Regional History

Once upon a time, schoolchildren could be expected to know the name of the mountains separating France from Spain, the location of the Nile River, the capitals of all fifty states, and what and where the Pampas could be found. Now, even adults have a hard time naming the most populous city in the U.S. or the countries of Asia. These are, indeed, sad times, and doomed to become sadder if this geographic ignorance is not turned to knowledge.

Without a firm grasp on geography, how can we expect to know anything about history? History is rooted in a sense of place. Why did the Union troops lose the Battle of Cold Harbor? Because they were attacking Confederate fortifications uphill. And if you don't know anything about the Alps, the fact that Hannibal's army crossed them with elephants won't surprise you near as much as it should. Understanding the physical terrain and the demographics of an area are essential to understanding the history of that region.

Which is why studying history by place is such a good idea. There are cultural considerations, of course, and these can be immensely helpful guides in their own right, but simply looking at the lay of the land so to speak will provide a sense of context more abstract boundaries never can. African history, for instance, makes so much more sense if you know what the continent is like.

Even cultures are influenced by geography. Take the United States: some of the most important advances in transportation technology happened within her borders largely due to necessity. The steam engine train was perfected here, automobiles and airplanes were invented here, and in the last few decades we've led the world in space exploration.

It's not that no one traveled before the 19th and 20th century, or outside the North American continent—it's just that because the new nation was so vast, and there were so many natural barriers (the Mississippi River, the Grand Tetons and Great Smokey Mountains, the Mojave Desert), new forms of getting from here to there were not only a good idea, they were a necessity.

There probably isn't one instance in the history of the world in which geography and events weren't directly tied. Certainly this is true for military history, and exploration, and agriculture, but it's also true of ideas and ideologies. Part of the reason slavery was such an important part of Southern culture in the U.S. was that cotton was an immensely growable crop and only armies of slaves could be counted on to get all the work done; in order to justify the use of forced labor, however, a philosophical ethos was developed.

Other instances may be more obscure, but no less true. In France, the mild climate and fertile country led to a series of approaches to thought that emphasized experience and the pursuit of pleasure for its own sake (particularly existentialism); in ancient Greece, the geographical isolation enforced by mountains and seas allowed democratic polity to emerge among the city states.

