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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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Adventures of Lewis and Clark
by John Bakeless
from Dover Publications
for 4th-8th grade
in Lewis & Clark Expedition (1801-1803) (Location: HISA-19L&C)
$10.95 $6.00 (1 in stock)
American Waterways: Canal Days
by Jeanne Munn Bracken, ed.
from History Compass
for 7th-12th grade
in 19th Century America (Location: HISA-19C)
$5.50 (1 in stock)
Amistad Slave Revolt and American Abolition
by Karen Zeinert
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in Slavery & the Underground Railroad (Location: HISA-19SL)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Battle of the Little Bighorn
by Mark Henckel
1st edition from Falcon Press Publishing
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in Native American History (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Behind the Blue and Gray
by Delia Ray
from Scholastic Inc.
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Big Annie of Calumet
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Biography of James A. Garfield
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by William Thayer
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Bold Journey
by Charles Bohner
from Houghton Mifflin
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Boys' War
by Jim Murphy
from Clarion Books
Historical Non-fiction for 5th-8th grade
in American Civil War Era (1850-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
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Buffalo Bill
by Helen Cody Wetmore
from University of Nebraska
Biography for 6th-9th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
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Bull Run
by Paul Fleischman, David Frampton (Woodcuts)
2nd edition from Scholastic Inc.
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Butter in the Well: Historical Diary 1868-1888
by Linda K. Hubalek
from Butterfield Books
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in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Chains
Seeds of America #1
by Laurie Halse Anderson
from Atheneum
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in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Children of the Wild West
by Russell Freedman
from Clarion Books
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Civil War
by Janet Cassidy
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Civil War
by Pat Wesolowski
from Unknown Publisher
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in American Civil War Era (1850-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
Civil War
Step Into History
by Steven Otfinoski
from Children's Press
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in American Civil War Era (1850-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Cowboys of the Wild West
by Russell Freedman
from Sandpiper Books
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Cowboys of the Wild West
by Russell Freedman
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Danger in the Desert
by Roger Cohen
from Sterling Publishing Co.
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Daniel Boone
by Daniel Boone
from Applewood Books
Biography for 4th-8th grade
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Davy Crockett
by David Crockett
from Applewood Books
Biography for 4th-8th grade
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Diary of an Early American Boy
by Eric Sloane
from Dover Publications
American History Reference for 4th-8th grade
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$15.95 $8.50 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewitness: Civil War
by John Stanchack
from DK Publishing
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Escape from Slavery
by Frederick Douglass, edited and illustrated by Michael McCurdy, foreword by Coretta Scott King
from Beautiful Feet Books
for 6th-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$13.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Fort Clatsop
by Daniel J. Dattilio
from KC Publishing
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$4.50 (2 in stock)
Great Battles of the Civil War
by John Macdonald
from John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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$15.00 (1 in stock)
Helen Keller: The Story of My Life
by Helen Keller
from Dover Publications
Autobiography for 7th-10th grade
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$5.00 $2.50 (2 in stock)
History of US Book 4
History of US Book 4
by Joy Hakim
3rd Revised Edition from Oxford University
American History Reference for 5th-9th grade
in Joy Hakim's A History of US (Location: HISA-HAKIM)
$18.98 $11.00 (2 in stock)
History of US Book 5
History of US Book 5
by Joy Hakim
3rd Revised Edition from Oxford University
American History Reference for 5th-9th grade
in Joy Hakim's A History of US (Location: HISA-HAKIM)
$15.95 $11.00 (2 in stock)
History of US Book 5
History of US Book 5
by Joy Hakim
3rd edition from Oxford University
American History Reference for 5th-9th grade
in Joy Hakim's A History of US (Location: HISA-HAKIM)
$6.50 (1 in stock)
History of US Book 6
History of US Book 6
by Joy Hakim
3rd Revised Edition from Oxford University
American History Reference for 5th-9th grade
in Joy Hakim's A History of US (Location: HISA-HAKIM)
$15.95 $11.00 (2 in stock)
History of US Book 6
History of US Book 6
by Joy Hakim
3rd edition from Oxford University
American History Reference for 5th-9th grade
in Joy Hakim's A History of US (Location: HISA-HAKIM)
$6.50 (1 in stock)
History of US Book 7
History of US Book 7
by Joy Hakim
3rd Revised Edition from Oxford University
American History Reference for 5th-9th grade
in Joy Hakim's A History of US (Location: HISA-HAKIM)
$15.95 $11.00 (2 in stock)
History of US Book 7
History of US Book 7
by Joy Hakim
3rd edition from Oxford University
American History Reference for 5th-9th grade
in Joy Hakim's A History of US (Location: HISA-HAKIM)
$6.50 (1 in stock)
Industrial Revolution
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Jason Lee
Sowers Series
by Charles Ludwig
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Biography for 7th-9th grade
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Sterling Point Books
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Kit Carson and the Wild Frontier
Landmark #53
by Ralph Moody
2005 printing from University of Nebraska
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Ladies Were Not Expected
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Letter Writer
by Ann Rinaldi
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Life of General Stonewall Jackson
by Mary Williamson
from Christian Liberty Press
Biography for 7th-10th grade
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Lincoln: A Photobiography
by Russell Freedman
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1988 Newbery Medal winner
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Log Cabin Cooking
by Barbara Swell
from Native Ground Music, Inc.
