United States History - Exodus Books

Store Location

What should we say about the United States of America? So much has already been said, adding our two cents is a bit redundant or presumptuous, depending on your perspective. Certainly, no one needs us to outline the facts, the major events and figures, or to describe our unique written Constitution and democratic-republican system.

We can offer a bit of perspective. It's nothing new, nothing we came up with on our own, but it is different from a lot of the prevailing notions about both history in general and our nation in particular.

For starters, there's no specific reference to the U.S. in the Bible. The principles found in God's Word that apply to all nations certainly apply to the United States as well, but we aren't a Christian nation, we don't hold a special place in biblical prophecy, and Manifest Destiny is the result of Enlightenment rationalist views about the Progress of Mankind rather than being rooted in any kind of Christian attitude.

That said, many of the first settlers of the New World were dedicated Christians seeking the right to worship God without the constraints of political entanglement or government-imposed strictures and doctrine. The Pilgrims came in 1620, just 13 years after the first successful English settlement at Jamestown, and the Puritan settlers followed soon after.

Their arrivals and colonization didn't make America Christian, of course. It was a broad continent, largely unknown, and the initial colonies weren't strictly bound together at first, as they were later to become. By that time, things had become substantially more secular, so that by the 18th century many Americans were just as degenerate as their European counterparts. Fortunately, men like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield were around to preach the true Gospel, and to initiate a revival known as the Great Awakening.

Secular forces were still at work, though. While there were definitely many Christians involved, the American Revolution was largely the result of Enlightenment philosophizing, and men were convinced that America could produce a virtuous and stable population if education and participatory government were enforced. So they rebelled against England, and the United States republic was formed.

Ever since, groups and individuals have tried to call Americans back to their Christian roots. That's the wrong strategy: we don't need to call anyone back to anything, we need to point the way forward to the pursuit of Christ and the bringing of His Gospel and glory to every corner of the earth no matter what our country of origin. That America has been so materially blessed simply means we have more options at our disposal for proclaiming and bringing the Word to the rest of the world.

Our study of United States history is consequently Christ-centered. Not because we think America is more Christian than other countries, but because it (like all other nations) is under Christ's control as King of Heaven and Lord of Time. Of course, you shouldn't abandon study of the facts, people and events, but they only attain true meaning when viewed through the lens of Christ's ultimate plan of redemption and self-glorification.

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.

