Speaking of America : Readings in U.S. History, Volume I: To 1877 (with CD-ROM, InfoTrac, and American Journey Online)

Rating:
Summary: History at its Best!!!!
Review: I had never learned much about American History after the Civil War so I thought that I knew what this history book would be like. Instead of being bored with reading the same history I had read in highschool, I was amazed by the details and documents that were from the people who were actually living in America before 1865. This book helped me have a better understanding about American history and why our country had developed into the country it is today.

This book uses documents from people living during the time Dr. Belmonte writes about to help us see the world the way the people living at the time did. Sometimes what we imagine they would have thought is very different from what they wrote about themselves. This book also has advertisements, poems, lyrics and paintings to give an over-all picture of the thoughts and attitudes of the time.

This book is extremely interesting to read and Dr. Belmonte has written some wonderful introductions to each of the documents that is in this that enhance the effect of the document and explain the situations surrounding it. There are Focus Questions at the beginning of each document that bring out key ideas to look for in the document.

Overall, this is one of the best history books that I have ever read and should make its way onto the pages of history itself.