The textbook has been proofread by many eyes and I can find no errors. I also liked how the book consistently references and reiterates events and developments that had taken place in previous chapters. Students will generally not use the text on their own motivation to come prepared for class. Frequent subheadings and brief sections should facilitate the process. In section 28.5, for instance, the Double "V" campaign and the G.I> Bill's reinforcement of redlining in urban areas are both re-stated as framing mechanisms for civil rights struggles in the 1950s. However, when you dig a little deeper the book lacks the narrative and interpretive quality of recent commercial textbooks such as the popular text by Eric Foner. I did notice that this books appears dense in places and there are multiple examples of pages of text not broken up by images or interactives. I do very much appreciate the fact that the American West doesn’t just get confined to a single chapter, which happens in most other textbooks. A more useful term for classification would be “ethnic group.”. The authors’ written text places a larger focus on political history than it does cultural and social history. • Interactives: Beyond the chapter review questions (of which only ½ have answers), and the option to be launched into content-related web sites, there is no interactivity in this text. The text is very accurate and in my examination of its contents, I have found minimal errors. Several problems with this sort of writing immediately strike me. The review... One of the strengths of this text is its comprehensiveness. The National Youth Administration (another New Deal program) is depicted as having been terminated in 1939; it lasted until 1943. Because I teach in an open-enrollment community college environment, this might present challenges for me and others teaching in a similar environment. The book is arranged similarly to other textbooks, so it should be easy to take what one needs should modularity be a concern. Chapter 15 The Civil War While there is not a lot of depth in the chapters, it makes a great overview do use if the instructor adds supplemental readings. In the section about the Stamp Act crisis of 1765, the book is imprecise about the specifics of when and how the Boston mob ransacked Lieut. For example, U.S. History's first chapter's sections about Pre-Columbia America and pre-1500 Europe and Africa I will make required reading because it is important, but my students have had to rely on my lectures for this information. A few more primary sources would not hurt the text. "The few women who went to these wild outposts were typically prostitutes, and even their numbers were limited. There’s a lot of Hoover in the Depression, too. Despite the fact that multiple authors are listed as contributors to this text, there is a consistency throughout the text regarding its framework. The discussion of the Pacific War mentions the naval component of that conflict, but barely. This textbook hits all the major points necessary for a US survey class, with particular emphasis on political history. The latter point is trivial, the former easily fixed. This textbook hits all the major points necessary for a US survey class, with particular emphasis on political history. Reviewed by Caryn Neumann, Lecturer, Miami University of Ohio on 8/21/16, This book is an acceptable replacement for any U.S. History textbook by a major publisher. Your choices of illustrations, maps, charts, and pictures are outstanding. Chapters often overlap in terms of time period. I can easily quibble with some choices, but that is true of all textbooks. Yes, such modularity does lend itself to easy reorganization to better fit individualized teaching methods, highlighting key sections, and an overall variety that I believe would be very engaging to students. I was very impressed with the interface of the text. The book is impressively comprehensive. For example, I was quite impressed with the well written and broad details concerning "John Winthrop and the Puritans" in Chapter 3 and with "The New Nixon," "The Domestic Nixon," and "Nixon the Diplomat" in Chapter 30. Some of this seems unnecessary, especially since Africa and the Americas do not get the same treatment. The language is easily accessible and engaging. NOTE: My comments apply ONLY to the post-1865 chapters (16-32). The content itself is relevant; what would be helpful, though, would be the inclusion of terminology that is being used in the work of progressive social, cultural, and political movements. In the chapter on the road to the Civil War, the sense of a compelling story with personalities and passions comes through clearly, and in the chapter on the Great Depression, its harsh ravages and the struggle to figure out what to do are expressed with suitable poignancy. These are major fields which the author does not cover at all. Instructors also have the option of creating a customized version of their OpenStax book. Chapter 5 Citizenship and the Constitution But in general, the chapters are dealt with in a very even-handed and consistent manner. The amount of discussion is roughly the same per chapter. Students can view the text online, as a PDF, or download an iBook for a minor charge. I am very excited to assign this book to my students! Bill is presented not only as a catalyst for a growing middle class in post-World War Two America, but as a means of systematically reinforcing racial segregation by working with racially-discriminatory banks, insurance offices, and school admissions departments. Chapters 9 through 16 focus on early industrialization, the contrasting economies of the North and South including the divisive impact of slavery, territorial expansion, political reform, and the Civil War and Reconstruction. The use of primary sources, which are embedded into the text and the questions at the end of each section are very helpful. I had the same reaction to the fleeting, teasing reference to Henry Ford's ill-fated attempt to open a factory in the Amazon jungle and impose Puritan morality on the workers. The interface works but it is not aesthetically pleasing. I could see excerpting chapters on the movement from east to west in order to create a course on that subject matter; it would also be possible to focus solely upon wartime in the US via the use of selected chapters. ), but, yes, this textbook does a nice job of trying to look at the topics accurately and it is essentially error-free. In the post-1945 periods, whole decades only get half a chapter. Although the textbook was written by several different authors, I found the framework consistent throughout. Reviewed by Daniel Morales, Assistant Professor, James Madison University on 2/13/19, The textbook covers most of the areas of US history, perhaps too much as some points and not enough in others but overall is comprehensive in covering political history. This text covers Pre-Colombian U.S. to the 21st Century. Both the table of contents and the index have user-friendly links that maximize efficiency of topic browsing as well as of continuous reading. 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