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Rating: 
Summary: Woodrow Wilson and the Great War dominate the 1910s
Review: Michael V. Uschan introduces "The 1910s" as a time of changes created by the industrial revolution, problems in the big cities, and the progressive movement of reform. The book is divided into seven chapters: (1) The Progressive Movement and Woodrow Wilson; (2) The Fights for Rights; (3) Popular Culture: Silent Films, Vaudeville, and the Model T; (4) Edging into World Affairs; (5) The United States Goes to War; (6) The United States Helps Win the War; and (7) The Postwar Period. If Theodore Roosevelt dominated the first decade of the 21st century then clearly Woodrow Wilson was the major figure of this decade, although the legacy he wanted of the League of Nations was denied him. The irony of declaring we sent troops to Europe to fight the "War to End All Wars" is omnipresent because even the most disinterested student of American History knows what the next generation is going to have to do because of the missed opportunities during this period. The name of this series as "A Cultural History of the United States" is somewhat misleading, because although these volumes certainly emphasize cultural aspects of history such as literature, sports and entertainment more than that traditional history textbooks, they certainly do not emphasize American culture. These books cover technology, significant political and social events, trends and music. Sidebars offer details on everything from Mother Jones and the Labor Movement to the Draft Lottery. Actually, Uschan sold me on the depth of his research when he covered the invention of Lincoln Logs and the Erector Set. Illustrations in this series consist of not only historic photographs from the period but editorial cartoons, which I always like to see in a history textbook because they often bring the passions of the time alive more than anything else. Some school have add to traditional division between World and U.S. history a course focusing on the Twentieth Century. This move has been justified not only because the United States dominated the last century, making it impossible to deal with World History without taking into consideration America's role, but also because so much happened in the last hundred years matters very much to the lives and future of our students. Consequently, a series looking at American history decade by decade through the last century can have great value to students and teachers alike. While I imagine it might be impractical to have a classroom set of this entire series for each student, these books can certainly be used by teachers to supplement the basic material in the textbook or by students looking at this particular decade in some detail.
Rating:
Summary: Woodrow Wilson and the Great War dominate the 1910s
Review: Michael V. Uschan introduces "The 1910s" as a time of changes created by the industrial revolution, problems in the big cities, and the progressive movement of reform. The book is divided into seven chapters: (1) The Progressive Movement and Woodrow Wilson; (2) The Fights for Rights; (3) Popular Culture: Silent Films, Vaudeville, and the Model T; (4) Edging into World Affairs; (5) The United States Goes to War; (6) The United States Helps Win the War; and (7) The Postwar Period. If Theodore Roosevelt dominated the first decade of the 21st century then clearly Woodrow Wilson was the major figure of this decade, although the legacy he wanted of the League of Nations was denied him. The irony of declaring we sent troops to Europe to fight the "War to End All Wars" is omnipresent because even the most disinterested student of American History knows what the next generation is going to have to do because of the missed opportunities during this period. The name of this series as "A Cultural History of the United States" is somewhat misleading, because although these volumes certainly emphasize cultural aspects of history such as literature, sports and entertainment more than that traditional history textbooks, they certainly do not emphasize American culture. These books cover technology, significant political and social events, trends and music. Sidebars offer details on everything from Mother Jones and the Labor Movement to the Draft Lottery. Actually, Uschan sold me on the depth of his research when he covered the invention of Lincoln Logs and the Erector Set. Illustrations in this series consist of not only historic photographs from the period but editorial cartoons, which I always like to see in a history textbook because they often bring the passions of the time alive more than anything else. Some school have add to traditional division between World and U.S. history a course focusing on the Twentieth Century. This move has been justified not only because the United States dominated the last century, making it impossible to deal with World History without taking into consideration America's role, but also because so much happened in the last hundred years matters very much to the lives and future of our students. Consequently, a series looking at American history decade by decade through the last century can have great value to students and teachers alike. While I imagine it might be impractical to have a classroom set of this entire series for each student, these books can certainly be used by teachers to supplement the basic material in the textbook or by students looking at this particular decade in some detail.
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