	Abe Lincoln Grows Up by Carl Sandburg from Graphia Biography for 5th-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $7.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Abigail Adams Witness to a Revolution by Natalie S. Bober from Simon Pulse Biography for 4th-7th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $13.95
	Abraham Lincoln A New Birth of Freedom Heroes of History by Geoff & Janet Benge from Emerald Books Biography for 4th-7th grade in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE) $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 in Biographies (Location: BIO) $17.95
	America's Paul Revere by Esther Forbes from Sandpiper Books Biography for 2nd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $12.99
	America's War Heroes Notable Lives from History by Marilyn Boyer from Master Books for 4th-8th grade in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH) $10.39
	Benjamin Franklin by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire from Beautiful Feet Books Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $17.95
	Benjamin Franklin Live Wire Heroes of History by Geoff & Janet Benge from Emerald Books Biography for 4th-7th grade in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE) $11.99
	Benjamin West and His Cat Grimalkin by Marguerite Henry & Wesley Dennis Reprint from Aladdin Paperbacks for 3rd-6th grade in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI) $6.39
	Black Heroes of the American Revolution by Burke Davis 1992 Odyssey Classics edition from Clarion Books for 5th-8th grade in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV) $8.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis from Yearling Realistic Fiction for 4th-6th grade 2000 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $8.99 $5.00 (3 in stock)
	Buffalo Bill by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire from Beautiful Feet Books Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $17.95
	Candy Bomber The Story of the Berlin Airlift's "Chocolate Pilot" by Michael O. Tunnell from Charlesbridge for 4th-6th grade in WWII: European Theater (Location: HISA-20WW2E) $9.95
	Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham from Houghton Mifflin Biography for 5th-9th grade 1956 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.99
	Chasing Space for Young Readers by Leland Melvin from Amistad Press for 3rd-6th grade in Space Race & Exploration (Location: HISA-20SPR) $7.99
	Christopher Columbus Sowers Series by Bennie Rhodes from Mott Media for 4th-6th grade in Sowers Biographies (Location: BIO-SOW) $8.99 $5.00 (3 in stock)
	Clara Barton Courage Under Fire Heroes of History by Geoff & Janet Benge from Emerald Books Biography for 4th-7th grade in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE) $11.99
	Come On, Seabiscuit! by Ralph Moody from University of Nebraska Biography for 5th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $14.95 $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Courage to Run A Story Based on the Life of Harriet Tubman Daughters of the Faith by Wendy G. Lawton from Moody Press for 3rd-6th grade in Daughters of the Faith (Location: SER-DAU) $8.99
	Daniel Boone His Own Story by Daniel Boone from Applewood Books Biography for 4th-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $14.95 $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Daniel Boone Frontiersman Heroes of History by Geoff & Janet Benge from Emerald Books Biography for 4th-7th grade in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE) $11.99
	Davy Crockett His Own Story by David Crockett from Applewood Books Biography for 4th-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $14.95 $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Davy Crockett Ever Westward Heroes of History by Geoff & Janet Benge from Emerald Books Biography for 4th-7th grade in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE) $11.99
	Did You Invent The Phone All Alone, Alexander Graham Bell? by Gilda Berger, Melvin Berger from Scholastic Inc. for 4th-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $4.99
	Dietrich Bonhoeffer In the Midst of Wickedness by Geoff Benge, Janet Benge from YWAM Publishing Biography for 5th-8th grade in Christian Heroes: Then and Now (Location: BIO-BENGE) $11.99
	Discovery of the Americas by Betsy & Giulio Maestro from HarperTrophy for 3rd-6th grade in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP) $9.99
	Douglas MacArthur What Greater Honor Heroes of History by Geoff & Janet Benge from Emerald Books Biography for 4th-7th grade in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE) $11.99
	Encounter by Jane Yolen 1^st edition from Voyager Paperbacks for 1st-6th grade in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP) $8.99
	Explorers News Columbus In Japan? The History News by Michael Johnstone from Candlewick Press for 3rd-6th grade in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP) $6.99 $4.50 (4 in stock)
	Forty-Acre Swindle George Washington Carver TrailBlazer Books by Dave & Neta Jackson from Castle Rock Creative for 3rd-7th grade in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL) $8.99
	Francis Asbury Circuit Rider by Geoff Benge, Janet Benge from YWAM Publishing Biographies for 4th-7th grade in Christian Heroes: Then and Now (Location: BIO-BENGE) $11.99
	Francis Scott Key Sowers Series by David Collins from Mott Media for 5th-7th grade in Sowers Biographies (Location: BIO-SOW) $8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Frederick Douglass: The Right to Dignity from Emerald Books for 3rd-6th grade in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE) $11.99
