American Issues Vol. I : A Primary Source Reader in United States History to 1877

This popular two-volume series presents an anthology of primary documents, letters, and articles in which participants and contemporary observers express their opinions, make their observations, and reach their conclusions about events and issues of their own day that affected the nation and the American society as a whole. Updated throughout with new material and fresh perspectives, the texts continue to stimulate critical thinking and promote active learning about American history leading students to reject received ideas when appropriate, relate the past to their own experience, and reach conclusions on the basis of evidence.

Americans worry about the state of education in the United States today. Recently we have been told how little students know about science, geography, mathematics, and history; we fear that our country will be unprepared to compete against the other advanced industrial societies in years to come. We are also concerned that the new generation will lack the shared civic knowledge essential for a functioning democratic system. Study after study reveals that participation in the political process, knowledge and understanding of newsworthy events, and interest in public life are declining, particularly among younger Americans. Stated simply, the younger you are, the less likely you are to vote, read a newspaper, or be aware of current political issues. A growing body of research bemoans a deterioration in the quality and quantity of community life as a new, unchecked privatism, and unchecked individualism characterizes the American experience. What will the future hold for our political, social, economic, and cultural institutions if these trends continue?There is indeed reason to be dismayed by how small a stock of historical information young Americans possess. But it is important also to realize that education is not just transmission of data. It is also the fostering of critical thinking. The most encyclopedic knowledge does students little good if they cannot use it to reach valid and useful conclusions. It is this belief that has inspiredAmerican Issues.This two-volume work will stimulate critical thinking and active learning about U.S. history--leading students to reject received ideas when appropriate, relate the past to their own experience, and reach conclusions on the basis of evidence. At times, no doubt, students will have to do additional reading beyond this textbook; that, of course, is all to the good.American Issuesis not a compendium of scholars' views. It is constructed out ofprimary documents,the raw material of history. In its pages participants and contemporary observers express their opinions, make their observations, and reach their conclusions about events and issues of their own day that affected the nation and American society. The selections do not point in one direction on any given issue. On the contrary, they were chosen to raise questions and force the student to confront disparity, complexity, and apparent contradiction.American Issuesavoids giving students the "simple bottom line." Rather, it compels them to grapple with the same ambiguous raw materials that historians process to reach their conclusions. To further the engagement process, each selection asks specific questions of the student. That approach, we believe, is an incomparable way to enlighten students about the rich complexity and fullness of historical reality.We would like to acknowledge the following reviewers of this text: Alan R. Ball, Rose State College (Oklahoma); Stephen H. Coe, Eastern Kentucky University; Samuel Crompton, Holyoke Community College; Anthony O. Edmonds, Ball State University; Lorien Foote, University of Central Arkansas; John A. Hall, Albion College; Edward L. Schapsmeier, Illinois State University; Rebecca S. Shoemaker, Indiana State University; and Donald G. Sofchalk, Mankato State University. We express our deep and sincere appreciation to the staff of St. John's University Libraries, particularly Joan Daly, Mark Meng, Ben Turner, and, most of all, Anthony Todman, Government Documents Specialist, for their generous, patient, and knowledgeable assistance.The selections in Volume I and Volume II range widely in subject matter across the American past. Besides the key political questions, they deal with the social, cultural, economic, and gender problems our predecessors faced.American Issuesis guided by the sense that America has always been a heterogeneous society whose inhabitants led their lives in many ways. Yet it does not abandon th