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.
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100 African-Americans Who Shaped American History
by Chrisanne Beckner
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1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving
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500 Facts: American History for Kids
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7 Continents: Africa
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Abe Lincoln Gets His Chance
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Abigail Adams Package (FACE)
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Across America
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Across America, I Love You
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Adara
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Adventures of Lewis and Clark
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Aeneas: Virgil's Epic Retold for Young Readers
by Emily Frenkel(translator and reteller), Virgil (original text), illustrated by Simon Weller
2015 Reprint from Bloomsbury Publishing
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Africa
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Africa For Kids
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Africa Is My Home
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Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #6
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Alexander Hamilton: The Outsider
by Jean Fritz; illustrated by Ian Schoenherr
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Almost Home
Daughters of the Faith
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Amazon River
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Amelia Earhart
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America At War: Korean War
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America Grows Up
A History for Peter #2
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America In Korean War
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America in the Time of Abraham Lincoln
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America in the Time of Lewis and Clark
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America is Born
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America's Lost Dream
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American Adventures Part 1
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American Adventures Part 2
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American History for Young Students I
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American History for Young Students II
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History Curriculum for 1st-5th grade
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American History Stories Volume 2
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American History: Globalization 1977-2008
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American Indian in Words and Pictures
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American Indian Prayer Guide
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American Indian Tales and Legends
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American Milestones: The U. S. Constitution (September 17, 1787)
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American Presidents & Presidential First Ladies Notebooking Pages
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American Revolution
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American Revolution
Revolution!
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American Revolution for Kids
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Amethyst Ring
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Among the Plains Indians
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Amzat and His Brothers
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Ancient China
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Ancient Civilizations: China
Ancient Civilizations
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People of the Ancient World
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Ancient Israelites and Their Neighbors
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Ancient Near East - Coloring Book
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Ancient Roman Art
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People of the Ancient World
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And Then What Happened, Paul Revere?
by Jean Fritz & Margot Tomes
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Andie's Moon
Historical House: 1969
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Angel on the Square
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Ann And Liv Cross Antarctica
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Adventures of the American Revolution
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Anno's Italy PB
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Anno's Journey
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Apache Gold
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Appomattox
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Arabs in the Golden Age
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Arabs in the Golden Age
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Arne of Norway
Level 5
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Art and Civilization: Ancient Rome
Art and Civilization
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Roman History Reference for 4th-6th grade
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Art of Keeping Cool
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2001 Scott O'Dell Award
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Art of the Southeastern Indians
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Art of the Woodland Indians
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Ashanti to Zulu
by Margaret Musgrove, Leo & Diane Dillon
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1977 Caldecott Medal winner
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Asian Crafts
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Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.: April 4, 1968
24 Hour History
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Assyrians
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Astrid the Unstoppable
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Atlas of North American Exploration
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Australia: Beyond the Black Stump
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Aztecs
Journey Into Civilization
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Ballad of Lucy Whipple
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Battle of Valcour Bay
Triangle Histories: The Revolutionary War
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Bears, Pirates and Silver Lace
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Beat the Story-Drum, Pum-Pum
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Beautiful Blue Jay and Other Tales of India
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Before Columbus
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Before Columbus
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Before the Gold Rush
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Beginner's American History
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Behave Yourself, Bethany Brant
by Patricia Beatty
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Behind the Blue and Gray
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Benjamin Franklin
Makers of America
by Ruth Cromer Weir, illustrated by Rus Anderson
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Benjamin Franklin: Young Printer
by Augusta Stevenson
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Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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Bentwood Box
by Nan McNutt
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Best Bad Thing
by Yoshiko Uchida
from Aladdin Paperbacks
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Betsy Ross
Leaders of the American Revolution
by Vicki Cox
from Chelsea House Publishing
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$7.20 (1 in stock)
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