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Modern History

There isn't more history in the last five centuries than all the previous millennia, we just have more plentiful records of it. In all honesty, sometimes the plethora of detail isn't only overwhelming, it obscures the whole point of the story. As humans, we're all too susceptible to the lure of obscurity, to the desire for darkness where there ought to be light.

In many ways, this is the chief characteristic of modern history. Mankind seems to have accepted Enlightenment ideals en masse, and the result is the non-stop acquisition of knowledge, as though information could shut us off from the eye of a just and jealous God. Evolutionary theory, psychology, existentialism and postmodernism, public education, Communism—all these ideas are intended to put man at a further remove from God.

During the Renaissance, thinkers and artists decided that if man was going to make himself great, he'd have to replicate the glory of the Classical Era, with its enduring artifacts and intellectual produce. Enlightenment thinkers took this one step further, insisting that man could only know what he could deduce using reason alone, and consequently amassing knowledge in order to have a more thorough basis for such reasonable inquiry.

Since then, philosophers and scientists have devoted themselves to interpreting the facts from a purely human perspective, creating a picture of the universe that is mechanistic and godless. Meaning is dead, God is dead, and hope is dead, but the Enlightenment ideal of human progress (repackaged as Darwinian naturalism) is alive and well, the phantom idol of countless millions.

Even a brief survey of the last century would seem to demolish the possibility of any such idea, but it continues to inform nearly every element of our culture, from pop music to public policy debates. Atrocities like the Holocaust, racism in America, abortion, and totalitarian rule in Asian countries are reinterpreted or explained away to fit the overarching rubrik of sustained forward progress.

Christians understand things a bit differently. We aren't pessimists by any means, but we aren't blind optimists, either. God's plan entails one thing: His ultimate glory, and for those who believe His promises and trust Him for salvation, that's the most hopeful doctrine conceivable. At the same time, we also understand that man's efforts cannot be responsible for whatever good befalls us, that "progress" is only a gift of the Most High, and that only through the Holy Spirit is evil overcome by good.