	Freedom Walkers by Russell Freedman from Holiday House for 4th-6th grade 2007 NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book in Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968) (Location: HISA-20CIV) $14.99
	Freedom's Pen A Story Based on the Life of Freed Slave and Author Phillis Wheatley Daughters of the Faith by Wendy G. Lawton New Edition from Moody Press for 3rd-6th grade in Daughters of the Faith (Location: SER-DAU) $7.99
	George vs. George The American Revolution as Seen from Both Sides by Rosalyn Schanzer Reprint from National Geographic for 3rd-6th grade in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV) $6.95
	George Washington by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire from Beautiful Feet Books Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $17.95
	George Washington True Patriot Heroes of History by Geoff & Janet Benge from Emerald Books Biography for 4th-7th grade in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE) $11.99
	George Washington by Cheryl Harness from National Geographic for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $8.99
	George Washington Carver Man's Slave Becomes God's Scientist Sowers Series by David Collins from Mott Media Biography for 5th-7th grade in Sowers Biographies (Location: BIO-SOW) $8.99
	George Washington Carver From Slave to Scientist Heroes of History by Geoff & Janet Benge from Emerald Books Biography for 4th-7th grade in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE) $11.99
	Gettysburg Address in Translation What It Really Means (Kids' Translations) by Kay M., Olson from Capstone Press for 3rd-6th grade in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW) $7.95
	Go Free or Die A Story about Harriet Tubman by Jeri Ferris from Carolrhoda Books, Inc. Biography for 4th-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $9.99
	Gold Cadillac by Mildred D. Taylor Reprint from Puffin Books for 3rd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Harriet Tubman Freedombound Heroes of History by Geoff & Janet Benge from Emerald Books Biography for 4th-7th grade in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE) $11.99
	Heart Strangely Warmed by Louise A. Vernon from Herald Press for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Hidden Figures: Young Reader's Edition from Harper for 3rd-6th grade in Space Race & Exploration (Location: HISA-20SPR) $9.99
	Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom 35th Anniversary Edition from Chosen Books Biography for 6th-10th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $15.99
	History of US Book 7 Reconstructing America: 1865-1890 History of US Book 7 by Joy Hakim 3rd Revised Edition from Oxford University American History Reference for 5th-9th grade in History of US (Location: HISA-HAKIM) $15.95 $11.00 (2 in stock)
	Jed Smith Trailblazer of the West by Frank Latham from Christian Liberty Press Biography for 4th-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $10.50 $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Jessie Benton Fremont California Pioneer by Marguerite Higgins from Beautiful Feet Books for 4th-9th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $13.95
	John Flynn Into the Never Never by Geoff & Janet Benge from YWAM Publishing Biography for 4th-8th grade in Christian Heroes: Then and Now (Location: BIO-BENGE) $11.99
	Journey and Ordeal of Cabeza de Vaca His Account of the Disastrous First European Exploration of the American Southwest Dover editions by Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca from Dover Publications for 5th-Adult in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN) $10.95
	Journey That Saved Curious George The True Wartime Escape of Margaret and H. A. Rey by Louise W. Borden from HMH Books for Young Readers for 3rd-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $8.99
	King of the Mound My Summer with Satchel Paige by Wes Tooke Reprint from Simon and Schuster for 4th-7th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Biography by William Anderson from HarperTrophy for 4th-10th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $9.99
	Let the Circle Be Unbroken by Mildred R. Taylor Reissue from Puffin Books Realistic Fiction for 5th-8th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $9.99
	Life and Death of Adolf Hitler by James Cross Giblin from HMH Books for Young Readers for 5th-8th grade 2003 Robert F. Sibert Medal winner in Biographies (Location: BIO) $11.99
	Life of Washington In Words of One Syllable by Josephine Pollard from Beautiful Feet Books Biography for 3rd-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $10.95 $7.50 (1 in stock)
	Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman from Houghton Mifflin Biography for 5th-9th grade 1988 Newbery Medal winner in Biographies (Location: BIO) $12.99 $7.50 (5 in stock)
	Listen for the Whippoorwill Harriet Tubman Trailblazer Books by Dave & Neta Jackson from Castle Rock Creative for 3rd-7th grade in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL) $8.99
	Lost City The Discovery of Machu Picchu by Ted Lewin Reprint from Puffin Books for 3rd-7th grade in Latin & South America (Location: HISMC-LAT) $8.99
	Mahalia Jackson Sowers Series by Evelyn Witter from Mott Media for 4th-6th grade in Sowers Biographies (Location: BIO-SOW) $8.99 $5.00 (3 in stock)
	Make Way for Sam Houston by Jean Fritz from Penguin Putnam for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $6.99
	Making It Go: The Life and Work of Robert Fulton Physical Science by Don Herweck from Teacher Created Materials, Inc. for 4th-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $7.00