Geography and history are pretty much Siamese twins, and academic technology has not advanced to the point where they can be separated without risk of life to both. We've organized the subcategories in this section along pretty standard lines (continents, countries, and the like), but standards arise because they work. Explore a region you're unfamiliar with; you're likely to uncover quite a few surprises.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur.  Read more of his reviews here.
Did you find this review helpful?
163 Items found Print
Active Filters: 4th grade (Ages 9-10), Perfectbound
ABC Book of Early Americana - Coloring Book
by Eric Sloane
2012 Dover from Dover Publications
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Alphabet Coloring Books (Location: COL-ALPH)
$10.95
Across America
by Jacqueline Morley
from Franklin Watts
for 4th-6th grade
in Lewis & Clark (Location: HISA-19L&C)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
African-Americans in the Thirteen Colonies
by Deborah Kent
from Children's Press
for 2nd-6th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Alamo!
by George Sullivan
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
in Mexican-American War (Location: HISA-19TEX)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
America - with CD
from Diana Waring Presents
for 1st-6th grade
in Diana Waring History Revealed (Location: OHIS-DWHR)
America At War: Korean War
by John Perritano
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Korean War (1950-1953) (Location: HISA-20KW)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
America in the Time of Franklin Delano Roosevelt
by Sally Senzel Isaacs
from Heinemann-Raintree
for 2nd-5th grade
in World War II (1939-1945) (Location: HISA-20WW2)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
America in the Time of Lewis and Clark
by Sally Senzel Isaacs
from Heinemann-Raintree
for 2nd-5th grade
in 19th Century America (Location: HISA-19C)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
American Adventures Part 1
by Morrie Greenberg
from Brooke-Richards Press
for 4th-6th grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$3.50 (5 in stock)
American Adventures Part 2
by Morrie Greenberg
from Brooke-Richards Press
for 4th-6th grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
American Indian Prayer Guide
by Danette Maloof, Dean Cozzens
from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd.
for 4th-7th grade
in Native Americans (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$4.50 (3 in stock)
Ancient Israelites and Their Neighbors
by Marian Broida
from Chicago Review Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Ancient Israel (Location: HISW-ANIS)
$18.95
Anne of Jamestown
by Anne Price-Hardister, illustrated by Ruby Gardner
from Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation
for 2nd-6th grade
in Jamestown Colony (Location: HISA-17JA)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Anno's China
by Anno
from Beautiful Feet Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$14.95
Battle of the Little Bighorn
by R. Conrad Stein
from Children's Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Big Book of the Civil War
by Joanne Mattern
from Courage Books
for 4th-7th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Bill of Rights
by R. Conrad Stein
for 3rd-6th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Bill of Rights
by Lucia Raatma
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in New Nation (1783-1800) (Location: HISA-18NN)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Boys' War
by Jim Murphy
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Building the Capital City
by Marlene Targ Brill
from Children's Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Building the New York Subway
Cornerstones of Freedom Second Series
by Andrew Santella
from Children's Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Calamity Jane
by Doris Faber
from Houghton Mifflin
for 1st-4th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Can't You Make Them Behave, King George?
by Jean Fritz
from PaperStar Books
for 4th-6th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$6.99
Canada from A to Z
from Crabtree Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Canada (Location: HISMC-CAN)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Central Pacific Railroad
Cornerstones of Freedom Second Series
by Clark J. Evans
from Children's Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Chief Joseph: Leader of Destiny
by Kate Jassem
from Troll Associates
for 3rd-5th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Children of Native America Today
by Yvonne Wakim Dennis and Arlene Hirschfelder
from Charlesbridge
for 3rd-6th grade
in Native Americans (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Chuck Yeager Breaks the Sound Barrier
by R. Conrad Stein
from Children's Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Civil Rights Movement in America
Cornerstones of Freedom
by Elaine Landau
Reprint from Children's Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Countries Around the World: New Zealand
by Mary Colson
from Heinemann-Raintree
for 2nd-5th grade
in Australia & Oceania (Location: HISMC-AU)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Creative God Colorful Us
by Trillia Newbell, Paintings by Chase Williamson
from Moody Press
for 3rd-7th grade
in Diversity & Multicultural Books (Location: HISMC-MUL)
$12.99
Daily Life in a Plains Indian Village 1868
by Michael Bad Hand Terry
from Clarion Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Dear Benjamin Banneker
