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 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.

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160 Items found Print
Active Filters: 2nd grade (Ages 7-8), Trade Paperback, In-Stock Books & Materials
Adventures of Munford: Munford Meets Lewis & Clark
by Jamie Aramini
from Geography Matters
for 2nd-4th grade
in Lewis & Clark (Location: HISA-19L&C)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
AIO Imagination Station Book #06
by Marianne Hering & Marshal Younger
from Focus on the Family
for 1st-3rd grade
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AIO Imagination Station Book #09
by Marianne Hering, Marshal Younger
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AIO Imagination Station Book #13
by Marianne Hering, Nancy I. Sanders
from Focus on the Family
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in Imagination Station (Location: SER-AIO)
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AIO Imagination Station Book #14
by Marianne Hering, Nancy I. Sanders
from Focus on the Family
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by Marianne Hering, Nancy I. Sanders
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by Marianne Hering
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AIO Imagination Station Book #22
by Marianne Hering & Sheila Seifert
from Focus on the Family
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in Imagination Station (Location: SER-AIO)
$5.99
America in the Time of Abraham Lincoln
by Sally Senzell Isaacs
from Heinemann Library
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$4.00 (2 in stock)
America's Paul Revere
by Esther Forbes
from Sandpiper Books
Biography for 2nd-6th grade
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Angel Child, Dragon Child
by Michele Maria Surat
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Angel Knew Papa and the Dog
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Anne Frank's Story
by Carol Ann Lee
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Apples to Oregon
by Deborah Hopkinson
Reprint from Aladdin Paperbacks
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$8.99
Around the World in a Hundred Years
by Jean Fritz
from Penguin Putnam
Biography for 2nd-5th grade
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Baseball Saved Us
by Ken Mochizuki
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Book About Christopher Columbus
by Ruth Belov Gross, Illustrated by Syd Hoff
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Captive Treasure
by Milly Howard
from Bob Jones University Press
Realistic Fiction for 2nd-5th grade
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Children of Mount Vernon
by Miriam Anne Bourne, illustrated by Gloria Kamen
from Doubleday & Company
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Children of the Dust Bowl
by Jerry Stanley
from Crown Publishers
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1993 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award
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Children of the Earth and Sky
by Stephen Krensky, Illustrated by James Watling
from Scholastic Inc.
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Children's Color Book of Jamestown in Virginia
by Priscilla Hunt
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Choppers!
Step into Reading Level 4
by Susan E. Goodman
from Random House
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Civil War Artist
by Taylor Morrison
from HMH Books for Young Readers
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Clearing Weather
by Cornelia Meigs
Repint from Dover Publications
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1929 Newbery Honor Book
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$8.99
Colonial America
by Donald M. Silver, Patricia J. Wynne
from Scholastic Inc.
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in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Colonial Times 1600-1700
by Joy Masoff
from Scholastic Inc.
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in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$2.00 (2 in stock)
Colonial Town: Williamsburg
by Bobbie Kalman
Revised from Crabtree Publishing
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in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$4.50 (2 in stock)
Columbus Discovers America - Coloring Book
by Peter F. Copeland
from Dover Publications
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Coming On Home Soon
by Jacqueline Woodson
1st edition from Scholastic Inc.
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Coming to America
by Betsy Maestro
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Crossing Bok Chitto
by Tim Tingle
from Cinco Puntos Pres
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$12.95
D-Day Landings
DK Readers Level 4
by Richard Platt
from DK Publishing
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Daniel Boone
by Carol Greene
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Dust for Dinner
by Ann Turner
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Encounter
by Jane Yolen
1st edition from Voyager Paperbacks
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$8.99
Escape North!
Step into Reading Level 4
by Monica Kulling
from Random House
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F is for Freedom
by Roni Schotter
from Scholastic Press
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Famous Figures of the American Revolution
from Figures in Motion
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Finding the Titanic
by Robert D. Ballard
from Scholastic Inc.