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Long Road to Gettysburg
by Jim Murphy
from HMH Books for Young Readers
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$4.50 (1 in stock)
Men-of-War
by Patrick O'Brian
1st Us Edition from W. W. Norton and Co.
for 5th-10th grade
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
Nation Torn
by Delia Ray
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
in American Civil War Era (1850-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Oregon Trail
by Ted Henson
from Instructional Fair
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in Oregon Trail (Location: HISA-19OR)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Oregon Trail, Yesterday and Today
from Caxton Press
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in Oregon Trail (Location: HISA-19OR)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Our Vanishing Landscape
by Eric Sloan
from Dover Publications
for 4th-8th grade
in Cultural History (Location: HISMC-CUL)
$5.50 (1 in stock)
Out on the Pampas
by G. A. Henty
from Robinson Curriculum
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in G. A. Henty Books (Location: FIC-HEN)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Outrageous Women of the American Frontier
Outrageous Women
by Mary Furbee
1st edition from Jossey-Bass
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Patty Reed's Doll
by Rachel K. Laurgaard
from Tomato Enterprises
Historical fiction for 5th-8th grade
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$7.00 (3 in stock)
Pony Express
by C. W. Guthrie
from Two Dot Books
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in Pony Express (1860-1861) (Location: HISA-19PEX)
$8.00 (2 in stock)
Railroad
Inventions That Shaped the World
by John Matthews
from Franklin Watts
for 4th-9th grade
in History of Railroads (Location: HISA-19TRR)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Rainbow's Gold
by Vera Martin Lynch
from William W. Lynch
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$5.50 (1 in stock)
Revenge of the Whale
by Nathaniel Philbrick
from Scholastic Inc.
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in 19th Century America (Location: HISA-19C)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
River Between Us
by Richard Peck
from Scholastic Inc.
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in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
Robert E. Lee
Sowers Series
by Lee Roddy
from Mott Media
Biography for 6th-8th grade
in Sowers Biographies (Location: BIO-SOW)
$5.00 (2 in stock)
Robert E. Lee the Christian
by William Johnson
from Christian Liberty Press
Biography for 7th-10th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Seaman
by Gail Karwoski & James Watling
from Peachtree Publishers, Ltd.
Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade
in Lewis & Clark Expedition (1801-1803) (Location: HISA-19L&C)
$9.99 $6.00 (2 in stock)
Seeds of America - Boxed Set
by Laurie Halse Anderson
from Atheneum
for 4th-8th grade
in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX)
$26.99 $17.00 (1 in stock)
Separate Battle
Young Readers' History of the Civil War
by Ina Chang
Reprint from Puffin Books
for 5th-8th grade
in American Civil War Era (1850-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Separate Battle
Young Readers' History of the Civil War
by Ina Chang
from Scholastic Reference
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in American Civil War Era (1850-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Stonewall Jackson
Sowers Series
by Charles Ludwig
from Mott Media
Biography for 7th-9th grade
in Sowers Biographies (Location: BIO-SOW)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Story of Eli Whitney
by Jean Lee Latham
from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd.
for 4th-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.00 (3 in stock)
Story of Eli Whitney
by Jean Lee Latham
Second Edition from Avyx, Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Tecumseh
by Dwight Jon Zimmerman
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 3rd-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Underground Railroad: Life on the Road to Freedom
Perspectives on History Series
by Pat Perrin, ed.
2nd edition from History Compass
for 7th-12th grade
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$5.50 (1 in stock)
Virginia's General
by Albert Marrin
from Beautiful Feet Books
Biography for 7th-10th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$13.95 $10.00 (1 in stock)
War of 1812
Perspectives on History Series
by Mary Alice Burke Robinson, editor
from History Compass
Historical Non-fiction for 6th-9th grade
in War of 1812 (Location: HISA-19WET)
$7.95 $5.00 (1 in stock)
With Custer's Cavalry
by Katherine Gibson Fougera
from University of Nebraska
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
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