American History

The text focuses on the historical study of different interpretation of cases in investigating historical topics and evaluating primary source as evidence. The authors (William Wheeler and Susan Becker) introduce each chapter with a brief overview of an important historical problem or issue like the needs of modernizing economy with the idea of womens place in society. This is followed by a background argument to help readers further understand both the historical context and nature of the problem. Then, the authors present evidences that are considered to be the heart of each chapter. After investigating the evidences, the authors offer solicitous questions to assist readers with the connection of the different pieces of evidences presented. Lastly, a brief epilogue is the final step of the book to explain the outcome of the historical problem.

The first four chapters of the book compacts with the colonial period such as he confrontation between Corts and Montezuma, the threat of Anne Hutchinson, discovering the social history of Colonial Massachusetts Bay and the trial of Captain Preston after the Boston Massacre. In these chapters, gender and race tend to dictate the middle chapters of this book together with the reason for economic development of America. The authors further explain the working women of the new generation and the issue whether the women of 1920s was veracity or not. In this sense, it is very clear that authors want to express the duties and responsibilities of women to the attainment of development of the United States. Moreover, another chapter reiterates that the lifestyle changes of middle-class women during the Progressive and gilded period was initial surge of social empowerment.

The next four chapters of the book focuses on the First American Party System, the historical assessment of the removal of the Cherokees in 1838 to 1839, the situation of the working Girls of Lowell and the situation of slavery in the United States. The authors show the confusing issues of race in 19th century America. They focus primarily on the issue of slavery by the means of slave narratives followed by an assessment of the argument regarding on the use of African American group during Civil War. Consequently, the next chapter focuses on the famous Thomas Nast cartoons from the Reconstruction period. The final sections explore rural poverty through the Great Depression including the decision of United States to drop the first atomic bomb in Japan, the argument on affirmative deed in California and the Vietnam War from the view of soldiers and their families.

The strength of this book is the diversity of complex themes and the extent of primary source material. One of the most challenging concepts of this book inspects the social history of Massachusetts during the 17th and 18th centuries. Moreover, the authors provide different tables of demographic substance for the readers to further digest and investigate the issues. Readers will further assess the great deal about landholding, census and other demographic information necessary for modernizing economy. Another vital topic that the authors discussed is the issue over the exploitation of African American troops by both South and North during the Civil War.
However, the last chapters of the book analyze the question that arises in the problem of Reconstruction. The thorough evidence forces for the readers to scrutinize that arises in creating modern economy and the perspective of the free blacks movement, the press and the Confederate politicians, military leaders and even Abraham Lincoln and his cabinet. The last chapter is the most complicated part that investigates the racial cartoons of Thomas Nast. These cartoons give captivating perspective of Reconstructions at the turn of the century as well as the depression-era photographs of rural America. Lastly, the authors give a refreshing perspective on the Vietnam War and shifting the argument of the conflict from the diplomatic and political channels.

Moreover, some of the chapters deal with the two Anglo-American perspectives with the northern colonies, specifically Massachusetts. To balance the geographic insight, the authors included discussions on race and colonial veracity. The textbook also explores Spanish contact with Incas and Aztecs and to some extent with the Native Americans in 17th century and the relationship in the significant drawbacks in the needs of modernizing economy that came into conflict with the idea of the womens position in society and the reduced coverage of the colonial and early national period. Moreover, the augment of slavery and the intricate nature of southern are major hindrances in modernizing economy according to the authors. This is considered to be as the lack of coverage and immediate attention of national government. Thus, readers will be surely benefited from the principles of contrasting visions of the new nation leading to the exploration of culture and politics in the United States.

Discovery the American Past is one of the supplements that strengthen the force of the readers to further investigate and evaluate issues in the development of Contemporary United States. The use of primary sources of the author further adds the usefulness and value of the book. Likewise, supplements such as different varied approaches in giving the insights allow the readers to move away from the traditional way of evaluating the historical facts.  Although, there might be problem in understanding the full context of the book since readers might have already knowledge in this topic of the passages that relates to the result of modernizing the economy. However in overall, this is a good book to read that offers a brief overview of an important historical problem and issue in the development of modernizing economy.