Tag Archives: US History

The Assassination of John F. Kennedy

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This approachable and concise history of Kennedy’s assassination was written by the daughter of a Texas television newsman who was at the station when the shooting occurred. Filled with photographs, sidebars, a timeline, glossary, and index, the information is easy to read and comprehend. There is also an Essential Facts section which provides brief descriptions of the key players, significant events, and the impact on society of Kennedy’s assassination. There is a chapter on the Zapruder film that was in the home movie camera that captured 26 seconds of the assassination. Another chapter discusses controversies and cover-ups. Another chapter looks back over the past fifty years and changes in technologies such as laser mapping and shadowgraphs.

The Assassination of John F. Kennedy is part of the American Crime Series which also includes The Gardner Museum Heist, The Lizzie Borden Ax Murders, The Manson Family Murders, The Murder of Tupac and Biggie, The O.J. Simpson Murder Case, The Son of Sam Killings, and The Zodiac Killer.

Lost in the Pacific, 1942

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Lost in the Pacific, 1942 retells a story of survival at sea during the second World War. The year was 1942, and the US was in heated battle with Japan for control of the Pacific ocean. This nonfiction survival and suspense story retells the events that led to the crash landing of a B-17 bomber into the Pacific ocean and the attempted survival and rescue of the crew and VIP passengers. This page turner provides facts about the aircraft, the crew, and the events both before and after the crash. The book is put together in a manner that makes it easy to follow and understand. Features include: table of contents, cast of characters – complete with photos of crew and passengers, maps and photos for historical context, glossary, author’s note and sources.

U.S. Independence: A Primary Source History

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A Primary Source History of U.S. Independence uses newspaper articles, photographs, painting, speeches, maps and other primary documents to tell the story of the fight for U.S. Independence through the eyes of those who lived it. Primary source quotations are cited in red italic font throughout the text. There is also a selected bibliography with a number of titles, several website referrals, a glossary, and an index.

 

Schools of Hope

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Julius Rosenwald was part owner of Sears, Roebuck and Company in the early 1900s. His motto was “Give while you live.” He started giving to mostly Jewish causes when he was young, but one man changed that. Rosenwald meet Booker T. Washington. A former slave, Booker T. Washington believed that the only way for African Americans to achieve equality was to first become self-reliant, productive members of society as laborers.  Washington’s idea of self-reliance appealed to Rosenwald. On his fiftieth birthday, Rosenwald gave matching grants to many groups, including a small amount to Washington to help build elementary schools for blacks in the South. He soon discovered the inequities in education faced by blacks in the South. He began giving more more with one stipulation: “each community had to contribute to the building of the school.” The book details how communities raised money, the blueprints for some schools, the prominent African Americans who benefited from the schools and more.  More than 600,000 African American children attended Rosenwald schools. An excellent account of a little known segment of history.

Voices from the March on Washington

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This book in verse tells the story of the March on Washington through the (fictional) voices of many. The focus is on the voices of six, representing a cross-section of those who were there on the mall in Washington. While many think of that day as the day Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous speech, the amazing poems in this book speak of what some people endured to get to D. C., why they came, what their hopes and aspirations were. They describe personal moments: hearing Mahalia Jackson sing, drinking from the same water fountains as whites for the first time in their lives, the awe inspired by such an immense yet peaceful demonstration when they were so conditioned to violence. The inspirational poems make this historical event accessible to students who might not pick up a history book by choice.  Another excellent addition to any library in commemoration of those events.

The Manhattan Project

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This reference begins with the Allies’ fears that Germany would be the first to create the atomic bomb and then proceeds through the steps taken to make sure the Allies beat them to it. From the selection of the scientists and the military commander in charge of the project to the selection of the facilities where the work would take place, Wukovits provides clear information, interesting sidebars, and photos to give students insight into this devastating event in history. The majority of the book details the planning and construction of the bomb; information on Hiroshima and Nagasaki is included although more detail is readily available elsewhere.  While the book does touch on the opposing views on whether atomic bombs should be used, it is not explored in depth here. This resource does a good job illustrating the planning and execution of the creation of the bomb.

A Marked Man: The Assassination of Malcom X

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Challenging the racial status quo in America could get you killed during the 1960s.  Among the martyrs who died trying to change society was Malcolm X.    The slim volume by Matt Doeden, A Marked Man:  The Assassination of Malcom X, documents the transformation of Malcolm Little, street hustler, into Malcolm X, a “marked man.”

Doeden sets Malcolm’s story in the context of the broader Black American narrative of racism, slavery, and racism after slavery, Jim Crow segregation.  As important to Malcolm X’s biography is Malcolm Little’s conviction for burglary and sentencing to prison.  There he learns about and is attracted to the teachings of Elijah Mohammad and his Nation of Islam (NOI), a combination of self-discipline and a virulent racism toward whites. 

Converting to Islam, Little, emerges from prison in 1952 with a greater sense of purpose and starts life anew as Malcolm X.  He quickly established himself as an effective spokesman for the NOI, inspiring blacks who listen to him speak and frightening some whites who note his depiction of them as “white devils.”

