Portrait of America 2

by Stephen B. Oates

A secondary source reader that presents American history not as a series of abstract events, but rather emphasizes human agency. It concentrates on and analyzes the lived experiences of those who as individuals and members of a community - be it regional or national, political, racial, ethnic or gender - struggled and triumphed in their own time.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

447 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

An expert on 18th century U.S. history, Stephen B. Oates was professor of history at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he taught from 1969 until his retirement in 1997. Oates received his BA (1958), MA (1960), and Ph.D. (1969) from the University of Texas.

Oates wrote 16 books during his career, including biographies of Martin Luther King, Jr., Abraham Lincoln, Clara Barton, and John Brown, and an account of Nat Turner's slave rebellion. His Portrait of America, a compilation of essays about United States history, is widely used in advanced high school and undergraduate university American history courses. His two "Voices of the Storm" books are compilations of monologues of key individuals in events leading up to and during the American Civil War. He also appeared in the well-known Ken Burns PBS documentary on the war.

Oates received the Nevins-Freeman Award of the Chicago Civil War Round Table for his historical work on the American Civil War.

Reviews

[Kenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had to read for a class.

[Madison Salem]

One of my AP US History textbooks.