	Marco Polo for Kids by Janis Herbert from Chicago Review Press Biography/Activity Book for 4th-8th grade in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP) $17.95
	Meriwether Lewis Off the Edge of the Map Heroes of History by Geoff & Janet Benge from Emerald Books Biography for 4th-7th grade in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE) $11.99
	New Kid by Jerry Craft from HarperCollins for 4th-8th grade in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC) $12.99
	Ocean-Born Mary by Lois Lenski 1st Edition Thus from Purple House Press for 3rd-10th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $17.99
	Ordinary Genius The Story of Albert Einstein by Stephanie McPherson from Lerner Publishing Group Biography for 4th-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $9.99
	Pocahontas by Joseph Bruchac from Harcourt for 4th-7th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.99
	Poor Richard by James Daugherty from Beautiful Feet Books Biography for 6th-9th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $17.95
	Profiles from History Volume 2 by Ashley M. Wiggers from Geography Matters for 3rd-6th grade in Trail Guide to Learning (Location: CUR-TGL) $16.95
	Reconstruction: Binding the Wounds Perspectives on History Series by Cheryl Edwards, ed. from History Compass Historical Non-fiction for 6th-9th grade in Gilded Age (1865-1918) (Location: HISA-19GI) $7.95
	Revolutionary John Adams by Cheryl Harness Reprint from National Geographic for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $7.95
	Road to Memphis by Mildred Taylor from Puffin Books Realistic Fiction for 5th-8th grade 1991 Coretta Scott King Award in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $6.99
	Rosa Parks: Young Rebel Childhood of Famous Americans by Kathleen V. Kudlinski from Aladdin Paperbacks for 3rd-6th grade in Childhood of Famous Americans (Location: BIO-COFA) $7.99
	Sacajawea by Joseph Bruchac from Graphia Biography for 3rd-7th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $7.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Theodore Roosevelt An American Original Heroes of History by Geoff & Janet Benge from Emerald Books Biography for 4th-7th grade in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE) $11.99
	Thomas Jefferson by Cheryl Harness Reprint from National Geographic for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $7.95 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Toothpaste Millionaire by Jean Merrill from Sandpiper Books for 4th-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $9.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Upon the Head of the Goat A Childhood in Hungary 1939-1944 by Aranka Siegal First Square Fish: Aug.2012 from Farrar, Straus and Giroux for 5th-9th grade 1982 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.99
	Voice of Her Own The Story of Phillis Wheatley, Slave Poet by Kathryn Lasky, Illustrated by Paul Lee from Candlewick Press for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $6.99
	When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed from Dial Books for Young Readers for 3rd-6th grade in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC) $12.99
	Who Was Abraham Lincoln? Who Was?...Series by Janet Pascal from Grosset & Dunlap for 3rd-6th grade in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO) $5.99 $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Who Was Albert Einstein? Who Was?...Series by Jess Braillier from Grosset & Dunlap for 3rd-6th grade in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO) $6.99
	Who Was Amelia Earhart? Who Was?...Series by Kate Jerome from Grosset & Dunlap for 4th-6th grade in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO) $5.99
	Who Was Laura Ingalls Wilder? by Patricia Brennan Demuth from Grosset & Dunlap for 3rd-6th grade in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO) $6.99
	Who Was Louis Armstrong? Who Was?...Series by Yona Zeldis McDonough from Grosset & Dunlap for 3rd-6th grade in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO) $5.99
	Who Was Mark Twain? Who Was?...Series by April Jones Prince, John O'Brien from Grosset & Dunlap for 4th-6th grade in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO) $5.99
	Who Was Paul Revere? Who Was? Biographies 1^st edition from Grosset & Dunlap in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO) $6.99
	William Bradford Plymouth's Rock by Geoff & Janet Benge from YWAM Publishing for 4th-8th grade in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE) $11.99
	William Penn Liberty and Justice for All Heroes of History by Geoff & Janet Benge from Emerald Books Biography for 4th-7th grade in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE) $11.99
	World of William Penn by Genevieve Foster from Beautiful Feet Books in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL) $14.95
	Wright Brothers How They Invented the Airplane by Russell Freedman from Holiday House Biography for 5th-8th grade 1992 Newbery Honor Book in Aviation History (Location: HISV-AVIA) $16.99
	Wright Brothers Sowers Series by Charles Ludwig from Mott Media Biography for 4th-6th grade in Sowers Biographies (Location: BIO-SOW) $8.99 $5.00 (2 in stock)
	Yankee Doodle Boy A Young Soldier's Adventures in the American Revolution Told by Himself by Joseph Martin from Holiday House Historical Non-Fiction for 5th-8th grade in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV) $8.95 $6.00 (1 in stock)
	You Want Women to Vote, Lizzie Stanton? by Jean Fritz from Penguin Putnam for 4th-6th grade in 19th Century America (Location: HISA-19C) $6.99

Shop

Support

Hours & Directions

Connect