United States History

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'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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283 Items found Print
Active Filters: 12th grade (Ages 17-18), Used Books & Materials
1846 - Portrait of the Nation
by Smithsonian Institute
from Smithsonian Books
in Western Expansion (1800-1898) (Location: HISA-19WES)
$8.00 (2 in stock)
Adventures of Davy Crockett
by David Crockett, illustrated by John W. Thomason
from Charles Scribner's Sons
for 9th-Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$18.00 (1 in stock)
Age of Fighting Sail
by C. S. Forester
1st edition from Doubleday & Company
American Naval History for 8th-Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Air Forces of the World
by Sue Butterworth, editor
from Chartwell Books
for 9th-Adult
in Aviation History (Location: HISV-AVIA)
$18.00 (1 in stock)
Alexander Hamilton
by Ron Chernow
from Penguin Random House
for 11th-Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Amazing Mr. Doolittle
by Quentin Reynolds
from Appleton-Century-Crofts
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$8.00 (1 in stock)
America and Its People
by Laureat Bernard,Ralph Brande, Don Sharkey
from W. H. Sadlier
for 9th-12th grade
in Vintage Readers & Textbooks (Location: VIN-READ)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
America's Christian History
by Gary DeMar
2nd edition from American Vision Press
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$2.00 (1 in stock)
American Barns and Covered Bridges
by Eric Sloane
1st edition from Wilfred Funk, Inc.
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$15.00 (1 in stock)
American Civil War
by Robert K. Krick
from Osprey Publishing
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American Covenant
by Marshall Foster
from Mayflower Institute
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
American Dream
by Stephen K. McDowell & Mark Beliles
from Providence Foundation
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
American Heritage History of the American Revolution
by Bruce Lancaster
from American Heritage Publishing Co.
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in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
American Heritage History of the Indian Wars
by Robert M. Utley, Wilcomb E. Washburn
Revised from American Heritage Publishing Co.
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$12.00 (1 in stock)
American Indian Dances
by John L. Squires & Robert E. McLean
from The Ronald Press Co.
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American Waterways: Canal Days
by Jeanne Munn Bracken, ed.
from History Compass
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$5.50 (1 in stock)
American Yesterday
by Eric Sloane
15th Printing from Funk & Wagnalls
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$12.00 (1 in stock)
Amistad
by Helen Kromer
from The Pilgrim Press
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$11.00 (1 in stock)
Andersonville
by MacKinlay Kantor
from World Publishing Company
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1955 Pulitzer Prize Winner
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Anne Bradstreet
by Heidi L. Nichols
from P&R Publishing
Biography for 10th-Adult
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Are We to Be a Nation?
by Richard B. Bernstein, with Kym S. Rice
from Harvard University Press
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Atlas of the North American Indian
by Carl Waldman
1st edition from Facts On File
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$7.00 (1 in stock)
Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man
Dover Thrift Editions
by James Weldon Johnson
from Dover Publications
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Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
Dover Thrift Editions
by Benjamin Franklin
from Dover Publications
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Aztec and Maya Myths
by Karl Taube
from British Museum Press
for 6th-12th grade
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
B. Franklin, Printer
by David A. Adler
from Holiday House
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Battle from the Start
by Brian Steel Wills
from HarperCollins
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$15.00 (1 in stock)
Battle of Gettysburg
by Frank A. Haskell & William C. Oates
from Chapman Billies, Inc
Historical Non-fiction for 9th-Adult
in American Civil War Era (1850-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Beginning of the Republic
A Basic History of the United States Volume 2
by Clarence B. Carson
from American Textbook Committee
American History Reference for 9th-Adult
in Basic History of the United States (Location: HISCUR-BHUS)
$17.00 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Behind the Scenes
by Elizabeth Keckley, edited by Frances Smith Foster
from Lakeside Press
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$8.00 (1 in stock)
Black Man in America
from Franklin Watts
for 6th-12th grade
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$7.50 (1 in stock)
Black Odyssey
by Mary Cable
from Penguin Classics
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$5.00 (1 in stock)
Blow Ye Winds Westerly
by Elizabeth Gemming
1st edition from Thomas Y. Crowell & Co.
