History

History CurriculumHistory Resources

As with most things, C.S. Lewis had a unique view of history. For him, the really important bits were the stories—he makes a distinction between actual historical realities and the idealized versions of them handed down which make heroes and villains of mere men and women. It's not that the stories are completely false, but their value is for character-building, not as factual data.

The tales of George Washington's bravery in battle, coolness under pressure, rigorous truthfulness, and unflagging piety may accurately preserve the essence of his temperament and nobility, but not all of them are strictly historical. The point of these stories isn't to impart facts, however, it's to offer an example of goodness for the rest of us to emulate.

Getting the facts right is still important, though. As Christians, we can't afford to have a false understanding of "the old days." Mankind is fallen, and the story of his sojourn on Earth is filled with war, suffering, disease, unfaithfulness, pride and envy; a study of history that omits those elements is both false and useless. False, because it is incomplete, and useless, because it tells us nothing of the human condition or our current situation.

It's a bit of a mystery to us why non-Christians are motivated to study the past. For believers, the end goal isn't just acquisition of facts about events and cultures, it's the instillation of a thoroughly Christian worldview, an understanding of the course of the human endeavour as decreed and guided by God Himself.

The story of Jesus Christ is central. It is the only history story that fulfills the character-building element Lewis looked for, while remaining absolutely true in every detail. Man is fallen and he does struggle against God, but through Christ there is hope of redemption, a chance to connect heaven and earth through the Atonement. Christ is the ultimate example of God's providence.

In the Reformed tradition, God's sovereignty is a very big deal. According to the doctrine of divine decree, God has ordered all things that were, are and will come to be for His own good pleasure and glory. His hand is thus present everywhere, in the privatest private life and the most public and widespread crisis. God is in control, providentially guiding nations, men, and the entire cosmos.

This very doctrine is perhaps what best explains the humanist's interest in history (whether he be atheist, agnostic, pagan). Man's natural bent is to make himself the hero of the story, to show how people can sway the trajectory of all things. God's version is quite different, and the two are naturally in conflict. Resolution may only be found in Christ.

For, while God decrees and guides all things, He has also (paradoxically) decreed man's free will and personal responsibility. Men do change the course of kingdoms, but it is only through God's agency. A proper Christian study of history takes both truths into account, and tells the stories of good guys and bad guys through the light of everything God's Word says about human nature and divine control.

We encourage you to take great comfort and joy in your study of history. Read books, watch movies (carefully noting that a lot of the story is likely to be inaccurate in detail), go on fieldtrips to forts and battlefields and birthplaces. Most of all, talk about these things. The end goal, after all, isn't to know a bunch of trivia, but to understand what God has done and continues to do.

No one knows for sure what the end of history will look like, except that every knee in heaven and on earth will bow to the returned glorious Christ, who comes to judge the living and the dead. What we believe about Him will determine whether that culmination will be filled with joy or loathing (everyone will be terrified). He is the author of history, and its centerpiece; honor Him in your study of it.

