Statement of Purpose
The book is devoted to description of the main events of the history of the USA. The authors try to mention all meaningful events which happened at different periods of the development of the USA. The main theme of the whole book is appearance of the USA and all peculiarities of its structure. Many interesting facts about the history of a state and its formation are suggested. Moreover, historical documents and photos make the book more credible and understandable. Some information about the whole continent can also be found as it is an integral part of the history of the USA.
One of the main purposes of the book is to promote increase of the level of knowledge about the USA, its peculiarities and history. The book aims at supplying a reader with all information he/she can need in the process of studying the history of the USA. Moreover, the authors want to show conditions under which the state was forming and unique character of the continent. The authors tend to prove the statement that modern image of the USA was formed under the influence of a great number of different factors, such as Spanish and English settlements, relations with native people of the continent and the War of Independence. All these factors influenced further development of the country. The authors also outline peculiarities of industrial and cultural development for readers to understand the history of development of the USA better.
The book is written by two authors. Nancy Hewitt is a Professor of History and Women studies who works at University of Pennsylvania. She is known for her publications about the history of the USA. The second writer is Steven Lawson. He is also known in scientific world. He is a historian of the Civil Rights movement. Taking into account reputation of both these authors, it is possible to say that the work, which they created together, can be taken as a rather credible source.
Analysis and Argument
The book seizes a huge period of time. First chapters present description of native people and first settlers who came to America. The authors show readers all peculiarities of the world of the Age of Discovery and excitement connected with the new lands. First steps of the colonization of America are also described. The authors outline main conflicts with native population and between leading European states which tried to conquer the New World. Moreover, taking into account dominant religion in the USA nowadays, the authors also describe the way it became so significant in this state (Hewit and Lawson, 97).
Being the key point in the development of the nation identity of the USA, the War of Independence are also described. The authors not just show the main events of this war, they, however, try to show its main reasons and the change in the mentality of people when they understood their thirst for freedom. Historical documents and photos which are provided in the book, help to understand the content and atmosphere better. Moreover, the aftermath of the War of Independence are also described and further development of the country is outlined (Hewit and Lawson 169). Besides, such unique cultural phenomenon as American Frontier is also mentioned in the book as it is very important, though difficult issue as on these lands “pioneers faced many challenges” (Hewit and Lawson 461).
Besides, the authors try to show the most significant events in understandable manner, for readers to be able to get the main information about them. The age of industrialization and immigration is shown as one of the main factors which created a good basis for current level of the development of industry in the country as in those period of time “United States experienced an extraordinary rate of growth in industrial output” (Hewit and Lawson 495). The book touches all significant periods of the development of the USA, ending with the description of new challenges which the USA faces in 21st century.
Critique
The way in which materials in the book are organized should also be mentioned. First of all, the manner of presentation of the information should be admitted. The authors use very simple and clear language, that is why it is not difficult to understand their main ideas and statements. They manage to describe some complicated events in a very simple manner, that is why all peculiarities of a certain accident become obvious. Moreover, the authors describe all stages of the development of the USA successively, that is why there are no vacancies in knowledge and all evens can be taken as a quite logical continuation of the previous ones.
One more thing which should be emphasized is a great number of different pictures and documents which are given to support almost all paragraphs of the book. These materials help to understand peculiarities of the epoch better and become more involved in the process of reading the book. One of the most significant advantages of the book is the fact that almost all paragraphs or portions of information are presented on the background of some story which describes personal experience of people who lived in a certain epoch. Having read a paragraph, it is possible to refresh the information with the help of key terms and numbers which are placed on the last page of a section.
Moreover, special questions for review of the material are given. Having analyzed the way in which the book is organized, it is possible to say that it promotes clear and logical material feed. Moreover, great number of visual aids and questions for repetition lead to better understanding of the material.
Conclusion
Having read the book, it is possible to make certain conclusion. First of all, it should be said that the authors managed to achieve their main goal which was to promote increase of the level of knowledge about the history if the USA. The book manages to create clear and distinct image of the USA, its history and main events which influenced its development. Moreover, it should be said that good organization of the book promotes better understanding of its content and increase of the level of interest among readers.
The book is likely to appeal to pupils or students of different colleges. The information presented in the book is rather general, that is why it cannot be used for some very detailed scientific research, however, it can serve as the good starting point from which further investigations are possible. Taking these facts into account, it is possible to recommend this book to all students and pupils who are interested in this issue. Moreover, common people who want to obtain some information about the USA, can also use this book.
Works Cited
Hewit, Nancy and Steven Lawson. Exploring American Histories, Combined Volume: A Brief Survey with Sources. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s. 2012. Print.