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Civil War and Reconstruction

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A rare first-hand glimpse of the Civil War through the words of those who were there

This exciting new addition to the American Heritage American Voices series offers young readers insights into the culture and ideas of the Civil War era through a variety of primary sources. The book includes major historical documents, such as the Gettysburg Address, as well as more personalized accounts of the war and of the popular culture of the times found in diaries, advertisements, and magazine and newspaper articles. Throughout, the readings are supplemented by introductions, period illustrations, sidebar information, and vocabularies.

David C. King (Hillsdale, NY) is the author of Wiley's American Kids in History series of U.S. history activity books as well as Colonies and Revolution and Westward Expansion in the American Heritage American Voices series. American Heritage is the premier American history magazine and is well known for its reference books.

144 pages, Hardcover

First published October 10, 2003

5 people want to read

About the author

David C. King

125 books8 followers
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

David has written--and published--more than 70 books, primarily nonfiction in American history and biography; there have also been about 20 studies of other cultures, including Taiwan, Rwanda, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and the United Arab Emirates. While most of his books have been for young-adult readers, many have been cross-overs, directed to both adult and young-adult audiences.

A former teacher of both English and History, David has also been a consultant to the State Department of Education, UNICEF, UNESCO, the World Bank, Lincoln Center Institute for the Arts in Education, Public Broadcasting Corporation, and several state departments of education.

"I love to write," he explains, "and my goal is to make encounters with history and culture as interesting, dramatic, and colorful as possible."

In his book on Taiwan, King explained why he felt comfortable writing about countries he has never lived in or even visited: "The important thing in writing about any other culture is to research your subject thoroughly and to develop a sensitivity for the people and their way of life. A good example is the classic study of Japanese culture, The Sword and the Crysanthemum. It was written by Ruth Benedict, who had never been to Japan."

David and his wife Sharon live in the picturesque Berkshires, surrounded by historical sites and cultural events. Sharon provides David with vital research assistance and is also the author of a young-adult novel--A Secret Star--now in its third printing. They have worked together on several projects, including an award-winning history of the Statue of Liberty.

(source: http://authordavidcking.com/index.php)

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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Profile Image for Brad.
29 reviews2 followers
May 1, 2020
Though this is technically cataloged as "juvenile literature" I think this value for any Civil War buff or someone who wants a brief rundown on the Civil War. It has a lot of primary sources, some of which I had never seen before - and I have read a lot of books on the Civil War.
Profile Image for Amber.
280 reviews4 followers
February 2, 2026
This is the 3rd book we have read in this series and it was great as always. I still highly recommend these books for home education. Balanced, full of pictures, and heavily simply primary source documents. Good stuff!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews

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