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$9.00 (1 in stock)
Book of Discovery
by M. B. Synge
from Yesterday's Classics
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Boston
from Crescent Books
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Brave Men
by Ernie Pyle
from Grosset & Dunlap
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Butter in the Well: Historical Diary 1868-1888
by Linda K. Hubalek
from Butterfield Books
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Character for Life
by Don Hawkinson
for 7th-12th grade
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$15.00 (1 in stock)
Cheer the Lonesome Traveller
by Leslie Alexander Lacy, illustrated by James Barkley
from Dial Press
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Chickamauga
by Glenn Tucker
from Konecky & Konecky
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Chief Joseph Country
by Bill Gulick
3rd Printing 1994 from Caxton Press
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$20.00 (1 in stock)
Christian Life and Character of the Civil United States
by Benjamin F. Morris
from American Vision Press
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Christopher Columbus and His Legacy
Opposing Viewpoints Series
by Mary Ellen Jones, Editor
from Greenhaven Press
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Civil War Battles
by Curt Johnson
1st edition from Crescent Books
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Civil War Book of Facts
by Frank Burd
from Americana Souvenirs & Gifts
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Civil War Songbook
from Dover Publications
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Civil War: 1850-1895
American History by Era Volume 5
by Auriana Ojeda, book editor
from Greenhaven Press
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$14.00 (1 in stock)
Civil War: A History
by Harry Hansen, Introduction by Richard S. Wheeler, Foreword by Gary Gallagher
from New American Library
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in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Cloud Over Hiroshima
by Burt Hirschfeld, jacket & maps by Barry Martin
from Julian Messner
for 8th-12th grade
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$25.00 (1 in stock)
Codfish Musket
by Agnes Hewes, illustrated by Armstrong Sperry
from Doubleday, Doran & Company Inc.
for 8th-12th grade
1937 Newbery Honor Book
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$45.00 (1 in stock)
Colonial Experience
A Basic History of the United States Volume 1
by Clarence B. Carson
from American Textbook Committee
American History Reference for 9th-Adult
in Basic History of the United States (Location: HISCUR-BHUS)
$17.00 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Colonial Period: 1607-1750
American History by Era Volume 2
by Brenda Stalcup (editor)
from Greenhaven Press
for 9th-Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$11.00 (1 in stock)
Comes the Comrade!
by Alexandra Orme, translated from the Polish by M.A. Michael and L. Meyer
from William Morrow & Company
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Confederate War
by Gary W. Gallagher
from Harvard University Press
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Constitutional Law for Enlightened Citizens - Text
by Michael Farris
2nd edition from Home School Legal Defense Association
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$38.00 (1 in stock)
Cry from the Earth
by John Bierhorst
from Four Winds Press
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Crying for a Vision
by Walter Wangerin Jr.
from Simon & Schuster Macmillan
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Cut & Assemble the Mayflower
by A. G. Smith
2020 Reprint from Dover Publications
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Dark Venture
by Audrey White Beyer, illustrated by Leo & Diane Dillon
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
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Defeating the Totalitarian Lie
by Hilmar Von Campe
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Design Line: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
by Chris Oxlade, Edited by Jenny Broom, Illustrated by Mike Lemanski
from Candlewick Press
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Devil at My Heels
by Louis Zamperini and David Rensin, foreword by John McCain
from William Morrow & Company
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Devil in Massachusetts
by Marion L. Starkey
from Anchor Books
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Diary of a Southern Refugee During the War
by Judith McGuire
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Dream of Freedom
for 7th-12th grade
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Early American Literature
from Perfection Learning
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$9.00 (3 in stock)
Early American Republic: 1789-1829
by Paul E. Johnson
from Oxford University
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$15.00 (1 in stock)
Early Days of a Cowboy on the Pecos
by James F. Hinkle
from Unknown Publisher
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$3.50 (1 in stock)
Emancipating Slaves, Enslaving Free Men
by Jeffrey Rogers Hummel
1st edition from Open Court Publishing
for 9th-Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
Era Of Civil War & Reconstruction 1860-1877
Focus on U.S. History
by Kathy Sammis
from Walch Publishing
for 7th-12th grade
in American Civil War Era (1850-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Era Of Expansion & Reform 1800-1860
Focus on U.S. History
by Kathy Sammis
from Walch Publishing
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Era Of Exploration & Discovery 30,000 Years Ago the the 1600s
Focus on U.S. History
by Kathy Sammis
from Walch Publishing
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Era Of Industrial Growth & Foreign Expansion 1865-1900
Focus on U.S. History
by Kathy Sammis
from Walch Publishing
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in 19th Century America (Location: HISA-19C)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Era of Revolution & Nation Forming 1760's-1800's
by Kathy Sammis
from Walch Publishing
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Era Of WWII Through Contemporary Times 1939-Present
Focus on U.S. History
by Kathy Sammis
from Walch Publishing
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Escape from Corregidor
by Edward D. Whitcomb
from Regnery Publishing, Inc.
