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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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in Alphabet Coloring Books (Location: COL-ALPH)
$10.95
Abe Lincoln Goes to Washington
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from National Geographic
Picture Book Biography for 2nd-4th grade
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Abraham Lincoln
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
Abraham Lincoln & His Family - Paper Dolls
by Tom Tierney
from Dover Publications
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$9.99
Abraham Lincoln - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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$5.99
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Adventures of Munford: Munford Meets Lewis & Clark
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$5.00 (1 in stock)
Adventures of Munford: The Klondike Gold Rush
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AIO Imagination Station Book #22
by Marianne Hering & Sheila Seifert
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$5.99
America in the Time of Abraham Lincoln
by Sally Senzell Isaacs
from Heinemann Library
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$4.00 (2 in stock)
America in the Time of Lewis and Clark
by Sally Senzel Isaacs
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
American Army of Two
On My Own History
by Janet Greeson
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American History for Young Students II
by Michelle Miller
from TruthQuest History
History Curriculum for 1st-5th grade
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
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$3.95
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$12.99
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Dover Coloring Books
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$5.00 (1 in stock)
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by Colin Hynson
from ticktock Media Ltd
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Benjamin in the Woods
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by Eleanor Clymer, illustrated by William Russell
from Wonder Books
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$7.00 (1 in stock)
Big Book of the Old West to Color
by Peter F. Copeland, et al.
from Dover Publications
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$9.95
Billy the Union Soldier with 24 Stickers - Activity Book
by A. G. Smith
from Dover Publications
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Calamity Jane
by Doris Faber
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Caleb's Story
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Captive Treasure
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Realistic Fiction for 2nd-5th grade
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by Brett Harvey; illustrated by Deborah Kogan Ray
from Holiday House
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$6.50 (2 in stock)
Central Pacific Railroad
Cornerstones of Freedom Second Series
by Clark J. Evans
from Children's Press
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in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Chang's Paper Pony
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Eleanor Coerr
from HarperCollins
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$4.99 $2.50 (1 in stock)
Children of the Civil War
Picture the American Past
by Candice F. Ransom
from Carolrhoda Books, Inc.
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in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
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Picture the American Past
by Wilma King
from Carolrhoda Books, Inc.
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in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Christmas on the Prairie
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from Clarion Books
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$8.00 (2 in stock)
Civil War Artist
by Taylor Morrison
from HMH Books for Young Readers
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in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Civil War Fashions - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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from Dover Publications
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Civil War Paper Soldiers in Full Color
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from Dover Publications
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Civil War Uniforms - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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from Dover Publications
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in History of America Coloring Books (Location: COL-HISA)
$4.99
Coloring Book of the Civil War
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in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$2.50 (2 in stock)
Conrad Elroy, Powder Monkey
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from Perfection Learning
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$2.00 (1 in stock)
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Cowboy Small
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Cowboys
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by Catriona Clarke
from Usborne
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Cowboys - Coloring Book
Educational Read & Color Books
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from Spizzirri Press
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Cowboys of the Old West - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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from Dover Publications
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$4.99
Crossing Bok Chitto
by Tim Tingle
from Cinco Puntos Pres
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$12.95
Dakota Dugout
by Ann Turner; illustrated by Ronald Himler
from Macmillan
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$8.00 (1 in stock)
Drawing America: Sacajawea
Drawing America
by Elaine Raphael & Don Bolognese
from Scholastic Inc.
Biography for 1st-3rd grade
in Lewis & Clark (Location: HISA-19L&C)
Drinking Gourd
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by F. N. Monjo
from HarperCollins
Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$4.99
Drinking Gourd
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by F. N. Monjo
from HarperCrest
Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Duel of the Ironclads
by Patrick O'Brien
from Walker and Company
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
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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)
Elizabeth Leads the Way
by Tanya Lee Stone, illustrated by Rebecca Gibbon
from Square Fish Publishing
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Enemies of Slavery
from Holiday House
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Erie Canal
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from Doubleday & Company
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Escape North!