Going on a haj to Saudi Arabia, Malcolm is emotionally moved by the multi-ethnic and social nature of Islam.  He returns from this road to Mecca experience understanding that “all men are brothers.”  This puts him on a collision course with Elijah Mohammed  and the NOI which leads to his striking out on his own mission.

Doeden cover this story quickly, but effectively.  With an outstanding set of pictures and select quotes the author captures the complicated rise of Malcolm X.

The final third of the book is about Malcolm’s assassination which he evocatively captures in detail, picture, quotes, and prose.  Doeden also does an outstanding job separating what we know and what we don’t know, in particular, who ordered the Malcolm’s murder.

A handy chronology about Malcolm’s life and a final “Where Are They Now” section about the major players in the story round out this satisfying volume.

(Submitted by the Washington State Civics Educator of the Year, Ed Bergh)

Student Movements of the 1960s

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Young women and men coming of age in 1960 were not, as a whole, worried about social hypocrisy or desirous of changing the economic, political, and social framework of the United States.  The subsequent decade changed that.  In Student Movements of the 1960s Alexander Cruden has brought together a selection of primary source documents [primarily speeches, manifestos and articles] which reflect a number of challenges that arose to the status quo.

What this set of readings does is reflect the voices of people who helped drive the politics of the era with their righteous indignation with the ways things were.  For context, Cruden includes an interview with Jonathan Leaf who is quick to point out the reality of the sixties, that most young people were not protesters, poor, or feeling oppressed. 

Anti-war protesters, women challenging gender roles, students dissatisfied with college rules and mores, and black power advocates all have a seat at the table in Cruden’s slender volume.   Combined they represent a minority of voices from the era, but those that inspired and helped create an America different from the one they found in 1960.

Included also are representative voices of those who resisted or critiqued the change at the time.  Together these pieces provide a rich tableau of perspectives of those who consciously tried to change this country a half century ago.

The Great American Dust Bowl

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“A speck of dust is a tiny thing.” That is how Don Brown begins his story of the “Dirty Thirties” in graphic novel form. He provides information I never knew – fences for miles were decorated with dead snakes because it was said dead snakes would bring rain – enhanced by wonderful illustrations. While there are a few spots of green and blue in the illustrations at the beginning of the novel, most of the images are in brown tones. The author keeps the story moving, provides interesting details, and uses panels crafted to create just the right mood. An excellent addition to any middle or high school library.

Taxes and the Tea Party and Those Revolting Rebels: A History in Comics of the American Revolution

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The American Revolution is an essential part of American history and mythology. It is an oft-told tale of rising anger, military determination, and remarkable change.  Some may wonder, “Do we really need another book on the American Revolution? The answer,  “Yes.”  Few books can match the details, wit, and charm of Stan Mack’s “Taxes, The Tea Party and Those Revolting Rebels – A History in Comics of the American Revolution.”    The outlines of the story, the major events, and the leading characters in this remarkable drama have been recreated in pen and ink drawings in this delightful book.

Mack’s book covers American history from the end of the French and Indian War in 1763 through the ratification of the Constitution in 1787.  In detailing this story Mack employs three avenues of information.  There is a narrative of concise statements which describe events as they unfold; often filled with a certain whimsical flair.  Describing the Minutemen watching the British at Concord, Mack wrote, “Meanwhile, the Redcoats arrive at the town of Concord.  There’s no stockpile of weapons but they trash the place anyway.  Musket packing farmer [Minutemen] watch the destruction.”  The cartoons supplement the factual narrative by depicting some element of the story and usually in a humorous way that accentuates the historical action.  At Lexington, three worried Minutemen watching the British march into sight have this exchange, “Why are we called Minutemen?”  Response, “ Because in a minute I’m outta here.”  Third is Carl, a 21st century know-it-all, who appears in the cartoons to make some salient point about what is happening.   In one instance he conducts a quick historiographical lesson on who shot first at Lexington, explaining, “Historians argue about who fired first.”

When combined, these elements of story-telling provide a remarkably detailed picture of the dissolution of the English colonial Empire in North America, from growing colonial anger towards England, a revolutionary movement which fought and won on the battlefield, and the subsequent debate over how best to run these new United States.  It’s all here: petty ego battles by political and military leader, the impact of the war on many segments of society, the role of the Enlightenment, the nature of war, a full chronology of events from 1763-1787, etc.

Mack closes with an illustration of those groups who did not experience the fruits of  “All men are created equal,” slaves and free blacks, Indians, poor whites, and women.”  Hopefully, he will tell their struggle equality story next.

Living through the Mexican-American War

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The Mexican-American War explains manifest destiny and western expansion and how they led to the war. The book has a “What Have We Learned” chapter which shows a connection between the historical information and the current world. The books provide overviews of the conflicts in an easy-to-read format, including sidebars and personal narratives.  There are also maps, photos, and illustrations, a glossary and  a “Find Out More” section in the back with a list of additional resources to explore.. The book does a good job at presenting both sides of the Mexican-American War. In addition to battles, there are sections on some of the people involved and topics like weaponry and hardships and information on westward expansion like the Donner Party.