of the American People (OP)
U.S. History Selections at Amazon.com
Other books by Eggleston
Stories
of Great Americans for Little Americans
A
First Book in American History ... Lives and Deeds of Great Americans