Step into Reading Level 4
by Monica Kulling
from Random House
for Grades 2-3
in Step into Reading (Location: EAR-STEP)
$4.99
F is for Freedom
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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
Famous Trains - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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from Dover Publications
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$3.99
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Dover Coloring Books
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from Dover Publications
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$3.99
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
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
First Book of Pioneers
by Walter Havinghurst
from Franklin Watts
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Follow the Drinking Gourd
by Jeanette Winter
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Follow the Drinking Gourd
by Jeanette Winter
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.50 (2 in stock)
Food and Recipes of Westward Expansion
Cooking Throughout American History
by George Erdosh
1st edition from PowerKids Press
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$4.50 (1 in stock)
For Ma and Pa
by Wilma Pitchford Hays, illustrated by Peter Burchard
from Coward McCann
for 2nd-4th grade
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From Antietam to Gettysburg - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Peter F. Copeland
from Dover Publications
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$4.99
Frontier Village
by Catherine E. Chambers
from Troll Communications
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Going to Town
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from Scholastic Press
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Going West
by Jean Van Leeuwen
from Puffin Books
Historical fiction for 2nd-4th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$6.99
Going West
by Jean Van Leeuwen, illustrated by Thomas Allen
from Dial Books for Young Readers
Historical fiction for 2nd-4th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Going West
by Martin Waddell, illustratred by Philippe Dupasquier
from Harper & Row
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Western Expansion (1800-1898) (Location: HISA-19WES)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Going West!
Kalideoscope Kids Book
by Carol A. Johmann, Elizabeth J. Rieth
from Williamson Publishing Company
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Henry Ford
by Dina El Nabli
from HarperCollins
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in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Her Story, Her Words
by Frances E. Ruffin
from Rosen Central
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in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Homespun Sarah
by Verla Kay, illustrated by Ted Rand
from G.P. Putnam's Sons
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Horses of the Old West - Coloring Book
by John Green
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Horse Coloring Books (Location: COL-HOR)
$3.99
How Sweet the Sound
by Carole Boston Weatherford, Illustrated by Frank Morrison
from Atheneum
for 1st-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$17.99
How We Crossed the West
by Rosalyn Schanzer
Reprint from National Geographic
for 2nd-6th grade
in Lewis & Clark (Location: HISA-19L&C)
$7.95
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
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
If You Grew Up With Abraham Lincoln
If You Were There
by Ann McGovern
from Scholastic Inc.
Historical Non-fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$4.00 (2 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 Civil War
by Kay Moore
from Perfection Learning
for 2nd-6th grade
in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$16.60
If You Traveled On the Underground Railroad
If You Were There
by Ellen Levine & Larry Johnson
from Scholastic Inc.
Historical Non-fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in Slavery & the Underground Railroad (Location: HISA-19SL)
If You Traveled West in a Covered Wagon
If You Were There
by Ellen Levine
from Scholastic Inc.
Historical Non-fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
If You Were Me and Lived in... the American West (Volume 7)
by Carole P. Roman
from CreateSpace
for 1st-3rd grade
in Western Expansion (1800-1898) (Location: HISA-19WES)
Indian Summer
by F. N. Monjo
from HarperTrophy
for 2nd-5th grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
Indiana Days
by Catherine E. Chambers
from Troll Associates
for 1st-4th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
Indians and Cowboys
by Sanford Tousey
1951 Edition from Rand McNally
for 2nd-4th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Industrial Revolution
by Carla Mooney
from Nomad Press
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in Industrialization & Organized Labor (Location: HISA-19IND)
$15.95 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Jane Addams
A Discovery Book
by Helen Stone Peterson
from Garrard Publishing Company
for 2nd-4th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
John Brown: One Man Against Slavery
by Gwen Everett, Illustrated by Jacob Lawrence
from Rizzoli International Publications
for 1st-3rd grade
in Slavery & the Underground Railroad (Location: HISA-19SL)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
John Lincoln Clem: Civil War Drummer Boy
Based on a True Story
by E. F. Abbott
from Square Fish Publishing
for 2nd-6th grade
in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$9.99
Johnny Appleseed
by Steven Kellogg
from HarperTrophy
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Johnny Appleseed
A Step into Reading Book Level 3
by David L. Harrison, Illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka
from Random House
for 1st-3rd grade
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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