for 6th-12th grade
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Explorers
by Alasdair Macleod
from DK Publishing
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$20.00 (1 in stock)
Fallen Angels
by Walter Dean Myers
from Scholastic Inc.
for 11th-Adult
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Fighting Indian Warriors
by E. A. Brininstool
from Stackpole Books
for 9th-12th grade
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Flag Book of the United States
by Whitney Smith
Revised Edition from William Morrow & Company
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$8.00 (1 in stock)
Forever Free
by Eric Foner, illustrations edited with commentary by Joshua Brown
from Vintage Classics
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Forgotten Ellis Island
by Lorie Conway
from Collins
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$12.00 (2 in stock)
Fortune of War
Aubrey/Maturin #6
by Patrick O'Brian
from W. W. Norton and Co.
Nautical Fiction for 9th-Adult
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From a Name to a Number
by Alter Wiener
from Authorhouse
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$13.00 (1 in stock)
From Flappers to Flivvers...
from Reminisce Books
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in Roaring Twenties (1919-1929) (Location: HISA-20s)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
General Washington's Army
by Marko Zlatich, Illustrated by Peter F. Copeland
2003 Printing from Osprey Publishing
for 6th-Adult
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
George Washington: Man and Monument
by Frank Freidel and Lonnelle Aikman
from Washington National Monument Assoc.
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Gettysburg: Battle & Battlefield
by W. C. Storrick
from Barnes & Noble
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$5.00 (1 in stock)
Gettysburg: The Final Fury
by Bruce Catton, photographs by Matthew Brady
1982 Edition from Berkley Books
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in American Civil War Era (1850-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Gilded Age: A History in Documents
Pages From History
by Janette Thomas Greenwood
from Oxford University
for 9th-12th grade
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$12.00 (1 in stock)
Girl in the Picture
by Denise Chong
from Charles Scribner's Sons
for 10th-Adult
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Give Me Liberty
Leaders in Action Series
by David Vaughan
from Cumberland House
Biography for 9th-Adult
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$17.95 $10.00 (1 in stock)
God and Ronald Reagan
by Paul Kengor
Reprint from Harper Perennial
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$17.99 $9.00 (2 in stock)
Gods and Generals
by Jeff Shaara
from Ballantine Books
Historical Fiction for 9th-Adult
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$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Grand Canyon
by Tom Vail
from Master Books
for 5th-Adult
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$13.59 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Grand Canyon and the Southwest
by Ansel Adams
1st edition from Little, Brown & Company
for 7th-Adult
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$8.00 (1 in stock)
Great Adventures That Changed Our World
from Reader's Digest
for 10th-Adult
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Great Battles of the Civil War
by John Macdonald
from John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
for 7th-Adult
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
Great Courses - American Civil War
from The Teaching Company
for 9th-12th grade
in American Civil War Era (1850-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$30.00 (1 in stock)
Great Gatsby
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Reissue from Charles Scribner's Sons
Realistic Fiction for 9th-12th grade
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$17.00 $9.00 (2 in stock)
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