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19th Century America

The 19th was the United States' first full century as a nation. It was full of birth pangs, moments of triumph, and things that made everyone shake their head and wonder what was going on. One of the most interesting of the latter bits was when British ex-pat Joshua Norton crowned himself Emperor of the United States, "reigning" from San Francisco.

Most people remember the 19th century for the Civil War. While it certainly was a significant event, one of the most important events in American history even, there were a number of surrounding factors that were just as important, and without which the War Between the States would never have developed.

Arguably the most significant of these was Western Expansion. The idea that Americans were fulfilling some kind of national destiny by claiming the Western part of the continent was called Manifest Destiny, and its origins can be found in the writings of some of the most prominent Founding Fathers, like Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. Their dedication to the Enlightenment ideal of human progress (that mankind controlled its own destiny, and that that destiny was to move ever forward) translated into a need to expand their country as far as possible.

As with anything else, God used that humanist doctrine to advance His own truth. While politicians and opportunists went West to obtain land, gold, and freedom, Christian missionaries went to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. People like Marcus and Narcissa Whitman and Jason Lee braved the Oregon Trail simply to share their faith with the Native Americans in the Western Territories; the Whitmans even gave their lives, becoming the Pacific Northwest's most famous martyrs.

Meanwhile, back in the East the bigwigs were conspiring to breach the 3,000 mile gap between the East and West coasts with a recently improved invention: the steam engine train. The First Transcontinental Railroad wasn't completed till 1869 (four years after the Civil War had ended), but it's origins reach back to the 1840s when it was first envisioned by Asa Whitney.

In fact, the transcontinental railroad was a significant element of Abraham Lincoln's presidential campaign and administration. This was the problem: the North wanted the Trans to go through their territory because they had so much industrial product to move, while the South wanted it to run through the bottom half of the States so they could transport cotton, sorghum, and other agricultural goods.

The reality was a bit of a compromise, but the violent debates that stirred Congress had no small part in fomenting the division that would ultimately erupt in full-blown war. Slavery was the main issue, but it affected so many other factors that to reduce the origins of the Civil War to slavery alone is a bit revisionist and narrow-sighted.

For a lot of the 19th century, it seemed that the United States led a charmed existence, that Progress was a sure thing and there was nothing really to fear, certainly no problem that couldn't be overcome. The last two decades were exceedingly prosperous, leading to a sense of smug optimism that only the terror of World War I, the moral chaos of the Jazz Age, and the sudden insecurity of the Great Depression could effectively end.

Not everyone was man-centered and materialistic, however. The 19th century saw a surge in evangelism unlike anything the fledgling nation had seen, so pervasive and productive that it was called the Second Great Awakening. Unfortunately, a lot of doctrinal dilution came with the new preaching, but there were plenty of genuine conversions, and much good came of them.

It's difficult to reduce a one hundred year span to a few paragraphs, and there are certainly things we could have mentioned. Comprehensive treatments aren't always the best way to study history, though; each era has its own spirit and attitudes (its own zeitgeist, if you want to get all technical and German) that best represent it. We hope you'll bear that in mind in your study of the 19th century in America, and indeed throughout your study of history here and around the globe.

Topics of Interest from the 19th Century:

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur.Read more of his reviews here.
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ABC Book of Early Americana - Coloring Book
by Eric Sloane
2012 Dover from Dover Publications
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$10.95
Abraham Lincoln
A Rookie Biography
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AIO Imagination Station Book #22
by Marianne Hering & Sheila Seifert
from Focus on the Family
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$5.99
America in the Time of Abraham Lincoln
by Sally Senzell Isaacs
from Heinemann Library
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in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
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American History for Young Students II
by Michelle Miller
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Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in TruthQuest History (Location: HISCUR-TQ)
American History for Young Students III
by Michelle Miller
from TruthQuest History
History Curriculum for 1st-6th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in TruthQuest History (Location: HISCUR-TQ)
$29.95
Apples to Oregon
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$8.99
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
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$7.00 (1 in stock)
Billy the Union Soldier with 24 Stickers - Activity Book
by A. G. Smith
from Dover Publications
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Civil War Artist
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
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$5.00 (1 in stock)
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$12.95
Drawing America: Sacajawea
Drawing America
by Elaine Raphael & Don Bolognese
from Scholastic Inc.
Biography for 1st-3rd grade
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Duel of the Ironclads
by Patrick O'Brien
from Walker and Company
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
Early American History for Primary Grades - Guide
by Rea Berg
3rd edition from Beautiful Feet Books
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$29.95
Early Settler Storybook
from Crabtree Publishing
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
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by Tanya Lee Stone, illustrated by Rebecca Gibbon
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Enemies of Slavery
from Holiday House
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in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
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by Roni Schotter
from Scholastic Press
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$1.50 (1 in stock)
Famous Figures of the Civil War
from Figures in Motion
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$16.95
First Book Edition of the Star-Spangled Banner
by Francis Scott Key, Richard B. Morris, illustrated by Henry S. Gillette
First Printing from Franklin Watts
for 1st-3rd grade
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
First Book of Pioneers
by Walter Havinghurst
from Franklin Watts
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in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
Food and Recipes of Westward Expansion
Cooking Throughout American History
by George Erdosh
1st edition from PowerKids Press
for 1st-4th grade
in Western Expansion (1800-1898) (Location: HISA-19WES)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Going to Town
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from Scholastic Press
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in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Going West
by Martin Waddell, illustratred by Philippe Dupasquier
from Harper & Row
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in Western Expansion (1800-1898) (Location: HISA-19WES)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Going West!
Kalideoscope Kids Book
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from Williamson Publishing Company
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$7.50 (1 in stock)
Henry Ford
by Dina El Nabli
from HarperCollins
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$2.50 (1 in stock)
Henry's Freedom Box
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from Scholastic Press
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2008 Caldecott Honor Book
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$17.99
Henry's Freedom Box
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from Scholastic Press
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2008 Caldecott Honor Book
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Homespun Sarah
by Verla Kay, illustrated by Ted Rand
from G.P. Putnam's Sons
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from Atheneum
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in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$17.99
I am Sacagawea
Ordinary People Change the World
by Brad Meltzer, illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos
from Dial Books for Young Readers
for 1st-3rd grade
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$5.00 (1 in stock)
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by Carole P. Roman
from CreateSpace
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in Western Expansion (1800-1898) (Location: HISA-19WES)
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by Catherine E. Chambers
from Troll Associates
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John Brown: One Man Against Slavery
by Gwen Everett, Illustrated by Jacob Lawrence
from Rizzoli International Publications
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
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by Steven Kellogg
from HarperTrophy
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$8.99
Johnny Appleseed
A Step into Reading Book Level 3
by David L. Harrison, Illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka
from Random House
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in Step into Reading (Location: EAR-STEP)
Johnny the Confederate Soldier - Sticker Activity Book
by A. G. Smith
from Dover Publications
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in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
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by Peter & Connie Roop
from Carolrhoda Books, Inc.
Historical Fiction for 1st-3rd grade
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$7.99
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by Roberta Karim, Illustrated by Bethanne Andersen
