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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136 Items found Print
Active Filters: History Activity Books, 6th grade (Ages 11-12)
20th Century in America Lap-Pak
from Home School in the Woods
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in Hands-On History Activity-Paks (Location: HISRF-HOH)
Abraham Lincoln - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by A. G. Smith
from Dover Publications
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$5.99
Airplanes of the Second World War - Coloring Book
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Airplanes of World War I - Coloring Book
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America's First Ladies - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Leslie Franz
Revised Edition from Dover Publications
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$5.99
American Adventures Part 1
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from Brooke-Richards Press
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American Adventures Part 2
by Morrie Greenberg
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American Presidents - Coloring Book
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Amistad - Coloring Book
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Benjamin Franklin, American Genius
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Big Book of the Old West to Color
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$9.95
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Book of the American Indians
Brown Paper School USKids History
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Button Blanket
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Cavalier and Puritan Fashions - Coloring Book
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Civil War
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Civil War
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Civil War Fashions - Coloring Book
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Civil War for Kids
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Activity Guide for 4th-7th grade
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$16.95
Civil War Uniforms - Coloring Book
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Colonial and Early American Fashions - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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Colonial Days
American Kids in History
by David C. King
1st edition from Jossey-Bass
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Colonial Kids
by Laurie Carlson
1st edition from Chicago Review Press
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in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$9.00 (2 in stock)
Coloring Book of Great Explorers
by Eric Tomb
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Coloring Book of the American Revolution
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Columbus Discovers America - Coloring Book
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Cowboys - Coloring Book
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Declaration of Independence
History Speaks
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Early American Crafts & Occupations - Coloring Book
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$4.99
Early American Trades - Coloring Book
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by Peter F. Copeland
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$5.99
Era of Modernization Through the 1930s
by Kathy Sammis
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Everyday Dress of the American Colonial Period - Coloring Book
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from Dover Publications
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Exploration of North America - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Peter F. Copeland
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$4.99
Explorer's Handbook
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Explorers
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Explorers
CTP Theme Series
by Glenda Nugent
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Famous African-American Women - Coloring Book
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by Janet Kopito & Cal Massey
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Famous Trains - Coloring Book
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by Bruce LaFontaine
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Famous Women Aviators - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by LaFontaine, Bruce
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Fashions of the First Ladies - Coloring Book
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by Ming-Ju Sun
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Fashions of the Old South - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Tom Tierney
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Focus on Presidents
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From Antietam to Gettysburg - Coloring Book
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by Peter F. Copeland
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From Colonies to Country with George Washington - Book Only
My American Journey
by Deborah Hedstrom
from Multnomah Books
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
From East to West with Lewis and Clark - Set
from Unknown Publisher
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$8.00 (1 in stock)
George Washington - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Peter F. Copeland
from Dover Publications
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$4.99
George Washington for Kids
by Brandon Marie Miller
1st edition from Chicago Review Press
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$7.50 (1 in stock)
Great African Americans - Coloring Book
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by Taylor Oughton
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$4.99
Great Indian Chiefs
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Great World War II Projects You Can Build Yourself
by Sheri Bell-Rehwoldt
from Nomad Press
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Heading West
by William E. Hill
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$1.50 (2 in stock)
Heroes and Heroines of the American Revolution - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Peter F. Copeland
from Dover Publications
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Heroes of the American Revolution
by David Brownell
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Heroines of the American Revolution
by Alan Archambault
from Bellerophon Books
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in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
Historic American Landmarks - Coloring Book
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by A. G. Smith
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$3.99
History of Flight - Coloring Book
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History Pockets: American Civil War
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in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
History Pockets: American Revolution
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History Pockets: Colonial America
by Marc Tyler Nobleman
from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
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History Pockets: Explorers of North America
by Mike Graf
from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
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History Pockets: Moving West
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Homemade Uniforms
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Indian Life in Pre-Columbian North America - Coloring Book
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Industrial Revolution
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Johnny Reb - Coloring Book
by Alan Archambault
from Bellerophon Books
Coloring Book for 4th-8th grade
in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$3.50 (2 in stock)
Kid's Guide to African American History
by Nancy I. Sanders
from Chicago Review Press
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Last Safe House
by Barbara Greenwood
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Legendary Outlaws and Lawmen of the Old West - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by E. Lisle Reedstrom
from Dover Publications
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$5.99
Lewis & Clark Expedition
by Maria Backus
from Mark Twain Media
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in Lewis & Clark (Location: HISA-19L&C)
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Lewis & Clark Expedition - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by A. G. Smith
from Dover Publications
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$4.99
Lewis & Clark Hands On Art & English Activities
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Lewis and Clark for Kids
by Janis Herbert
from Chicago Review Press
Historical Reference/Activity Book for 4th-6th grade
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$16.95 $12.00 (1 in stock)
Life in Ancient Mexico - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by John Green
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Life in Colonial America - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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from Dover Publications
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$5.99
Lighthouse Activity Book
by Elinor De Wire
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Make It Work! North American Indians
by Alexandra Parsons & Andrew Haslam
from Thomson Learning
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$4.00 (2 in stock)
Make it Work! North American Indians
Make It Work!
by Andrew Haslam & Alexandra Parsons
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Native Americans (Location: HISA-19NAT)
Marco Polo for Kids
by Janis Herbert
from Chicago Review Press
Biography/Activity Book for 4th-8th grade
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$17.95
More Than Moccasins
by Laurie Carlson
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Mountain Men: The History of Fur Trapping - Coloring Book
by Jeff Prechtel
from Dover Publications
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$3.99
My Book of Little House Paper Dolls
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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$12.99
My Little House Crafts Book
by Carolyn Strom Collins & Christina Wyss Eriksson
from HarperCollins
Arts and Crafts for 3rd-6th grade
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Native Americans
by Leigh Hoven
from Teacher Created Materials, Inc.
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$1.00 (1 in stock)
Old-Fashioned Farm Life - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by A. G. Smith
from Dover Publications
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in History of America Coloring Books (Location: COL-HISA)
$5.99
Pioneer Crafts
by Inc. Kids Can Press
from Kids Can Press
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in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Pioneer Days
American Kids in History
by David C. King
1st edition from John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
for 3rd-6th Grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Pioneer Days
American Kids in History
by David C. King
from Scholastic Inc.
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in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Preamble to the U.S. Constitution
History Speaks
by Douglas M. Rife
from Teaching & Learning Company
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in New Nation (1783-1800) (Location: HISA-18NN)
$1.50 (1 in stock)
Reading, Writing and Riding Along the Oregon-California Trails
by William E. Hill
Regular Print/Single Titl from Oregon California Trails
for 4th-6th grade
in Oregon Trail (Location: HISA-19OR)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Reconstruction Era
by Cindy Barden
from Mark Twain Media
for 4th-7th grade
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Revolutionary War
by John and Patty Carratello
Workbook from Teacher Created Materials, Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$2.50 (3 in stock)
Revolutionary War Days
American Kids in History
by David C. King & Cheryl Kirk Noll
1st edition from Jossey-Bass
for 3rd-6th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
Revolutionary War Era Activity Book
by Linda Milliken
from Edupress
for 4th-6th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Sailors, Whalers, Fantastic Sea Voyages
by Valerie Petrillo
1st edition from Chicago Review Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Ships, Boats & Submarines (Location: HISV-SHIP)
$7.50 (2 in stock)
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