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.

	A is for Abigail The Almanac of Amazing American Women by Lynne Cheney 1^st edition from Simon and Schuster for Kindergarten-4th grade in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH) $19.99 $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Abigail Adams "Dear Partner" A Discovery Book by Helen Stone Peterson, illustrated by Betty Fraser from Garrard Publishing Company for 2nd-4th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Abraham Lincoln A Discovery Book by Anne Colver from Garrard Publishing Company for 2nd-4th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Benjamin West and His Cat Grimalkin by Marguerite Henry & Wesley Dennis from Bobbs-Merril Co Biography for 1st-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
	Bright Path Young Jim Thorpe by Don Brown from Roaring Brook Press for Preschool-2nd grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	Brothers at Bat The True Story of an Amazing All-Brother Baseball Team by Audrey Vernick from Clarion Books for 1st-3rd grade in Great Depression (1929-1939) (Location: HISA-20GD)
	Chief Seattle Great Statesman by Elizabeth Rider Montgomery from Garrard Publishing Company for 1st-3rd grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	Choosing Brave How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement by Angela Joy, illustrated by Janelle Washington from Roaring Brook Press for 1st-4th grade 2023 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book in Biographies (Location: BIO) $19.99
	Christopher Columbus His World, His Faith, His Adventures by Elaine Murray Stone 500 Anv from Tyndale House Biography for Preschool-3rd Grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $6.50 (1 in stock)
	Columbus: The Triumphant Failure by Oliver Postgate & Naomi Linnell from Franklin Watts for 2nd-5th grade in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP) $7.50 (1 in stock)
	Corrie Ten Boom: Shining in the Darkness Heroes for Young Readers by Renee Meloche from YWAM Publishing Biography for 2nd-4th grade in Heroes for Young Readers (Location: BIO-HERO)
	Cruise of Mr. Christopher Columbus A Really Truly Story by Sadyebeth & Anson Lowitz from Lerner Publishing Group Biography for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	Drawing America: Sacajawea The Journey West Drawing America by Elaine Raphael & Don Bolognese from Scholastic Inc. Biography for 1st-3rd grade in Lewis & Clark (Location: HISA-19L&C)
	Enemies of Slavery from Holiday House for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Finding Winnie The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear by Lindsay Mattick First Edition from Little, Brown & Company for Nursery-2nd grade 2016 Caldecott Winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Flight by Robert Burleigh; illustrated by Mike Wimmer from Philomel Books for Preschool- 3rd Grade 1992 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award in Aviation History (Location: HISV-AVIA) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	George Washington Carver: America's Scientist Heroes of History for Young Readers by Renee Taft Meloche from Emerald Books for 1st-4th grade in Heroes for Young Readers (Location: BIO-HERO)
	George Washington: America's Patriot Heroes of History for Young Readers by Renee Meloche from Emerald Books for Preschool-3rd grade in Heroes for Young Readers (Location: BIO-HERO)
	Gingerbread for Liberty! How a German Baker Helped Win the American Revolution by Mara Rockliff, Illustrated by Vincent X. Kirsch from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for Preschool-2nd grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $17.99
	Girl From the Tar Paper School Barbara Rose Johns and the Advent of the Civil Rights Movement by Teri Kanefield from Abrams Books for Young Readers for 1st-4th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	Great Adventure of Christopher Columbus A Pop-Up Book by Jean Fritz, illustrated by Tomie dePaola from Putnam & Grosset Group for Kindergarten-2nd grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning by Rosalyn Schanzer from HarperCollins for 2nd-4th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	How I Learned Geography by Uri Shulevitz 1^st edition from Farrar, Straus and Giroux for 2nd-5th grade Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $21.99
	How Sweet the Sound The Story of Amazing Grace by Carole Boston Weatherford, Illustrated by Frank Morrison from Atheneum for 1st-4th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $17.99
	I Am Rosa Parks by Rosa Parks with Jim Haskins, illustrated by Wil Clay from Dial Books for Young Readers for Kindergarten-2nd grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	I am Sacagawea Ordinary People Change the World by Brad Meltzer, illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos from Dial Books for Young Readers for 1st-3rd grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Jane Addams Pioneer of Hull House A Discovery Book by Helen Stone Peterson from Garrard Publishing Company for 2nd-4th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	John Alden Young Puritan by Olive W. Burt from Bobbs-Merril Co Biography for 2nd-4th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	John Brown: One Man Against Slavery by Gwen Everett, Illustrated by Jacob Lawrence from Rizzoli International Publications for 1st-3rd grade in Slavery & the Underground Railroad (Location: HISA-19SL) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	John Paul Jones A Discovery Book by Stewart Graff, illustrated by William Hutchinson from Garrard Publishing Company for 2nd-5th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	John Paul Jones Heroes of the Revolution by Susan & John Lee, illustrated by Tom Dunnington from Children's Press for 2nd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	John Wesley by May McNeer, illustrated by Lynd Ward from Abingdon Press for 2nd-6th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	John, Paul, George & Ben by Lane Smith 1^st edition from Hyperion/Madison Press for Preschool-3rd grade in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Journey to Freedom by Charles W. Carey Jr. from Child's World for 2nd-4th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	Juan Ponce de Leon by Tamara Green from World Almanac Library for 2nd-4th grade in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Kit Carson Trailblazer and Scout by Shannon Garst from Julian Messner Biography for 1st-3rd grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Lafayette, Friend of America Makers of America by Alberta Powell Graham 1^st edition from Abingdon Press for 2nd-5th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	Last Princess The Story of Princess Ka'iulani of Hawai'i by Fay Stanley; illustrated by Diane Stanley from HarperCollins Picture Book Biographies for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Madam President The Extraordinary, True (and Evolving) Story of Women in Politics by Catherine Thimmesh, Illustrated by Douglas B. Jones from Houghton Mifflin for 2nd-6th grade in American Presidency (Location: HISV-PRE) $8.00 (2 in stock)
