American Heritage: A Reader

by The Hillsdale College History Faculty (Editor)

Too many colleges and universities have become places for focusing on means and not upon ends—and, as such, places where the confused and bewildered of the next generation acquire techniques and tools, but graduate having gained neither direction nor order to their souls. The Hillsdale College History Faculty has painstakingly assembled American A Reader in order to provide its own students with a true liberal arts education grounded in the American tradition. Perfect for classroom use at the high school level and up, this extraordinary textbook will provide readers both inside and outside the classroom with a traditional educational experience that enlarges and ennobles the mind. From the “The primary role of this Reader is to supply a rich sample of documents from the periods we examine. These primary sources provide portals into the American past. Reading them, we escape the provincialism of our own time and culture. As artifacts of the past, they do not convey information merely, but they are the sources that historians interpret to make sense of our past.  Consequently, we invite students to engage in the same enterprise as they examine these fragments of the American past as the primary means of understanding both the roots of American order and sources for contemporary disorders.  This daunting task of viewing sympathetically ideas that, although part of our heritage, seem distant and alien is an important and exhilarating part of a proper education in which one seeks to make sense of oneself as an American.”

Genres: History, American History, Nonfiction

882 pages, Paperback

First published July 15, 2010

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

We used this anthology of primary sources to cover the American history portion of modern history at Bethlehem College.

[Isabella Roh · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as readers go, this one is very good. It's well-edited, and features helpful contextual introductions to each piece. There are some real gems in this reader, including Nathanial Hawthorne's "Earth's Holocaust," Whittaker Chambers's "Letter to my Children," and the inaugural addresses of several Presidents. If you want to interact with history in a very real way--wrestling with the words and thoughts of the past--then this book is a great resource.

[Samuel Hilgeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I woke up today, drank chocolate and ate milk, then I danced my dance. I had a meeting with the secretary, and then I went to the bar with the bois. I neglected to say my prayers, but I thank God for my good health.

A good reader... if you're in to that sort of thing.

[Bean · Rating 4 out of 5]

suspenseful, haunting, sad, and hopeful.

[Gwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was sad to see this end, even if did on the positive note of Reagan.... The collection of documents contained in this book are magnificent! The great glory of American shines so clearly and brightly through the words of our founders and our heroes that not even the dim of the liberal twilight (M. Stanton Evans) or the smears of the progressives can tarnish it. Contrary to Rhett's Address to the People of Slave-Holding States, I do not believe the American experiment has failed; I believe it's still going strong (and that I can sit here and type this is proof of it!) And like Lorenzo Dow, "It has been a matter of thankfulness with me to the wise and good Creator that my lot was cast in America." God bless her!

[Spectre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent collection of "real time" essays from the founding to Ronald Reagan. Important readings for those who wish to gain insight into important constitutional issues facing the nation then and today.