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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82 Items found Print
Active Filters: 6th grade (Ages 11-12), Perfectbound, Used Books & Materials
13 Colonies: Georgia
by Roberta Wiener and James R. Arnold
from Raintree
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in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Across America
by Jacqueline Morley
from Franklin Watts
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in Lewis & Clark (Location: HISA-19L&C)
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Alamo!
by George Sullivan
from Scholastic Inc.
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America At War: Korean War
by John Perritano
from Scholastic Inc.
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in Korean War (1950-1953) (Location: HISA-20KW)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
American Adventures Part 1
by Morrie Greenberg
from Brooke-Richards Press
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in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
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American Adventures Part 2
by Morrie Greenberg
from Brooke-Richards Press
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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)
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)
Aztec and Maya Myths
by Karl Taube
from British Museum Press
for 6th-12th grade
in Ancient America (Location: HISW-ANAM)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
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
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$7.00 (1 in stock)
Bill of Rights
by Lucia Raatma
from Scholastic Inc.
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Boys' War
by Jim Murphy
from Scholastic Inc.
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Building the Capital City
by Marlene Targ Brill
from Children's Press
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in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Canada from A to Z
from Crabtree Publishing
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in Canada (Location: HISMC-CAN)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Children of Native America Today
by Yvonne Wakim Dennis and Arlene Hirschfelder
from Charlesbridge
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Colter's Run
by Judith Edwards, illustrated by John Potter
from Falcon Press Publishing
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in Western Expansion (1800-1898) (Location: HISA-19WES)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Cut & Assemble the Mayflower
by A. G. Smith
2020 Reprint from Dover Publications
for 6th-Adult
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$9.00 (1 in stock)
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)
Declaration of Independence
History Speaks
by Douglas M. Rife
from Teaching & Learning Company
for 4th - 8th Grade
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Desert Storm
by John Perritano
from Q2A Media
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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
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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)
Drums
by James Boyd
from Atheneum
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in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
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Early American History for Intermediate Grades - Guide
by Rea Berg & Rebecca Manor
3rd edition from Beautiful Feet Books
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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)
General Washington's Army
by Marko Zlatich, Illustrated by Peter F. Copeland
2003 Printing from Osprey Publishing
for 6th-Adult
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
George Washington Carver: Botanist
Black Americans of Achievement
by Gene Adair, introduction by Coretta Scott King
from Chelsea House Publishing
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George Washington You Never Knew
by James Lincoln Collier
from Scholastic Inc.
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Gettysburg Address
History Speaks
by Douglas M. Rife
from Teaching & Learning Company
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Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami
from kahoku Shimpo Publishing Co
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$10.00 (1 in stock)
Great Explorers
by Jim Pipe
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
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$5.00 (1 in stock)
Incans, Aztecs, Mayans
by John Holzmann
from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd.
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Jedediah Smith
by Sharlene and Ted Nelson
from Franklin Watts
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Kid's Guide to Latino History
by Valerie Petrillo
from Chicago Review Press
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Kid's Guide to Native American History
by Yvonne Wakim Dennis, illustrated by Arlene Hirschfelder
from Chicago Review Press
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Kinderlager
by Milton J. Nieuwsma
from Scholastic Inc.
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Life in Ancient Rome
by Joseph Farrell
from Running Press
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Lincoln Memorial
by Deborah Kent
from Children's Press
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Machines, Buildings, Weaponry of Biblical Times
by Max Schwartz
from Fleming H Revell Co.
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Magellan and the Exploration of South America
by Colin Hynson
from Barron's
Non-fiction for 4th-8th grade
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Marco Polo
by Struan Reid
from Heinemann Library
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Mayflower II
from Plimoth Plantation Publication
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Nations of the Northwest Coast
by Kathryn Smithyman and Bobbie Kalman
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Otters
by Bobby Tulloch
from Colin Baxter Photography Ltd.
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People Could Fly
by Virginia Hamilton, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon
from Scholastic Inc.
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Preamble to the U.S. Constitution
History Speaks
by Douglas M. Rife
from Teaching & Learning Company
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Roman Army
by Peter Connolly
from Silver Burdett Press
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Roman Life
by John Guy
from Scholastic Inc.
