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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531 Items found Print
Active Filters: 4th grade (Ages 9-10), Trade Paperback, In-Stock Books & Materials
100 African-Americans Who Shaped American History
by Chrisanne Beckner
from Bluewood Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving
by Catherine O'Neill Grace
from National Geographic
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in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
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Abigail Adams
by Natalie S. Bober
from Simon Pulse
Biography for 4th-7th grade
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$11.86
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)
$15.26
Adventures of Lewis and Clark
by John Bakeless
from Dover Publications
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in Lewis & Clark Expedition (1801-1803) (Location: HISA-19L&C)
$9.31 $4.80 (1 in stock)
Adventures of Munford: The American Revolution
by Jamie Aramini
1st edition from Geography Matters
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Adventures of the American Revolution
by Susan Olasky
from P&R Publishing
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Almost Home
Daughters of the Faith
by Wendy G. Lawton
from Moody Press
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Amazing Impossible Erie Canal
by Cheryl Harness
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Historical Non-Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
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$6.79
America in the Time of Abraham Lincoln
by Sally Senzell Isaacs
from Heinemann Library
for 1st-4th grade
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$3.20 (1 in stock)
America's Paul Revere
by Esther Forbes
from Sandpiper Books
Biography for 2nd-6th grade
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$11.04
American Milestones: World War I
by Carole Marsh
from Gallopade International
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American Revolution
America at War Series
by Alden Carter
from Grolier Publishing
Historical Non-fiction for 4th-6th grade
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American Revolution for Kids
by Janis Herbert
1st edition from Chicago Review Press
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Ancient Maya
by Lila Perl
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Angel Knew Papa and the Dog
by Douglas Kaine McKelvey
from Rabbit Room Press
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$11.04
Annie Henry and the Secret Mission
Adventures of the American Revolution
by Susan Olasky
from Crossway Books
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$2.00 (1 in stock)
Atlas of North American Exploration
by Glyndwr Williams, William H. Goetzmann
Oklahoma Paperbacks Ed from University of Oklahoma Press
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Aztecs
Journey Into Civilization
by Robert Nicholson and Claire Watts
from Chelsea House Publishing
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Baseball Saved Us
by Ken Mochizuki
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$10.16
Beginner's American History
by D. H. Montgomery
Updated from Avyx, Inc.
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$11.20 (2 in stock)
Behind the Blue and Gray
by Delia Ray
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$3.60 (2 in stock)
Benjamin Franklin
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Beautiful Feet Books
Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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$15.26
Benjamin Franklin
Heroes of History
by Geoff & Janet Benge
from Emerald Books
Biography for 4th-7th grade
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$10.19
Benjamin West and His Cat Grimalkin
by Marguerite Henry & Wesley Dennis
Reprint from Aladdin Paperbacks
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$6.79
Bentwood Box
by Nan McNutt
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Big Annie of Calumet
by Jerry Stanley
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$2.40 (1 in stock)
Bill of Rights
by Warren Colman
from Children's Book Club
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Bill of Rights in Translation
by Amie Jane Leavitt
from Capstone Press
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Birchbark House
by Louise Erdrich
from Hyperion/Madison Press
Historical Fiction for 4th-6th grade
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Bite of the Gold Bug
by Barthe DeClements
from Puffin Books
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Blackthorn Winter
Monroe Family Chronicles #1
by Doug Wilson
from Veritas Press
Nautical fiction for 4th-6th grade
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Blackthorn Winter
Veritas Maritime Series #1
by Doug Wilson
from Veritas Press
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Blue Birds
by Caroline Starr Rose
Dgs from Puffin Books
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Boris
by Jaap Ter Haar
from Inheritance Publications
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Boston Jane
by Jennifer L. Holm
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Boy in the Alamo
by Margaret Cousins
from Veritas Press
Historical fiction for 4th-9th grade
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$19.00
Boy on the Wooden Box
by Leon Leyson
Reprint from Atheneum
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Brady
by Jean Fritz
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Brother's Keeper
by Julie Lee
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Bud, Not Buddy
by Christopher Paul Curtis
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2000 Newbery Medal winner
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Buffalo Bill
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
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Bull Run
by Paul Fleischman, David Frampton (Woodcuts)
2nd edition from Scholastic Inc.
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By the Dawn's Early Light
by Steven Kroll
from Scholastic Inc.
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
By the Shores of Silver Lake
Little House Series #5
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
1940 Newbery Honor Book
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Candy Bomber
by Michael O. Tunnell
from Charlesbridge
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Captain's Dog
by Roland Smith
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$9.34
Captive Treasure
by Milly Howard
from Bob Jones University Press
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Carolina's Courage
by Elizabeth Yates
from Bob Jones University Press
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Chains
Seeds of America #1
by Laurie Halse Anderson
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Chasing Space for Young Readers
by Leland Melvin
from Amistad Press
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Child's Day
Historic Communities
by Bobbie Kalman & Tammy Everts
from Crabtree Publishing
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Child's First Book of American History
by Earl Schenck Miers, James Daugherty
from Beautiful Feet Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Beautiful Feet Books (Location: HISCUR-BFB)
$28.95
Children of the Covered Wagon
by Mary Jane Carr
2nd edition from Christian Liberty Press
Historical Fiction for 3rd-5th grade
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$14.24
Children of the Dust Bowl
by Jerry Stanley
from Crown Publishers
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1993 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award
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$9.34
Children of the Great Depression
by Russell Freedman
from Sandpiper Books
for 4th-6th grade
2006 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award
in Great Depression (1929-1939) (Location: HISA-20GD)
$10.19
Children of the Longhouse
by Joseph Bruchac
Reprint from Puffin Books
for 3rd-6th grade
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$6.79
Children of the Wild West
by Russell Freedman
from Clarion Books
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in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$3.20 (3 in stock)
Children's Stories
Tales of the Wild West Volume 6
by Rick Steber
from Bonanza Publishing
for 4th-7th grade
in Western Expansion (1800-1898) (Location: HISA-19WES)
$2.00 (3 in stock)
Christopher Columbus
Sowers Series
by Bennie Rhodes
from Mott Media
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Civil War
by Janet Cassidy
from Scholastic Inc.
