Customer Reviews

The New American History (Critical Perspectives On The Past)

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4 star:		(1)
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This is really an invaluable book for history scolars as it lays out the "current state" of U.S. history in a multitude of topics.

Admittedly, I went to a left leaning University a few years ago but almost all of my classes came almost straight from the essays in this book so it might not be entirely represetative of the state of historical debate.

I foudn the most interesting parts of the book to be the historiorahpic analysis--that is, how the study of a particuolar subject has changed over years with the times. For example, until the civil rights movement of the 1960's, the reconstruction period of the 1860's and 70's was seen as an unmitigated disaster where uncompetant freedmen were set up in governments to run the south with Northern military support. This interpretation of course served a country that still had segregated lunchcounters in 1960. However, recently, a much more nuanced interpretation has appeared led by such writers as Eric Foner (the writer of the chapter on Reconstruction) who place their own gloss on the Reconstruction movement which was undoubtedly infulenced by their own participation and sympathy with the "new left" movements of the 1960's.

Also useful is each author cites the leading books in the field for their argument so it can produce a great reading list for any history buff that wishes to delve deeper into a particular subject.

This collection of essays probably merits 3.5 stars because it actually does live up to its title; it presents a collection of essays covering "The New American History." I refer to it as somewhat new because, as has always been the case in "American" history, the story of people of color and women gets short shrift. The essays were originally compiled to expose high school history teachers to the latest historical research and interpretations going on in particular subject areas in an effort to keep them abreast of the changes in historical philosophy, approach, and perspective. It illustrates these current trends by presenting 16 essays with titles such as, "Society, Politics, and the Market Revolution, 1815-1848", "Slavery, Civil War, and Reconstruction","Intellectual and Cultural History", and "The History of the Family and the History of Sexuality." Of the 16 essays, only two deal with African-American history, 1 deals with ethnicity and immigration, and only 1 is about women. While the book leans toward social history, which is the current historical wave, and consciously points to the fact that the old approaches to American history (the exclusive study of white, male, wealthy, political and military leaders) needed revising, it short-changes blacks, women, and other people of color just as the old American history does. With that said, 4 out of 16 is 25% which, unfortunately, might be a little more history of "others" than most middle-aged Americans were ever exposed to. This book is still good for anyone, particularly any high school history teacher, who needs to understand that history is constructed, open to interpretation, and ever evolving. And the historical references at the end of each chapter are almost worth the price of the book alone. Get it if you think you need it.