The modern world is increasingly secular. Even in the Church, men and women stray from biblical truth in favor of appealing arguments on behalf of man, substituting a Christ-centered Gospel with one that is primarily focused on mankind and our individual salvation. We must counter these attitudes with God's truth, but we can only do so with an understanding of where those ideas come from and why they've taken root. A thorough study of modern history can and will provide those answers, and teach us how to stand firm in the truth we hold dear.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and 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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Art for Children: Renaissance
Art for Children
by Lillo Canto
from Chelsea House Publishing
Art Appreciation for 4th-6th grade
in Renaissance & Reformation (Location: HISW-REN)
$20.00 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Behind the Blue and Gray
by Delia Ray
from Scholastic Inc.
for 5th-9th grade
in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Behind the Blue and Gray
by Delia Ray
from Puffin Books
for 4th-6th grade
in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Buried In Ice
by John Geiger, Owen Beattie, Shelley Tanaka
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Civil War Battles
by Curt Johnson
1st edition from Crescent Books
for 7th-12th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Cobblestone "Laura Ingalls Wilder: Growing Up on the Prairie"
Volume Seven: Number Two
from Cobblestone Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$1.50 (1 in stock)
Colonial Town: Williamsburg
by Bobbie Kalman
Revised from Crabtree Publishing
for 1st-8th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$4.50 (2 in stock)
Daily Life in a Covered Wagon
by Paul Erickson
from Puffin Books
Historical Reference for 3rd-5th Grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$9.99
Diary of an Early American Boy
by Eric Sloane
from Dover Publications
American History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$14.95
DK Atlas of Exploration
by Anita Ganeri, Andrea MIlls
from DK Publishing
for 4th-6th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$14.00 (2 in stock)
Do's and Don'ts of Yesteryear
by Eric Sloane
from Dover Publications
for 5th-9th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$12.95
Do's and Don'ts of Yesteryear
by Eric Sloane
from Avon Books
for 5th-9th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
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)
Eureka! It's an Airplane
by Jeanne Bendick
from Millbrook Press
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Aviation History (Location: HISV-AVIA)
Faith Unfurled
from History Compass
for 4th-8th grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$7.95 $5.57 (1 in stock)
Fields of Fury
by James M. McPherson
from Atheneum
for 4th-7th grade
in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$24.99 $14.00 (2 in stock)
First Book of Pioneers
by Walter Havinghurst
from Franklin Watts
for 1st-5th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
For Home & Country
by Angela Herb & Norman Bolotin
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$3.50 (2 in stock)
Frontier Living
by Edwin Tunis
from Lyons Press
Historical Reference for 7th-10th grade
Newbery Honor Book 1962
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$19.95
Frontier Living
by Edwin Tunis
1st Edition from HarperCollins
Historical Reference for 7th-10th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Ghost Towns of the Northwest
by Norman D. Weis
from Caxton Press
for 9th-Adult
in Western Expansion (1800-1898) (Location: HISA-19WES)
Golden Book of California
by Irwin Shapiro
from Golden Press
for 5th-9th grade
in 19th Century America (Location: HISA-19C)
Golden Book of the Civil War
by Charles Flato (adapter), with an introduction by Bruce Catton
from Golden Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Good Fight
by Stephen Ambrose
from Atheneum
WWII Historical Reference for 4th-9th grade
in World War II (1939-1945) (Location: HISA-20WW2)
$27.99
Growing Up with Dick and Jane
by Carole Kismaric & Marvin Heiferman
from HarperCollins
for Adult
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Hammond Atlas of the 20th Century
by Richard Overy, ed.
from Hammond World Atlas Corporation
for 8th-Adult
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
If You Lived at the Time of the American Revolution
If You Were There
by Kay Moore
from Scholastic Inc.
Non-Fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
If You Lived at the Time of the Civil War
If You Were There
by Kay Moore
from Scholastic Inc.
Historical Non-fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
If You Lived At The Time Of The Great San Francisco Earthquake
by Ellen Levine
from Scholastic Inc.
for 2nd-4th grade
in Titanic & 20th Century Disasters (Location: HISW-20DIS)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
If You Lived in Colonial Times
If You Were There
by Ann McGovern
from Scholastic Inc.
Non-Fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$4.00 (4 in stock)
If You Sailed On the Mayflower in 1620
If You Were There
by Ann McGovern
from Scholastic Inc.
Non-Fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
If You Were There When They Signed the Constitution
If You Were There
by Elizabeth Levy
from Scholastic Inc.
Non-Fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in New Nation (1783-1800) (Location: HISA-18NN)
$7.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
If Your Name Was Changed at Ellis Island
If You Were There
by Ellen Levine & Wayne Parmenter
from Scholastic Inc.
Historical Non-Fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in Immigration & Emigration (Location: HISA-20IM)
$6.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Image of War: 1861-1865 Volume 1
by Jenny Davis
from Nelson Doubleday, Inc.
for 10th-Adult
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Incredible Journey of Lewis and Clark
by Rhoda Blumberg
1st edition from HarperCollins
Historical Reference for 4th-6th grade
in Lewis & Clark (Location: HISA-19L&C)
$8.00 (2 in stock)
Last Safe House
by Barbara Greenwood
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
