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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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Abe Lincoln Grows Up
by Carl Sandburg
from Graphia
Biography for 5th-8th grade
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Adventures of Lewis and Clark
by John Bakeless
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Battle of the Little Bighorn
by Mark Henckel
1st edition from Falcon Press Publishing
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Behind the Blue and Gray
by Delia Ray
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Behind the Blue and Gray
by Delia Ray
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Big Annie of Calumet
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Bold Journey
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Boston Jane
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Bound for Oregon
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Boys' War
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Buffalo Bill
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Biography for 6th-9th grade
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Bull Run
by Paul Fleischman, David Frampton (Woodcuts)
2nd edition from Scholastic Inc.
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Captain's Dog
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Seeds of America #1
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Historic Communities
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Children of the Wild West
by Russell Freedman
from Clarion Books
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in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$5.00 (3 in stock)
Children's Stories
Tales of the Wild West Volume 6
by Rick Steber
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Civil War
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Civil War
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Step Into History
by Steven Otfinoski
from Children's Press
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Civil War Days
American Kids in History
by David C. King
1st edition from John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
for 3rd-6th Grade
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Civil War for Kids
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from Chicago Review Press
Activity Guide for 4th-7th grade
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Civil War Heroines
by Jill Canon
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$2.50 (1 in stock)
Clara Barton
Heroes of History
by Geoff & Janet Benge
from Emerald Books
Biography for 4th-7th grade
in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE)
$11.99 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Courage to Run
Daughters of the Faith
by Wendy G. Lawton
from Moody Press
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Tales of the Wild West Volume 4
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Cowboys of the Wild West
by Russell Freedman
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Non-fiction for 4th-8th grade
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Cowboys of the Wild West
by Russell Freedman
from Scholastic Inc.
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in Cowboys & Cattlemen (Location: HISA-19CO)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Daniel Boone
by Daniel Boone
from Applewood Books
Biography for 4th-8th grade
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Davy Crockett
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from Applewood Books
Biography for 4th-8th grade
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Diary of an Early American Boy
by Eric Sloane
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$12.00 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewitness: Civil War
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from DK Publishing
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$8.00 (1 in stock)
Era of Modernization Through the 1930s
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Farmer Boy
Little House Series #3
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Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
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For Home & Country
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Fort Clatsop
by Daniel J. Dattilio
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Francis Scott Key
Sowers Series
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Gettysburg Address in Translation
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Girl in Blue
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Gold Rush Fever
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$8.00 (1 in stock)
Grandpa's Stories
Tales of the Wild West Volume 10
by Rick Steber
from Bonanza Publishing
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in Western Expansion (1800-1898) (Location: HISA-19WES)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Great Fire
by Jim Murphy
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$4.00 (2 in stock)
Harriet Tubman
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Hattie Big Sky
by Kirby Larson
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Heading West
by William E. Hill
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$1.50 (1 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 (1 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 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 (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)
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House Divided
Young Founders 1863
by Elizabeth Massie
from Tor Classic
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
How We Crossed the West
by Rosalyn Schanzer
Reprint from National Geographic
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If You Lived 100 Years Ago
by Ann Mcgovern
from Scholastic Inc.
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in Gilded Age & Progressive Era (1877-1918) (Location: HISA-19GI)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Incredible Journey of Lewis and Clark
by Rhoda Blumberg
from HarperCollins
Historical Reference for 4th-7th grade
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Incredible Journey of Lewis and Clark
by Rhoda Blumberg
from Scholastic Inc.