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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18 Penny Goose
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Sally M. Walker
from HarperCollins
Realistic fiction for 2nd-4th grade
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200 Questions About American History - Student Guide
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in Memoria Press American & Modern Studies (Location: HISCUR-MP)
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200 Questions About American History - Teacher Guide
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5,000-Year-Old Puzzle
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1st edition from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
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7 Continents: Asia
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A is for Abigail
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ABC Book of Early Americana - Coloring Book
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2012 Dover from Dover Publications
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Biography for 4th-7th grade
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Above the Trenches
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from Amulet Books
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Abraham Lincoln
Heroes of History
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from Emerald Books
Biography for 4th-7th grade
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$11.99
Abraham Lincoln
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
75th Anniversary Edition from Beautiful Feet Books
Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade
1940 Caldecott Medal winner
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$17.95
Abraham Lincoln (hardcover)
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75th Anniversary from Beautiful Feet Books
Biography for 1st-6th grade
1940 Caldecott Medal winner
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$21.95
Abraham Lincoln - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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from Dover Publications
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$5.99
Adam of the Road
Puffin Newbery Library
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Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1943 Newbery Medal winner
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$8.99
Adam of the Road
Puffin Modern Classics
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Historical Fiction for 3rd-8th grade
1943 Newbery Medal winner
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Adara
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Adoniram Judson
Christian Heroes: Then & Now
by Geoff & Janet Benge
from YWAM Publishing
Biography for 4th-7th grade
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$11.99
Adventures of Hercules - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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from Dover Publications
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Adventures of Ulysses - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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Aesop's Fables
Puffin Classics
by Aesop
Reprint from Puffin Books
Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Kindergarten-4th grade
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Africa For Kids
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African Plains - Coloring Book
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Aircraft - Coloring Book
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Airplanes of the Second World War - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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Airplanes of World War I - Coloring Book
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Puffin Classics
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Fairy Tales for 2nd-6th grade
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Alamo All Stars
Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #6
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Alexander Hamilton - Coloring Book
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Clr Csm from Dover Publications
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Alexander the Great
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$12.00
Alice Waters Cooks Up a Food Revolution
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All Thirteen
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from Candlewick Press
Daring Rescues for 4th-7th grade
2021 Newbery Honor Book, 2021 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book
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$24.99
All-of-a-Kind Family
by Sydney Taylor, illustrated by Helen John
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Family Stories for 2nd-6th grade
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All-of-a-Kind Family Downtown
All-of-a-Kind Family Series #2
by Sydney Taylor, illustrated by Beth & Joe Krush
from Lizzie Skurnick Books
Family Stories for 2nd-6th grade
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$12.95
All-of-a-Kind Family Uptown
All-of-a-Kind Family Series #4
by Sydney Taylor, illustrated by Mary Stevens
from Lizzie Skurnick Books
Family Stories for 2nd-6th grade
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$12.95
Almost Home
Daughters of the Faith
by Wendy G. Lawton
from Moody Press
Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
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Along Came Galileo
by Jeanne Bendick
from Beautiful Feet Books
Biography for 4th-8th grade
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Always Inventing
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Amazing Impossible Erie Canal
by Cheryl Harness
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Historical Non-Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
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$7.99
Amazing Life of Benjamin Franklin
by James Cross Giblin
from Scholastic Inc.
for 1st-4th grade
2001 NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book
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$7.99
Amelia Earhart: Young Aviator
Childhood of Famous Americans
by Beatrice Gormley
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Childhood of Famous Americans (Location: BIO-COFA)
$7.99
Amelia to Zora
1st edition from Charlesbridge
for 3rd-5th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$7.95
America's First Ladies - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Leslie Franz
Revised Edition from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
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$5.99
America's Lost Dream
by Tom Dooley
from Master Books
American History for 4th-6th grade
in America's Christian Heritage (Location: HISA-CH)
$12.79 $10.00 (2 in stock)
America's Paul Revere
by Esther Forbes
from Sandpiper Books
Biography for 2nd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$12.99
America's Story 1
by Angela O'Dell
1st edition from Master Books
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$34.39 $28.00 (2 in stock)
America's Story 1 - Teacher Guide
by Angela O'Dell
from Master Books
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in Master Books History (Location: HISCUR-MB)
$26.39 $20.00 (2 in stock)
America's Story 2
by Angela O'Dell
from Master Books
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$34.39
America's Story 2 - Teacher Guide
by Angela O'Dell
from Master Books
