A Documentary History of the United States

by Richard D. Heffner, Alexander B. Heffner

Presents a valuable array of primary source documents that have played a key role in the history of the United States, including the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Emancipation Proclamation, John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address, and George W. Bush's first speeches following the September 11 terrorist attacks. Reprint.

Genres: History, Politics, Nonfiction, Reference, American History, School, American

544 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 1, 1952

Reviews

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every American should, at least once in his or her life, read the documents contained in this book.

[Janet Topal · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting. Very informative but it left out the achievements of women.

[Margaret Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful collection of historical American documents, arranged chronologically from Tom Paine's Common Sense in 1776 to President Reagan's second inaugural address in 1985. The story these (mostly) eloquent essays tell is one that every American child should learn by high school—and that any American at any time may learn from and be refreshed by. Together they relate the evolution of thought and practices of the nation and its people over its first 209 years.

The editor maintains continuity in the story by summary introductions to each of the book's twenty-nine chapters, but at about the half-way point one begins to notice his unfortunate anti-capitalist tone and bias for socialism. It is then up to the reader to "listen" more closely to the propositions and arguments within the documents themselves, and trust less in the editor's opinionated explanations of history connecting the evolving changes of political persuasion.

Emphasis varies somewhat for successive time periods. There is no letter or diary note from President Jefferson or from either Meriwether Lewis or William Clark about their transcontinental Expedition of 1804-05. But the entire history of the subsequent century's westward expansion and settlement is recognized in a significant writing by Frederick Jackson Turner in 1893. The editor gets a bit long-winded and hagiographic over William Jennings Bryan and the Presidents Jackson, Wilson, FDR, Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and even Carter, while mostly dismissing Eisenhower and Reagan. There is a beautiful "Birmingham City Jail Letter" by The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.; but I'm not sure how the novelist William Faulkner, despite his Nobel Prize, rated standing beside the other entries.

My edition (the fourth) ends with President Ronald Reagan's second inaugural in 1985, in which he appropriately says, "History is a ribbon, always unfurling; history is a journey." I am happy to see on Goodreads that there are many subsequent updated editions of this important document collection, and I sincerely hope that all since my own second-hand copy have included the incomparable "Mr. Gorbachev, Tear Down This Wall" speech by the same President Reagan.

[MT35 · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book.

[Vince Inhorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book. Took 1 billion years to read but was still an enjoyable read

[Thom Swennes · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is an almost universal misconception that Britain is the parent country of the United States. The United States is the child of all nations of the world. Europeans migrated to this land of plenty for a myriad of reasons, from economic and political to the freedom from ecclesiastical restraints. For whatever reason people braved the dangerous seas to land on a distant shore, they came with the hope and belief of a good, peaceful and prosperous life. Britain, under the rule of King William III and continuing through the reign of George III, their North American colonies were mistreated, undervalued, and treated as milk cows; demanding everything and giving nothing but hardship. A number of crippling acts were passed in this time that finally resulted in a revolution.
The founding fathers put great forethought in this act and the type of society they wanted to form. The precise and often poetic way these thoughts are put into words can still be marveled at today. As time has shown us, their concepts of freedom still hold true today.

This book provides a short but comprehensive assortment of documents starting with The Declaration of Independence (1776) and ending with the Segregation Decision (1954) by Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren. One could say that it spans the country from its inception to the fulfillment (at least legally) of its promises to all men. The United States, like any national entity, is constantly changing and adjusting to changing times. As a whole, these documents have survived the test of time. I feel that this book should be mandatory reading for all Americans, as it provides an insight into the country that proudly owns the title: The Land of the Free and Home of the Brave.

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was, as I recall, one of the books in the family library--probably Dad's, but maybe Mom had it for her citizenship examination. In any case, students in Illinois were first required to read the federal and state constitutions, the Declaration of Independence and other politically foundational texts in junior high school, so that I likely when I first read this.

My social science teacher at Lincoln Junior High in Park Ridge was Ms. Kurtzenbaugh. In addition to the aforementioned foundational texts, she also had us read histories of Park Ridge, of which there were two at the time. She also exposed us to a steady stream of anti-communist, anti-Russian 16mm films. I liked her, liked the class and was a staunch anti-communist myself until further studies made such simplistic understandings of the world inpossible.

[PhattandyPDX · Rating 3 out of 5]

“In the 1900s large numbers of middle-class Americans were wary of the predatory power of concentrated wealth, fearful of impending conflict between big business and the underprivileged classes.”

“The millionaire will be but a trustee of the poor; and trusted for a season with a great part of the increased wealth of the community, but administering it for the community far better than it could or would have done for itself.“ - Andrew Carnegie

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must have for Americans. This book is comprised of documents that are important to American history. Both liberal and conservative viewpoints are well represented. I don't always agree with his interpretations, but in the grand scheme of things, that does not matter. The most important part is that you have access to the most important documents in American history!

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great reference and a good read of all the key speeches, moments and and various other documents that have created American history. While I haven't read the whole book, I tend to read in reference and know that it contains almost every important speech in America's history.

[Bryce · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as I know, I kept one book from my four years in college, and this is the one. It's not much for reading cover to cover, but it's incredibly useful for reference, and it contains just about every popular document that had anything to do with shaping the United States. Great stuff here.

[Marc · Rating 3 out of 5]

For some reason I was expecting a documentary history of the early history of tha U.S., not documents scattered across its entire history, whch for me was too spotty to engage deeply but which is indeed excellent material for bedtime perusing.

[Naftoli · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great and inspirational volume, if you'd like to know the details behind our national values, this is the book to read. My only complaint is that the print is very small & sometimes gave me headaches. I wish the publisher had created a bigger format with larger print & room for annotations.

[Haski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the fourth edition in High School. It is a great book with a lot of different insight into how America is America.

[Sandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

politics isn't my thing

[Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be a good time to bone-up on your American History - but don't bother looking for your old college text books. Read this instead!

[Russell Zumwalt]

A good overall look at US History from the Founding Fathers through the election of President Obama, with emphasis on the major events, speeches, essays, and writings/laws/court decisions.

[Hom Sack]

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[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great rersource.

[Ghost of the Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books that, given its subject matter - historical documents - makes it personally hard for me to give it a time frame in which to read it...I tend to slowly work my way through these books, making notes and extra research about people and events.
That being said, should you be a history fan like me (or an american history fan) this is essential reading, no doubt about it.
What you have here is a very careful selection of some of american history's most important documents - including some worldwide famous speeches.
True, politics in this day and age is quite the controversial topic given more recent events but, guess what, there's no time like the present to reach out and read about the past, so you may fully understand how has (american) society reached the present point.
The author clearly "knows his business" well and took the time and trouble to provide background to the speeches and documents included in this book - hence making it easier to follow the tale and not get confused (or yes bored!) by the selection he chose.
Fundamental reading I would dare say, at least for anyone who, quite literally, gives a dam about the world around us.