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First Book of America
by L. Somerville
from Usborne
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$2.25 (1 in stock)
First Flight
DK Eyewitness Readers Level 4
by Caryn Jenner
from DK Children
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$4.99
First Thanksgiving
Step into Reading Level 3
by Linda Hayward
from Random House
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First Thanksgiving
by Jean Craighead George
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$7.99
Follow the Drinking Gourd
by Jeanette Winter
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Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
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$7.99
Fourth of July Story
by Alice Dalgliesh
2nd edition from Aladdin Paperbacks
Historical Non-fiction for 2nd-4th grade
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$8.99
Freedom on the Menu
by Carole Boston Weatherford
Reprint from Puffin Books
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$6.99
Glorious Flight
by Martin & Alice Provensen
from Puffin Books
Historical Non-Fiction/Picture Books for 1st-3rd grade
1984 Caldecott Medal winner
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Going West!
Kalideoscope Kids Book
by Carol A. Johmann, Elizabeth J. Rieth
from Williamson Publishing Company
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$7.50 (1 in stock)
Hanna's Cold Winter
by Trish Marx & Barbara Knutson
from Purple House Press
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$11.95
Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King
by Jean Marzollo, illustrated by J. Brian Pinkney
from Scholastic Inc.
Picture Book Biography for Kindergarten-3rd grade
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$2.50 (3 in stock)
Henry Ford
by Dina El Nabli
from HarperCollins
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$2.50 (1 in stock)
Hiawatha
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
from Scholastic Inc.
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
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$2.00 (1 in stock)
How Many Days to America?
by Eve Bunting
for 1st-4th grade
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
How We Crossed the West
by Rosalyn Schanzer
Reprint from National Geographic
for 2nd-6th grade
in Lewis & Clark (Location: HISA-19L&C)
$7.95
If You Grew Up With Abraham Lincoln
If You Were There
by Ann McGovern
from Scholastic Inc.
Historical Non-fiction for 2nd-5th grade
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If You Lived at the Time of Martin Luther King
by Ellen Levine
Updated from Scholastic Inc.
Historical Non-Fiction for 2nd-5th grade
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If You Lived at the Time of the American Revolution
If You Were There
by Kay Moore
from Scholastic Inc.
Non-Fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
If You Lived at the Time of the Civil War
If You Were There
by Kay Moore
from Scholastic Inc.
Historical Non-fiction for 2nd-5th grade
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If You Lived At The Time Of The Great San Francisco Earthquake
by Ellen Levine
from Scholastic Inc.
for 2nd-4th grade
in Titanic & 20th Century Disasters (Location: HISW-20DIS)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
If You Lived in Colonial Times
If You Were There
by Ann McGovern
from Scholastic Inc.
Non-Fiction for 2nd-5th grade
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$4.00 (4 in stock)
If You Lived in Williamsburg in Colonial Days
If You Were There
by Barbara Brenner, Jenny Williams (Ilustrator)
from Scholastic Inc.
Historical non-fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
If You Lived With the Iroquois
by Ellen Levine
from Scholastic Inc.
for 1st-5th grade
in Native Americans (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
If You Lived With the Sioux Indians
If You Were There
by Ann McGovern
from Scholastic Inc.
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If You Traveled West in a Covered Wagon
If You Were There
by Ellen Levine
from Scholastic Inc.
Historical Non-fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
If You Were There When They Signed the Constitution
If You Were There
by Elizabeth Levy
from Scholastic Inc.
Non-Fiction for 2nd-5th grade
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If Your Name Was Changed at Ellis Island
If You Were There
by Ellen Levine & Wayne Parmenter
from Scholastic Inc.
Historical Non-Fiction for 2nd-5th grade
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In 1492
by Jean Marzollo
from Scholastic Inc.