in Slavery & the Underground Railroad (Location: HISA-19SL)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Lewis and Clark Expedition
We the People
by Patricia Ryon Quiri
from Compass Point Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Lewis & Clark (Location: HISA-19L&C)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Life During the Russian Revolution
by Victoria Sherrow
from Lucent Press
for 6th-12th grade
in Communism & The Cold War (Location: HISA-20CW)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Life of Johnny Reb
by Bell Irvin Wiley
Updated Edition from Louisiana State University Press
for 10th-Adult
in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
Little Red Schoolhouse
by Eric Sloane
from Dover Publications
for 4th-8th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$6.95
Louisiana Purchase (Let Freedom Ring)
by Elizabeth Jaffe
from Capstone Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Lewis & Clark (Location: HISA-19L&C)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Mill
by David Macaulay
from Houghton Mifflin
for 4th-8th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$12.99
Museum of Early American Tools
by Eric Sloane
from Dover Publications
for 5th-8th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$11.95
National Geographic Society: 100 Years of Adventure and Discovery
by Courtlandt Dixon Barnes Bryan
1st edition from Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
for 7th-Adult
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Orphan Trains
Perspectives on History Series
by Jeanne Munn Bracken, ed.
1st edition from History Compass
Historical Non-fiction for 6th-9th grade
in Gilded Age (1865-1918) (Location: HISA-19GI)
Over the Applegate Trail to Oregon in 1846
by Anne Billeter, Bert Webber
for 8th-12th grade
in Oregon Trail (Location: HISA-19OR)
Overland Migrations
by David Lavender
from National Park Service Division of Publication
for 6th-10th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
People at the Center of Women's Suffrage
by Deborah Kops
1st edition from Blackbirch Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Gilded Age (1865-1918) (Location: HISA-19GI)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
Pioneer Sampler
by Barbara Greenwood
from Houghton Mifflin
for 4th-6th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$15.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Prairie Traveler
by Randolph Barnes Marcy
from Applewood Books
for 8th-Adult
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail
by Theodore Roosevelt
from University of Nebraska
Biography for 9th-Adult
in Gilded Age (1865-1918) (Location: HISA-19GI)
$18.95 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Science in Colonial America
by Brendan January
from Children's Press
for 4th-6th grade
in History of Science & Mathematics (Location: SCI-HIS)
$5.00 (2 in stock)
Science in Colonial America
by Brendan January
from Children's Press
for 4th-6th grade
in History of Science & Mathematics (Location: SCI-HIS)
$7.00 (2 in stock)
Sourcebook on Colonial America: Battles in a New Land
by Carter Smith (editor)
from Millbrook Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Sourcebook on Colonial America: Daily Life
by Editor Carter Smith
from Millbrook Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
Sourcebook on Colonial America: Governing and Teaching
by Carter Smith (editor)
from Millbrook Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Sourcebook on Colonial America: The Arts and Sciences
by Carter Smith (editor)
from Millbrook Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Soviet Union
by Time-Life Books
2nd edition from Time-Life Books
for 10th-Adult
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Story of the Star-Spangled Banner
by Deborah Kent
from Children's Press
for 4th-6th Grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Story of the White House
Cornerstones of Freedom
by Natalie Miller
from Children's Press
for 4th-6th Grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Time: The Century Collection
from Time-Life Books
for 9th-Adult
in 20th Century (Location: HISW-20)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Tools and Gadgets (Historic Communities)
by Bobbie Kalman
from Crabtree Publishing
for 1st-8th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Touched By Fire
by William C. Davis, ed.
from Black Dog & Leventhal
for 9th-Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
True Tales of the South at War
by Clarence Poe, ed.
from Dover Publications
for 10th-Adult
in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$7.50 (2 in stock)
U.S. Civil War
by J.P. Allice
from Publications International
for 5th-9th grade
in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
U.S. Constitution and Fascinating Facts About It
by Terry L. Jordan
8th edition from Oak Hill Publishing
for 1st-3rd grade
in New Nation (1783-1800) (Location: HISA-18NN)
$3.95
Ultra Hush-Hush
by Stephen Shapiro & Tina Forrester
from Annick Press
Historical Reference for 3rd-6th grade
in World War II (1939-1945) (Location: HISA-20WW2)
United States in the 20th Century
by David Rubel
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Usborne History of the Twentieth Century
by Christina Hopkinson
from Usborne
Reference for 4th-8th grade
in 20th Century (Location: HISW-20)
$4.00 (5 in stock)
Visiting a Village
Historic Communities
by Bobbie Kalman
for 1st-5th grade
in 19th Century America (Location: HISA-19C)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
War of 1812
by Rebecca Stefoff
from Benchmark Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
Way We Lived
by Richard Tames
from Reader's Digest
for 10th-Adult
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
We Pulled Together. . .And Won!
by Deb Mulvey, ed.
from Reiman Publications
for 7th-12th grade
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Westward With Columbus
by John Dyson
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Westward With Columbus
by John Dyson
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
When Johnny Went Marching
by G. Clifton Wisler
1st edition from HarperCollins
for 4th-6th grade
in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
Williamsburg
by Ron Goor, Nancy Goor
from Atheneum
for 4th-6th grade
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
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