Historical Reference for 4th-6th grade
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Indians
Tales of the Wild West Volume 3
by Rick Steber
from Bonanza Publishing
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J. Pierpont Morgan
by Michael Burgan
1st edition from Compass Point Books
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$2.00 (1 in stock)
Jed Smith
by Frank Latham
from Christian Liberty Press
Biography for 4th-8th grade
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Jericho's Journey
by G. Clifton Wisler
from Puffin Books
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John Paul Jones
Sterling Point Books
by Armstrong Sperry
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Biography for 5th-9th grade
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Klondike Fever
by Michael Cooper
from Clarion Books
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
Ladies Were Not Expected
by Dorothy Nafus Morrison
2nd edition from Oregon Historical Society Press
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Last Safe House
by Barbara Greenwood
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Letter Writer
by Ann Rinaldi
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Lewis & Clark Hands On Art & English Activities
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$12.95 $8.00 (2 in stock)
Lewis and Clark for Kids
by Janis Herbert
from Chicago Review Press
Historical Reference/Activity Book for 4th-6th grade
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$16.95 $12.00 (2 in stock)
Lincoln: A Photobiography
by Russell Freedman
from Houghton Mifflin
Biography for 5th-9th grade
1988 Newbery Medal winner
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Little House in the Big Woods
Little House Series #1
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
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Little House in the Big Woods
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from Scholastic Press
for 1st-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Little House on Rocky Ridge
Rocky Ridge Years / Rose Years Book 1
by Roger Lea MacBride
from HarperCollins
for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$5.50 (1 in stock)
Little House on the Prairie
Little House Series #2
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Long Road to Gettysburg
by Jim Murphy
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$4.50 (1 in stock)
Louisiana Purchase (Let Freedom Ring)
by Elizabeth Jaffe
from Capstone Press
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Lucretia Ann on the Oregon Trail
by Ruth Gipson Plowhead
from Caxton Press
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Many Thousand Gone
by Virginia Hamilton
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$8.00 (2 in stock)
Martha of California
by James Otis
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in A Beka Book Report books (Location: REA-ABK)
$4.00 (34 in stock)
Men-of-War
by Patrick O'Brian
1st Us Edition from W. W. Norton and Co.
for 5th-10th grade
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$3.00 (2 in stock)
Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg
by Rodman Philbrick
from Scholastic Press
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2010 Newbery Honor Book
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$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Mr. Lincoln's Drummer
by G. Clifton Wisler
from Puffin Books
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
My Little House Crafts Book
by Carolyn Strom Collins & Christina Wyss Eriksson
from HarperCollins
Arts and Crafts for 3rd-6th grade
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$13.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Nation Torn
by Delia Ray
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
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$5.00 (1 in stock)
Naya Nuki
by Kenneth Thomasma
from Baker Books
Historical Fiction for 4th-6th grade
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Neeluk
by Frances Kittredge
from Alaska Northwest Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Oregon Trail
by Ted Henson
from Instructional Fair
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
Oregon Trail, Yesterday and Today
from Caxton Press
for 6th-Adult
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Oregon Trail: Voyage of Discovery
by Dan Murphy
1st edition
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$4.50 (1 in stock)
Our Only May Amelia
by Jennifer L. Holm
from HarperCollins
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.99 $3.50 (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)
Outrageous Women of the American Frontier
Outrageous Women
1st edition from Jossey-Bass
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Patty Reed's Doll
by Rachel K. Laurgaard
from Tomato Enterprises
Historical fiction for 5th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.00 (3 in stock)
Petersburg
by Bruce Brager
from Chelsea House Publishing
for 5th-8th grade
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Picture Book of Lewis and Clark
by David A. Adler
from Holiday House
for 3rd-6th grade
in Lewis & Clark Expedition (1801-1803) (Location: HISA-19L&C)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Pioneer Crafts
by Inc. Kids Can Press
from Kids Can Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Pioneer Days
American Kids in History
by David C. King
1st edition from John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
for 3rd-6th Grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Pioneers
Tales of the Wild West Volume 11
by Rick Steber
from Bonanza Publishing
for 4th-7th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Pledge of Allegiance in Translation
by Elizabeth, Raum
from Capstone Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in U.S. Monuments & Symbols (Location: HISV-LANUS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Pony Express
by C. W. Guthrie
from Two Dot Books
for 6th-9th grade
in Pony Express (1860-1861) (Location: HISA-19PEX)
$12.00 (2 in stock)
Prairie Songs
by Pam Conrad
from Scholastic Inc.
for 5th-7th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Prairie Visions
by Pam Conrad
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
1992 NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$7.00 (2 in stock)
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