by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Brian Pinkney
from Houghton Mifflin
for 2nd-4th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$7.99
Declaration of Independence
History Speaks
by Douglas M. Rife
from Teaching & Learning Company
for 4th - 8th Grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Declaration of Independence
Documenting U.S. History
by Elizabeth Raum
from Heinemann-Raintree
for 2nd-5th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Desert Storm
by John Perritano
from Q2A Media
for 3rd-6th grade
in 20th Century: 1976-1999 (Location: HISW-20C4)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Don't Know Much About American History
by Kenneth C. Davis
from HarperCollins
for 4th-6th grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Dreaming of America
by Eve Bunting, Illustrated by Ben Stahl
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Immigration & Emigration (Location: HISA-20IM)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Early American History for Intermediate Grades - Guide
by Rea Berg & Rebecca Manor
3rd edition from Beautiful Feet Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Beautiful Feet Books (Location: HISCUR-BFB)
$29.95
Early Settler Storybook
from Crabtree Publishing
for 1st-4th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Electrical Wizard
by Elizabeth Rusch, illustrated by Oliver Dominguez
from Candlewick Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Ellis Island
Cornerstones of Freedom
by Melissa McDaniel
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th Grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Susy)
by Barbara Kerley, illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham
from Scholastic Inc.
for 1st-4th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Family Pictures / Cuadros de Familia
by Carmen Lomas Garza
from Lee & Low Books
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Spanish Resources (Location: FL-SPARE)
Famous Presidents
Eyes on America
by Philip Koslow
from KidsBooks, Inc.
for 2nd-4th grade
in American Presidency (Location: HISV-PRE)
$2.00 (4 in stock)
Flags to Color from the American Revolution
by Whitney Smith
from Bellerophon Books
for 4th-6th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
George Washington Carver
by Tonya Bolden
from Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
George Washington Carver: Botanist
Black Americans of Achievement
by Gene Adair, introduction by Coretta Scott King
from Chelsea House Publishing
for 4th-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
George Washington You Never Knew
by James Lincoln Collier
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Get Oregonized - Set
by Rod Fielder
Revised from Oregon Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation
for 3rd-5th grade
in Pacific States (Location: HISV-PNW)
$40.00 (1 in stock)
Gettysburg Address
History Speaks
by Douglas M. Rife
from Teaching & Learning Company
for 4th-8th grade
in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami
from kahoku Shimpo Publishing Co
for 1st-Adult
in Japan (Location: HISMC-JAP)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Great Explorers
by Jim Pipe
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Greece: The Culture
The Lands, Peoples, and Cultures Series
by Bobbie Kalman, Sierra Adare
from Crabtree Publishing
for 2nd-5th grade
in Europe (Location: HISMC-EUR)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Greece: The Land
The Lands, Peoples, and Cultures Series
by Bobbie Kalman, Sierra Adare
from Crabtree Publishing
for 2nd-5th grade
in Europe (Location: HISMC-EUR)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Hero Over Here
by Kathleen V. Kudlinski
from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd.
for 2nd-5th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
How and Why Wonder Book of the Civil War
by Earl Schenck Miers
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
in How and Why Wonder Books (Location: VIN-H&W)
How People Learned to Fly
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Stage 2
by Fran Hodgkins, illustrated by True Kelley
from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Inventions & Discoveries (Location: SCI-INV)
Incans, Aztecs, Mayans
by John Holzmann
from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Ancient America (Location: HISW-ANAM)
$4.50 (5 in stock)
Jackie Robinson Breaks the Color Line
Cornerstones of Freedom series
by Andrew Santella
from Scholastic Inc.
Non-fiction for 4th-6th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Jedediah Smith
by Sharlene and Ted Nelson
from Franklin Watts
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Jesse Owens: Gold Medal Hero
Sterling Biographies
by Jim Gigliotti
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Joan of Arc: Heavenly Warrior
Sterling Biographies
by Tabatha Yeatts
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Kid's Guide to Latino History
by Valerie Petrillo
from Chicago Review Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Latin & South America (Location: HISMC-LAT)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Kid's Guide to Native American History
by Yvonne Wakim Dennis, illustrated by Arlene Hirschfelder
from Chicago Review Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Native Americans (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Lady Liberty: A Biography
by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by Matt Tavares
from Candlewick Press
for 1st-4th grade