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in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Roman Provence
by Marc Guitteny, photos by Marc and Denis Guitteny, translated by Lorenzo Prieto
English Edition from Unknown Publisher
for 5th-Adult
in France (Location: HISMC-FRA)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Romans
Usborne Internet-Linked
from Usborne
Roman History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
$8.10 (1 in stock)
Seaman's Journal
by Patricia Reeder Eubank
from Ideals Children's Books
Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade
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$5.00 (1 in stock)
Secrets in Stone
by Laurie Coulter, illustrated by Sarah Jane English
from Hyperion/Madison Press
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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)
Sourcebook on Colonial America: Battles in a New Land
by Carter Smith (editor)
from Millbrook Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Sourcebook on Colonial America: Governing and Teaching
by Carter Smith (editor)
from Millbrook Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Sourcebook on Colonial America: The Arts and Sciences
by Carter Smith (editor)
from Millbrook Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Spindle Whorl
by Nan McNutt, illustrated by Roger Fernandes and Susan Point
from Sasquatch Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Native Americans (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Step Into the Aztec & Maya Worlds
by Fiona Macdonald
from Hermes House
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in Ancient America (Location: HISW-ANAM)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Step Into the Inca World
by Philip Steele
from Hermes House
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in Ancient America (Location: HISW-ANAM)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Story of Ellis Island
Cornerstones of Freedom
by R. Conrad Stein
from Children's Press
for 4th-6th Grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
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Story of Harriet Beecher Stowe
Cornerstones of Freedom
by Maureen Ash
from Children's Press
for 4th-6th Grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Story of the Erie Canal
from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd.
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in Western Expansion (1800-1898) (Location: HISA-19WES)
$2.00 (2 in stock)
Story of the Gettysburg Address
Cornerstones of Freedom
by Kenneth Richards
from Children's Press
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in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Story of the Lone Star Republic
Cornerstones of Freedom
by R. Conrad Stein
from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd.
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in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Story of The Monitor and the Merrimac
by R. Conrad Stein
from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd.
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in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$2.00 (2 in stock)
Story of the Reconstruction
Cornerstones of Freedom series
by Brendan January
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Story of the Roaring Twenties
Cornerstones of Freedom series
by R. Conrad Stein
from Scholastic Inc.
Non-fiction for 4th-6th grade
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$2.50 (1 in stock)
Story of the Trail of Tears
by R. Conrad Stein
from Children's Press
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in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
They Called Us Enemy
by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, illustrated by Harmony Becker
from Top Shelf Productions
for 6th-12th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$8.00 (2 in stock)
Usborne Ancient World
Usborne Internet-Linked
by Fiona Chandler & Anne Millard
from Usborne
Ancient History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Ancient History (Location: HISW-ANC)
$13.49 $8.10 (3 in stock)
Usborne Book of Peoples of the World
Usborne Internet-Linked
by Anna Claybourne, Gillian Doherty
from Usborne
for 3rd-6th grade
in Diversity & Multicultural Books (Location: HISMC-MUL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Usborne Book of the Ancient World
by Jane Chisholm & Anne Millard
from Usborne
for 5th-12th grade
in Ancient History (Location: HISW-ANC)
$8.00 (2 in stock)
Usborne Romans
Usborne Internet-Linked
from Usborne
Roman History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
$8.10 (2 in stock)
Usborne World History: Ancient World
by Fiona Chandler
from Scholastic Inc.
for 5th-8th grade
in Ancient History (Location: HISW-ANC)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Vietnam War
20th Century Perspectives
by Douglas Willoughby
from Heinemann
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vietnam War (1957-1975) (Location: HISA-20VIE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
We Hereby Refuse
from Chin Music Press
for 6th-12th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
What Was the Holocaust?
What Was?
by Gail Herman
1st edition from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-7th grade
in Holocaust (Location: HISW-20WW2H)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
What's the Big Idea, Ben Franklin?
by Jean Fritz
from PaperStar Books
for 4th-6th grade
in New Nation (1783-1800) (Location: HISA-18NN)
$6.99 $3.50 (3 in stock)
What's the Big Idea, Ben Franklin?
by Jean Fritz
from PaperStar Books
for 2nd-6th grade
in New Nation (1783-1800) (Location: HISA-18NN)
$3.50 (2 in stock)
Who Were the First North Americans?
Usborne Starting Point History
by Phillippa Wingate & Struan Reid
from Usborne
for 1st-6th grade
in Native Americans (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$2.25 (1 in stock)
You Are There! London 1666
by Dona Herweck Rice
from Teacher Created Materials, Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Natural Disasters: Fires and Floods (Location: SCI-EARFI)
$3.50 (1 in stock)