American Originals [Paperback]

Stacey Bredhoff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2001

Original documents are the raw stuff of history. They are physical links to the past. The original documents of the U.S. Government - those that have been identified as having permanent value - are preserved and made available to the public by the National Archives and Records Administration. "American Originals" presents a selection of the United States' most significant and compelling documents, pieces of history - the glorious and the inglorious - in its most unprocessed form. George Washington's account of expenses, kept throughout the Revolutionary War. Harriet Tubman's pension claim for her service during the Civil War. Richard Nixon's letter resigning the Presidency. These and other rarely seen documents from the National Archives offer fascinating insights into the towering figures and events in American history. Combining the familiar with the obscure, "American Originals" presents glimpses of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln, Helen Keller, Elvis Presley, John Muir, Rosa Parks, Benedict Arnold, John Brown, Susan B. Anthony, and many others, through a selection of America's greatest documentary treasures. Stacey Bredhoff is a senior exhibits curator at the National Archives. She is the author of "Powers of Persuasion: Poster Art from World War II" and "Draw! Political Cartoons from Left to Right".

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The catalog of a recent exhibition at the National Archives in Washington, DC, that will travel in modified form to several cities, this work reveals the depth of the archives' holdings. It reproduces over 80 fascinating documents, along with a photograph of the person or event described therein and a short, well-written commentary. Included are reproductions of, for example, the Declaration of Independence, a letter from Eleanor Roosevelt to the DAR, a statement for the president to read in case the astronauts were stranded on the moon, Benjamin Franklin's ledger as postmaster general, and other records that document events, both great and small, in U.S. history. Useful as both an exhibition catalog and an introduction to this impressive treasury, this work is recommended as a teaching tool for school and public libraries and for collections in civics or American history. Martin Chasin, Adult Inst., Bridgeport, CT
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Stacey Bredhoff is a senior exhibits curator at the National Archives. She is the author of Powers of Persuasion: Poster Art from World War II and Draw! Political Cartoons from Left to Right.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: University of Washington Press; First Edition edition (May 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 029598077X
• ISBN-13: 978-0295980775
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,169,027 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars American Documents Wonderfully Packaged, November 8, 2002

By 

Wayne A. Smith (Newark, DE) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: American Originals (Paperback)

Wonderful vignettes of American history are illustrated in this book with brief descriptions and a picture of the archival document around which the story is built.

It's all here from the Louisiana Purchase to the Emancipation Proclamation to the telegram notifying FDR of the raid on Pearl Harbor to a photo of Neil Armstrong on the moon to the infamous picture of Nixon and Elvis (the US Archives most requested document I understand).

The format is a document and description to a page. This is a great book to flip through or to introduce the young teen reader to interesting snippets of US history.

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully Done!, October 5, 2001

By 

SB_New Orleans "Southern Belle" - See all my reviews

This review is from: American Originals (Paperback)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Seeing important historical original documents that you would otherwise have to go to Washington, DC to see (if on display), was a delight. My teenage son also enjoyed seeing and reading about the documents in this book. Highly recommended for people interested in historical archived documents.