Picture Book Biography for Kindergarten-3rd grade
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$2.50 (1 in stock)
In Search of the Lost Colony
Outer Banks Animals Adventure Series
by Mary Maden
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in New World Colonization (Location: HISA-17NW)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Industrial Revolution
by Carla Mooney
from Nomad Press
for 2nd-8th grade
in Industrialization & Organized Labor (Location: HISA-19IND)
$15.95 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Jamestown
Adventures in Colonial America
by James Knight
from Beautiful Feet Books
Non-fiction for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Jamestown Colony (Location: HISA-17JA)
$6.95 $4.00 (1 in stock)
John Lincoln Clem: Civil War Drummer Boy
Based on a True Story
by E. F. Abbott
from Square Fish Publishing
for 2nd-6th grade
in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$9.99
Johnny Appleseed
by Steven Kellogg
from HarperTrophy
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Journey West on the Oregon Trail
by Cecile Alyce Nolan
from Rain Dance Publishing
for 2nd-7th grade
in Oregon Trail (Location: HISA-19OR)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Just a Few Words, Mr. Lincoln
An All Aboard Reading Reader Level 4
by Jean Fritz
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 2nd-3rd grade
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Just a Few Words, Mr. Lincoln
An All Aboard Reading Reader Level 4
by Jean Fritz
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 2nd-3rd grade
in Step into Reading (Location: EAR-STEP)
$4.99
Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie
by Peter & Connie Roop
from Carolrhoda Books, Inc.
Historical Fiction for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Kirsten's Cook Book
American Girl
by Jodi Evert
from Scholastic Inc.
for 2nd-5th grade
in Cooking for Kids (Location: COOK-KID)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Lewis & Clark
by Steven Kroll
from Holiday House
Historical Non-Fiction for 1st-4th grade
in Lewis & Clark (Location: HISA-19L&C)
$7.99
Liberty!
by Lucille Recht Penner
from Random House
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$8.99
Little Ships
by Louise Borden
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 2nd-6th grade
in WWII: European Theater (Location: HISA-20WW2E)
$8.99
Lotus Seed
by Sherry Garland
from HMH Books for Young Readers
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Man of Peace
by Garnet Jackson, Illustrations by George Ford
from Scholastic Inc.
for 2nd-3rd grade
in Scholastic / Hello Reader! (Location: EAR-SCH)
$3.00 (4 in stock)
Martin's Big Words
by Doreen Rappaport
Reprint from Hyperion Press
for 1st-3rd grade
2002 Caldecott Honor Book, NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book, Coretta Scott King Award
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$8.99
Mary Geddy's Day
by Kate Waters
from Scholastic Inc.
for 2nd-5th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$3.00 (3 in stock)
Meet Martin Luther King, Jr.
Second Series Landmark / Step Up reprints
by James T. de Kay
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for 1st-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.99
Meet Samantha
American Girl
by Susan S. Adler
from American Girl
for 2nd-5th grade
in American Girl (Location: SER-AMGIRL)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Meet Thomas Jefferson
by Marvin Barrett
from Random House
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$1.50 (3 in stock)
Mieko and the Fifth Treasure
by Eleanor Coerr
from Puffin Books
for 2nd-4th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$5.99
More Perfect Union
The American Story Series
by Betsy & Giulio Maestro
from HarperCollins
Historical Reference for 2nd-6th grade
in New Nation (1783-1800) (Location: HISA-18NN)
$11.99
More Than Moccasins
by Laurie Carlson
from Chicago Review Press
for Kindergarten-6th grade
in Native Americans (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
My Book of Little House Paper Dolls
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperFestival
for 2nd-6th grade
in Little House Materials (Location: LIR-LHM)
$12.99
Mysterious Journey
by Martha Wickham
from Soundprints
for 2nd-4th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Native Homes
by Bobbie Kalman
from Crabtree Publishing
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Native Americans (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
New England Soldiers of the American Revolution
by Marko Zlatich, Illustrations by Donna Neary
from Bellerophon Books
for 2nd-6th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$1.50 (1 in stock)
Old Ironsides
by David L. Weitzman
from Sandpiper Books
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Ships, Boats & Submarines (Location: HISV-SHIP)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
On the Mayflower
by Kate Waters
from Scholastic Inc.
Non-fiction for 1st-3rd grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Patchwork Quilt
by Valerie Flournoy
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Paul Bunyan
by Steven Kellogg
from William Morrow & Company
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Pearl Harbor
Ready-to-Read Level 3
by Stephen Krensky
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 2nd-4th grade
in Ready-to-Read (Location: EAR-R2R)
$3.99
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