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Civil War
by Pat Wesolowski
from Unknown Publisher
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$2.40 (2 in stock)
Civil War Days
American Kids in History
by David C. King
1st edition from John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
for 3rd-6th Grade
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$14.41 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Civil War for Kids
by Janis Herbert
from Chicago Review Press
Activity Guide for 4th-7th grade
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$14.41 $9.60 (2 in stock)
Civil War Heroines
by Jill Canon
from Bellerophon Books
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$2.00 (1 in stock)
Code Talker
by Joseph Bruchac
from Speak
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$10.19
Colonial America
for 4th-6th grade
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$3.20 (1 in stock)
Colonial America: An Interactive History Adventure
You Choose Books
by Allison Lassieur
from Capstone Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Series Books (Location: SER-MISC)
$4.40 (1 in stock)
Colonial Kids
by Laurie Carlson
1st edition from Chicago Review Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$5.60 (2 in stock)
Colonial Times 1600-1700
by Joy Masoff
from Scholastic Inc.
for 2nd-5th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$0.80 (2 in stock)
Colonial Town: Williamsburg
by Bobbie Kalman
Revised from Crabtree Publishing
for 1st-8th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Colonial Wars
America at War Series
by Alden Carter
from Grolier Publishing
Historical Non-fiction for 4th-6th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$5.91
Columbus
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Beautiful Feet Books
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$15.26
Columbus and the Renaissance Explorers
by Colin Hynson
from Barron's
for 4th-8th grade
in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Columbus Discovers America - Coloring Book
by Peter F. Copeland
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in History of America Coloring Books (Location: COL-HISA)
$4.24
Coming Evil
by Vivian Vande Velde
from Sandpiper Books
Historical Fiction for 4th-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$11.86
Copper-Toed Boots
by Marguerite de Angeli
from Wayne State University
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$12.00
Copper-Toed Boots
by Marguerite de Angeli
from Purple House Press
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$11.89
Courage to Run
Daughters of the Faith
by Wendy G. Lawton
from Moody Press
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in Daughters of the Faith (Location: SER-DAU)
$7.64 $4.00 (2 in stock)
Cowboys
Tales of the Wild West Volume 4
by Rick Steber
from Bonanza Publishing
for 4th-7th grade
in Cowboys & Cattlemen (Location: HISA-19CO)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Cowboys of the Wild West
by Russell Freedman
from Sandpiper Books
Non-fiction for 4th-8th grade
in Cowboys & Cattlemen (Location: HISA-19CO)
$5.20 (1 in stock)
Cowboys of the Wild West
by Russell Freedman
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
in Cowboys & Cattlemen (Location: HISA-19CO)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Crossing Bok Chitto
by Tim Tingle
from Cinco Puntos Pres
for 1st-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$11.01
Cup of Cold Water
Chosen Daughters
by Christine Farenhorst
from P&R Publishing
for 4th-6th grades
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$16.99
Curious World of Calpurnia Tate
by Jacqueline Kelly
Reprint from Square Fish Publishing
for 4th-8th grade
2010 Newbery Honor
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$9.34
D-Day Landings
DK Readers Level 4
by Richard Platt
from DK Publishing
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$4.24
Daily Life in a Covered Wagon
by Paul Erickson
from Puffin Books
Historical Reference for 3rd-5th Grade
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$8.49
Daniel Boone
by Daniel Boone
from Applewood Books
Biography for 4th-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$14.95 $10.00 (2 in stock)
Daniel's Story
by Carol Matas
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
in Clearance: Fiction (Location: ZCLE-FIC)
$2.00 (2 in stock)
Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural
by Patricia C. McKissack, illustrated by Brian Pinkney
from Yearling
for 4th-7th grade
1993 Newbery Honor Book
$6.79
Darkness Over Denmark
by Ellen Levine
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-7th grade
in Holocaust (Location: HISW-20WW2H)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Davy Crockett
by David Crockett
from Applewood Books
Biography for 4th-8th grade
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$12.71 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Davy Crockett
Heroes of History
by Geoff & Janet Benge
from Emerald Books
Biography for 4th-7th grade
in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE)
$10.19
Declaration of Independence
by Sam Fink
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Declaration of Independence in Translation
by Amie J, Leavitt
from Capstone Press
for 2nd-6th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Diary of an Early American Boy
by Eric Sloane
from Dover Publications
American History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$13.56 $6.80 (1 in stock)
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)
$4.24
Discovery of the Americas
by Betsy & Giulio Maestro
from HarperTrophy
for 3rd-6th grade
in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP)
$8.49 $4.80 (2 in stock)
DK Eyewitness: World War I
DK Eyewitness Series
by Simon Adams
from DK Publishing
History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in World War I (1914-1919) (Location: HISA-20WW1)
$8.49
DK Ultimate Sticker Book Presidents
by DK Publishing
from DK Children
for 3rd-6th grade
in American Presidency (Location: HISV-PRE)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
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