From Donna-Jean Breckenridge on AmblesideOnline.org:
On AmblesideOnline's website, we say that "This Country of Ours is a classic work for which we have found no equal, and it is an important spine in the AO curriculum." We stand by that statement, and we recommend the book for the very end of Year 2, and for all of Years 3, 4, and 5.
H. E. Marshall's book was published in the United States in 1917, and it therefore has certain terms and expressions that are no longer in usage today. Over the years, I've wanted to update the book, to add some notes and helps that would enhance the reading for a new generation.
That project is part-way done. I have completed Volume 1, which is chapters 1-28, in an "Annotated, Expanded, and Updated" version. Here are a few of the things that are added or adjusted in this version:
-the sources of Marshall's many quotes are listed, as accurately as possible.
-the removal of outdated or color-based terms for Native people, replacing them with the tribal name wherever possible.
-a change in terms that are now considered offensive (such as the term for a Native woman).
-new information that is pertinent (such as links to Viking discoveries, or how the Spotswood Peace Treaty continues to this day).
-a Pronunciation Guide for names of people or tribes, and definitions of some words that are not easily understood in the context.
-in some places, a few sentences or paragraphs that add more to the story, where it's helpful.
-enhanced punctuation, to make read-aloud easier.
-a switch to American spellings, rather than British spellings.
All notes are at the end of each chapter, so as not to disrupt the reading. (One additional change: the title of chapter 17 has been changed to "A Year to be Remembered, and the Peace of Pocahontas Ends.")
In the process of this project, I have been impressed once again by Marshall's passion for the truth, by her fairness, and by her gift of writing. The story of America is compelling, and she has done a worthy job of telling it. This version seeks to follow in her footsteps.
....
Charlotte Mason wrote, "It is never too late to mend but we may not delay to offer such a liberal and generous diet of History to every child in the country as to give weight to his decisions, consideration to his actions and stability to his conduct; that stability, the lack of which has plunged us into many a stormy sea of unrest."
In this stormy sea of unrest, here is a new look at "This Country of Ours."
Did you find this review helpful?