from Greenwillow Books
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Kit Carson
by Shannon Garst
from Julian Messner
Biography for 1st-3rd grade
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Last Princess
by Fay Stanley; illustrated by Diane Stanley
from HarperCollins
Picture Book Biographies for Kindergarten-3rd grade
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$10.00 (1 in stock)
Let's Go to the Battle of Gettysburg
by Judith Spiegelman, Illustrated by Charles Dougherty
from G.P. Putnam's Sons
for 1st-5th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Lewis & Clark
by Steven Kroll
from Holiday House
Historical Non-Fiction for 1st-4th grade
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$7.99
Liam's Watch
by Pamela Dell
from Tradition Books
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Meet Abraham Lincoln
Second Series Landmark / Step Up reprints
by Barbara Cary
from Random House
Biography for 1st-4th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.99
Meet Andrew Jackson
by Ormonde de Kay
from Random House
for Kindergarten-2nd
in Step Up Books (Location: VIN-STEP)
Moses
by Carole Boston Weatherford
1st edition from Hyperion/Madison Press
for Preschool-3rd grade
2007 Caldecott Honor Book
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$18.99
Musical Memories of Laura Ingalls Wilder - with CD
Experience History Through Music
by Diana Waring
from Diana Waring Presents
for 1st-6th grade
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My Name is York
by Elizabeth Van Steenwyk, illustrated by Bill Farnsworth
from Rising Moon Books
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Old Ironsides
by David L. Weitzman
from Sandpiper Books
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$4.50 (1 in stock)
Paul Bunyan
by Steven Kellogg
from William Morrow & Company
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Picture Book of Harriet Beecher Stowe
by David A. Adler
1st edition from Holiday House
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Clearance: Biographies (Location: ZCLE-BIO)
Picture Book of Sacagawea
by David A. Adler, illustrated by Dan Brown
from Holiday House
for 1st-3rd grade
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$7.99
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by Clyde Robert Bulla
from Avyx, Inc.
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
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Sacajawea: Wilderness Guide
by Kate Jassem
from Troll Publishing
Biography for Preschool-2nd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Samuel's Choice
by Richard Berleth
from Scholastic Inc.
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
Secret to Freedom
by Marcia Vaughan, illustrated by Larry Johnson
from Lee & Low Books
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in Slavery & the Underground Railroad (Location: HISA-19SL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Slave Family
by Bobbie Kalman & Amanda Bishop
from Crabtree Publishing
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in Slavery & the Underground Railroad (Location: HISA-19SL)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
So Tall Within
by Gary D. Schmidt, Illustrated by Daniel Minter
from Roaring Brook Press
for Preschool-3rd grade
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$18.99
Sod Houses on the Great Plains
by Glen Rounds
from Holiday House
for 1st-4th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
Spanish-American War
by Alden R. Carter
from Franklin Watts
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in Spanish-American War (1898) (Location: HISA-19Span)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Start Exploring the American West
by Emmanuel M. Kramer, illustrated by Helen I. Driggs
from Running Press
for 1st-5th grade
in Western Expansion (1800-1898) (Location: HISA-19WES)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Stephen Foster
Lives and Times
by Peggy Pancella
from Heinemann Library
for 1st-4th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans
by Edward Eggleston
from Yesterday's Classics
Narrative History for 1st-4th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$11.95
Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans
by Edward Eggleston
2nd edition from Memoria Press
Narrative History for 1st-4th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$14.65
Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt
by Deborah Hopkinson
1st edition from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Tales of the American West
by Neil & Ting Morris, illustrated by Anna Clarke
from Derrydale Books
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Western Expansion (1800-1898) (Location: HISA-19WES)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
They Were Strong and Good
by Robert Lawson
from Viking Press
for 1st-3rd grade
1941 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.99
Thunder at Gettysburg
by Patricia Lee Gauch, Stephen Gammell
from Boyds Mill Press
for 1st-4th grade
in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Trail Through Danger
by William O. Steele, illustrated by Charles Beck
from Harcourt, Brace & World
for Kindergarten-5th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$8.00 (2 in stock)
Trains
Usborne Beginners
by Emily Bone
from Usborne
for 1st-2nd grade
in Usborne Beginners (Location: SCI-USBREA)
$4.49
Unfading Beauty
by Tracy M. Leininger
from His Seasons
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Unspoken
by Henry Cole
10.2.2012 from Scholastic Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Slavery & the Underground Railroad (Location: HISA-19SL)
Visiting a Village
Historic Communities
by Bobbie Kalman
for 1st-5th grade
in 19th Century America (Location: HISA-19C)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Wagons West!
by Roy Gerrard
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Westward Ho! - with CD
Experience History Through Music
by Diana Waring
from Diana Waring Presents
for 1st-6th grade
in Diana Waring History Revealed (Location: OHIS-DWHR)
What You Know First
by Patricia MacLachlan
from HarperCollins
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.99
Where the Buffaloes Begin
by Olaf Baker
from Dover Publications
for Preschool-2nd grade
1982 Caldecott Honor Book
in Native Americans (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$16.95
Why Cowboys Sing, In Texas
by LeGrand Henderson
from Abingdon Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
World at her Fingertips
by Joan Dash
from Scholastic Inc.
for 1st-4th grade
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