Major Problems in American History, Volume II: Since 1865: Documents and Essays

Rating:
Summary: A Disappointment
Review: If you teach US history, do not use this book. It follows the same pattern as other texts in the Major Problems series (some of which are quite good), but since this book was used in a survey course for undergraduates (primarily freshmen), its format did not lend itself well to effective teaching or learning. There is the usual mix of documents and essays. However, the documents are meaningless for students unfamiliar with their historical context or importance, and many of them do not lend themselves well to classroom discussion (How long does it take to discuss the GI Bill?) The essays are equally disappointing, in that they are largely choppy excerpts taken from books or articles written by historians. They are filled with ellipses and the footnotes are omitted, which is a mistake, considering it makes the essays look plagiarized, something we want students NOT to do. History Instructors: Avoid this book, and assign a mix of monographs and novels to your students--the students will get more for their money, and it won't bore the instructors to death every week!