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in Master Books History (Location: HISCUR-MB)
$26.39
America's Story 3
by Angela O'Dell
from Master Books
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in Master Books History (Location: HISCUR-MB)
$34.39
America's Story 3 - Teacher Guide
by Angela O'Dell
from Master Books
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$26.39
America's War Heroes
by Marilyn Boyer
from Master Books
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$10.39
American Art Bingo Volume I
by Kristin Draeger
from ArtK12
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$16.96
American Art History Volume I
by Kristin Draeger
from ArtK12
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$33.96
American Art History Volume II
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from ArtK12
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$33.96 $27.00 (1 in stock)
American Family of the Civil War Era - Paper Dolls
by Tom Tierney
from Dover Publications
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American Heroes - Coloring Book
by Steven James Petruccio
from Dover Publications
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$4.99
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
American History in Verse
by Burton Stevenson
from Bob Jones University Press
Poetry for 3rd-Adult
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$11.00
American History Stories Volume 1
by Mara L. Pratt
from Yesterday's Classics
for 3rd-6th grade
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$11.95
American History Stories Volume 2
by Mara L. Pratt
from Yesterday's Classics
for 3rd-6th grade
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$11.95
American History Stories Volume 3
by Mara L. Pratt
from Yesterday's Classics
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$11.95
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by Mara L. Pratt
from Yesterday's Classics
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$11.95
American Muscle Cars - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Bruce LaFontaine
from Dover Publications
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$5.99
American Plague
by Jim Murphy
from Clarion Books
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2004 Newbery Honor Book, 2004 Robert F. Sibert Medal winner, NCTE Orbi Pictus Award
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$21.99
American Presidents - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Peter F. Copeland
from Dover Publications
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$5.99
American Revolution
America at War Series
by Alden Carter
from Grolier Publishing
Historical Non-fiction for 4th-6th grade
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$6.95 $5.00 (4 in stock)
American Sailing Ships - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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from Dover Publications
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$5.99
American Tall Tales
by Mary Pope Osborne, Michael McCurdy
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
Fairy Tales & Fables for 4th-8th grade
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$19.99
Amistad - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Peter F. Copeland
from Dover Publications
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$3.95
Amos Fortune, Free Man
by Elizabeth Yates, illustrated by Nora S. Unwin
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1951 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99
Amy Carmichael
Christian Heroes: Then & Now
by Geoff & Janet Benge
from YWAM Publishing
Biography for 4th-7th grade
in Christian Heroes: Then and Now (Location: BIO-BENGE)
$11.99
Ancient Africa Volume 2 - Coloring Book
from Bellerophon Books
for 3rd-6th grade
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$2.00
Ancient China: To the Great Wall...and Beyond
by Judy Wilcox
from Zeezok Publishing
for Kindergarten-12th grade
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$13.95
Ancient Civilization Wall Maps (Small)
from Memoria Press
for 3rd-8th grade
in Memoria Press Classical Studies (Location: HISCUR-MP)
$21.00 $14.00 (1 in stock)
Ancient Egypt- Greenleaf Guide
by Cynthia Shearer
from Greenleaf Press
Ancient Egypt History Curriculum for 2nd-7th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
$7.50 $4.50 (2 in stock)
Ancient Egyptian Fashions - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Tom Tierney
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
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$4.99
Ancient Greek Art
Art in History
by Susie Hodge
from Heinemann Educational Books
for 4th-6th grade
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$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Ancient History-Based Writing Lessons - Set
by Lori Verstegen
6th edition from Institute for Excellence in Writing
for 3rd-6th grade
in IEW Theme-Based Writing Lessons (Location: WRI-IEWTBW)
$55.00
Ancient History-Based Writing Lessons - Student Book
by Lori Verstegen
6th edition from Institute for Excellence in Writing
for 3rd-6th grade
in IEW Theme-Based Writing Lessons (Location: WRI-IEWTBW)
$35.00
Ancient Israelites and Their Neighbors
by Marian Broida
from Chicago Review Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Ancient Israel (Location: HISW-ANIS)
$18.95
Ancient Sicily
Monuments Past & Present
by Gaetano Messineo & Emanuela Borgia
from Vision S.R.L.
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$27.00
And Then What Happened, Paul Revere?
by Jean Fritz & Margot Tomes
from PaperStar Books
Biography for 2nd-4th grade
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$7.99
Angel Knew Papa and the Dog
by Douglas Kaine McKelvey
from Rabbit Room Press
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$12.99
Angel on the Square
by Gloria Whelan
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$9.99 $5.50 (1 in stock)
Anna Hibiscus
by Atinuke
Reprint from Candlewick Press
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$7.99
Annie Oakley: Young Marksman
Childhood of Famous Americans
by Ellen Wilson
from Aladdin Paperbacks
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in Childhood of Famous Americans (Location: BIO-COFA)
$7.99
Anno's China
by Anno
from Beautiful Feet Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$19.95
Anno's China
by Anno
from Beautiful Feet Books
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$14.95
Anno's Italy
by Mitsumasa Anno
from Beautiful Feet Books
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$19.95
Anno's Italy PB
by Mitsumasa Anno
from Beautiful Feet Books
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$14.95
Anno's Journey
by Mitsumasa Anno
from Beautiful Feet Books
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Anno's Spain
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$14.95
Anno's Spain
by Mitsumasa Anno
from Beautiful Feet Books
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$19.95
Annotated Secret Garden
by Frances Hodgson Burnett, edited by Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina
Annotated from W. W. Norton and Co.
Realistic Fiction for 4th-9th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$35.00
Answering the Cry for Freedom
by Gretchen Woelfle, Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
from Calkins Creek
for 4th-7th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$19.99
Antique Airplanes - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Peter F. Copeland
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Transportation Coloring Books (Location: COL-TRANS)
$5.99
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