in Landmarks & Symbols of the United States (Location: HISV-LANUS)
$4.50 (2 in stock)
Last River
by Stuart Waldman, illustrated by Gregory Manchess
from Mikaya Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Western Expansion (1800-1898) (Location: HISA-19WES)
$15.99
Life in a Fishing Community
Learn About Rural Life
by Helene Boudreau
from Crabtree Publishing
for 2nd-4th grade
in Everyday Life in History (Location: HISV-EVERY)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Life in Ancient Rome
by Joseph Farrell
from Running Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Lincoln Memorial
by Deborah Kent
from Children's Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Louis Armstrong and the Jazz Age
Cornerstones of Freedom
by Dan Elish
Reprint from Children's Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Magellan and the Exploration of South America
by Colin Hynson
from Barron's
Non-fiction for 4th-8th grade
in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
Marco Polo
by Struan Reid
from Heinemann Library
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Musical Memories of Laura Ingalls Wilder - with CD
Experience History Through Music
by Diana Waring
from Diana Waring Presents
for 1st-6th grade
in Diana Waring History Revealed (Location: OHIS-DWHR)
Mystery of the Maya
by Peter Lourie
from Boyds Mill Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Ancient America (Location: HISW-ANAM)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
N.C. Wyeth's Pilgrims
by Robert San Souci, illustrated by N.C. Wyeth
from Chronicle Books
for Kindergarten-5th grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
N.C. Wyeth's Pilgrims
by Robert D. San Souci
from Scholastic Inc.
for Kindergarten-5th grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Nathan Hale
Hidden History: Spies
by Aaron Derr, Illustrated by Tami Wicinas
from Red Chair Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
National Parks of the USA - Activity Book
by Claire Grace; inspired by the book by Kate Siber, illustrated by Chris Turnham
from Quarto Publishing
for 2nd-6th grade
in Landmarks & Symbols of the United States (Location: HISV-LANUS)
$10.99
Nations of the Northwest Coast
by Kathryn Smithyman and Bobbie Kalman
from Crabtree Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Native Americans (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Oregon History - Student Workbook
by Georgia Sligar
Revised Edition from Oregon History Book
for 4th-8th grade
in Pacific States (Location: HISV-PNW)
Our National Monuments
by Eleanor Ayer
from Millbrook Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Landmarks & Symbols of the United States (Location: HISV-LANUS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
People Could Fly
by Virginia Hamilton, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
in Short Story Anthologies for Kids (Location: FIC-ANTH)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Prairie Primer
by Margie Gray
2nd edition from Cadron Creek Christian Curriculum
for 3rd-6th grade
in Cadron Creek Literature Guides (Location: LITCUR-CAD)
Prairie Schooners
by Glen Rounds
from Holiday House
for 3rd-6th grade
in Oregon Trail (Location: HISA-19OR)
Preamble to the U.S. Constitution
History Speaks
by Douglas M. Rife
from Teaching & Learning Company
for 4th-8th grade
in New Nation (1783-1800) (Location: HISA-18NN)
$1.50 (1 in stock)
Primary Source History of the American Revolution
Fact Finders
by Sarah Powers Webb
from Capstone Press
for 3rd-5th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Remember the Alamo
from National Geographic
for 4th-8th grade
in Mexican-American War (Location: HISA-19TEX)
Robert Fulton
by Marguerite Henry; illustrated by Robert Patterson
from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd.
for 3rd-5th grade
in Childhood of Famous Americans (Location: BIO-COFA)
$5.00 (4 in stock)
Roman Army
by Peter Connolly
from Silver Burdett Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Roman Life
by John Guy
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Roman News
by Andrew Langley, Philip De Souza
from Candlewick Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
$7.99
Romans
Usborne Internet-Linked
from Usborne
Roman History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
$8.10 (1 in stock)
Rosa
by Nikki Giovanni, illustrated by Bryan Collier
from Square Fish Publishing
for 1st-4th grade
2006 Caldecott Honor Book
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$8.99
Salmon's Journey and More Northwest Coast Stories
by Robert James Challenger
from Heritage House Publishing Company
for 1st-5th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Sea Lion
by Ken Kesey, Illustrated by Neil Waldman
from Puffin Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Secrets in Stone
by Laurie Coulter, illustrated by Sarah Jane English
from Hyperion/Madison Press
for 3rd-8th grade
in Ancient America (Location: HISW-ANAM)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Smithsonian American History
by David C. King
from DK Publishing
for 4th-8th grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Smokestacks and Spinning Jennys
American History Through Primary Sources
by Sean Price
from Capstone Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Industrialization & Organized Labor (Location: HISA-19IND)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Smokestacks and Spinning Jennys
American History Through Primary Sources
by Sean Price
from Heinemann-Raintree
for 2nd-5th grade
in Industrialization & Organized Labor (Location: HISA-19IND)
12