	Martin Luther King, Jr A Biography for Young Children by Carol Hilgartner Schlank, Barbara Metzger, illustrated by John Kastner from Gryphon House for Kindergarten-2nd grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Meet Andrew Jackson by Ormonde de Kay from Random House for Kindergarten-2nd in Step Up Books (Location: VIN-STEP)
	Meet John F. Kennedy by Nancy Bean White from Random House for 1st-4th grade in Step Up Books (Location: VIN-STEP) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Moses by Carole Boston Weatherford 1^st edition from Hyperion/Madison Press for Preschool-3rd grade 2007 Caldecott Honor Book in Biographies (Location: BIO) $18.99
	My Brothers' Flying Machine Wilber, Orville, and Me by Jane Yolen from Little, Brown & Company for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Oversized Biographies $4.00 (1 in stock)
	My Fellow Americans by Alice Provensen 1^st edition from Harcourt Children's Books for 2nd-5th grade in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF) $5.00 (3 in stock)
	Paul Revere First Biographies by Jan Gleiter and Kathleen Thompson, Illustrated by Francis Balistreri from Steck-Vaughn Company for 1st-3rd grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Picture Book of Davy Crockett by David Adler from Holiday House Picture Book Biography for 2nd-4th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	Picture Book of George Washington by David A. Adler 1^st edition from Holiday House for Preschool-3rd grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	Picture Book of Harriet Beecher Stowe by David A. Adler 1^st edition from Holiday House for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Clearance: Biographies (Location: ZCLE-BIO)
	Picture Book of Patrick Henry by David A. Adler; illustrated by John & Alexandra Wallner 1^st edition from Holiday House for Kindergarten-4th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $6.50 (1 in stock)
	Picture Book of Paul Revere by Alexandra Wallner, David A. Adler, John Wallner 1^st edition from Holiday House for Preschool-3rd grade in Clearance: Biographies (Location: ZCLE-BIO)
	Picture Book of Rosa Parks by David A. Adler; illustrated by Robert Casilla 1^st edition from Holiday House Picture Book Biography for Preschool-3rd grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	Picture Book of Thurgood Marshall by David A. Adler 1^st edition from Holiday House for 2nd-5th grade in Clearance: Biographies (Location: ZCLE-BIO)
	Pioneering on the Plains Frontiers of America by Edith McCall, illustrated by Carol Rogers from Children's Press for 2nd-5th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $12.00 (2 in stock)
	Prince Henry the Navigator by Leonard Everett Fisher 1^st edition from Atheneum for 2nd-5th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Priscilla Alden and the First Thanksgiving from Silver Press for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	Radiant Child The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat by Javaka Steptoe First Edition from Little, Brown & Company 2017 Caldecott Medal in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $17.99
	So Tall Within Sojourner Truth's Long Walk Toward Freedom by Gary D. Schmidt, Illustrated by Daniel Minter from Roaring Brook Press for Preschool-3rd grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $18.99
	Stitchin' and Pullin' A Gee's Bend Quilt by Patricia C. McKissack, illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera from Random House for Preschool-2nd grade in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
	Story of Sitting Bull by Jill C. Wheeler; illustrated by Liz Dodson from ABDO Publishing Co. for 2nd-5th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	Tad Lincoln A Discovery Book by LaVere Anderson from Garrard Publishing Company for 2nd-5th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Thomas Jefferson A Picture Book Biography by James Cross Giblin from Scholastic Inc. for Preschool-3rd grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Thomas Jefferson A Discovery Book by Anne Colver, illustrated by Cary from Garrard Publishing Company for 1st-3rd grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges, Compiled and Edited by Margo Lundell from Scholastic Inc. for 1st-4th grade 2000 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award in Biographies (Location: BIO) $17.99
	Thurgood Marshall Rookie Biography by Carol Greene from Children's Press for 1st-3rd grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	Undefeated, The by Kwame Alexander First Ed from Houghton Mifflin for 1st-3rd grade 2020 Newbery Honor Book, 2020 Caldecott in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $17.99
	Unfading Beauty The Story of Dolley Madison by Tracy M. Leininger from His Seasons for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Value of Courage The Story of Jackie Robinson by Spencer Johnson, illustrated by Steve Pileggi from Value Communications Inc. for 1st-3rd grade in Character Building (Location: BIB-CH) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Value of Truth and Trust The Story of Cochise by Ann Donegan Johnson from Value Communications Inc. for 1st-3rd grade in Character Building (Location: BIB-CH)
	Viola Desmond Won't Be Budged! by Jody Nyasha Warner, Richard Rudnicki from Groundwood Books for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968) (Location: HISA-20CIV) $6.50 (1 in stock)
	Where Do You Think You're Going, Christopher Columbus? by Jean Fritz childrens book from Putnam Juvenile for 2nd-4th grade in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Who Owns the Sun? by Stacy Chbosky from Purple House Press in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $18.95
	William Penn, Founder of Pennsylvania by Steven Kroll, illustrated by Ronald Himler 1^st edition from Holiday House for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	Woodie Guthrie Poet of the People by Bonnie Christensen from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. for 1st-4th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	World Explorer: Henry Morton Stanley World Explorer by Charles P. Graves from Garrard Publishing Company for 1st-4th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	World Explorer: James Cook by Adele Deleeuw from Garrard Publishing Company for 2nd-4th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	World Explorer: John Smith World Explorer by Charles P. Graves, illustrated by Al Fiorentino from Garrard Publishing Company for 2nd-4th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)

Shop

Support

Hours & Directions

Connect