Customer Reviews

American Pageant: A History of the Republic

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

The American Pageant was the textbook that I used last year in my AP U.S. History class. I thought that this particular book provided a vast amount of knowledge between its covers. It provided in depth accounts of milestones in history and also added a little humor while doing so. I felt that this book was most responsible for helping me to pass the AP U.S. History exam last May. It can be difficult to understand at times especially if you use more than one textbook. If you want to read about the history of the United States, this is the book that you want to read.

While taking AP American History at my high school I was worried about how much reading I would have to sacrifice myself to. While reading did take a good 45 minutes to an hour for each chapter in The American Pageant, it was exciting venture. Unlike most texts which are filled with flat sentences, the words used to teach history in the American Pageant bounce of the page and are filled with life. The vigor that Bailey and Kennedy bring to describing history is unlike anything I have ever seen before. History is told through metaphors and figurative language, the antithesis of almost all other text books which simply state the facts with no emotion. The enthusiasm in which the book was written rubbed of on me. I was actually excited about coming home and reading about World War I, or The Great Depression, or The Spanish-American War, or The Stormy Sixties. It was a vastly entertaining book, and, while I never thought I would say this, I am considering buying myself a copy for the years to come. The American Pageant taught me more history than anything I ever read. This fact is due to one key difference between this book and all other text books I have read: The American Pageant kept me interested. I will always remember the clever writing style and substanative information that was included in every chapter. I am forever grateful to The American Pageant for showing me the intresting and exciting side of the United State's past, and, of course, for helping me recieve outstanding grades in American History.

I'm 32 now and this was my AP US History book in high school. I'm thinking about buying it and reading it again, as a refresher and a pleasure. The satirical quips made it a joy the first time around, and I still remember charming phrases like "Nebrascals" and Martin van Buren being a "veritable steam engine in breeches." I remember about nothing from the rest of my high school and college textbooks. The authors find their subject grand, tragic and humorous, and that's the way they present it. Even if you think the style is inappropriate, you remember what is said. Perhaps it's even gotten under your skin enough for you to spout about it online for fifteen minutes instead of cracking open a bag of Doritos and firing up the Playstation. I'd say that's a colossal achievement when it comes to high school textbooks. And in case you're concerned that the relevent facts are missing, I got a 5 on my AP test.

The field of history has the dubious distinction of being interesting yet oppressively dull. A teacher not worth his salt can turn an American history class into nap time. Conversely, an engaging teacher can make students interested but part of accomplaishing this objective is complementing the classroom with an equally engaging textbook. The American Pageant is that book. The aesthetic qualities make it appropriate for high school or introductory university level American history courses. The content equally qualifies. There is no doubt that it took 12 editions to make this book even better than it was; progress simply has that deliberate quality. There are aesthetic considerations that can engage those with short attention spans, such as vibrant pictures, humorous cartoons, two column page setting, and explanatory chronologies among others. However, the crowning achievement is that the average reader cannot distinguish where one author stopped writing and another picked up. David Kennedy and Lizabeth Cohen both have their oen distinctive writing styles but they blend magnificently with Bailey's writing in this work. This work is a testament to the love of teaching felt by all three authors.

I'm a sophomore at West Windsor Plainsboro--using it in my American Studies I class. When I first picked up this book, all I saw was "For Advanced High School Students" on the front cover, and I thought, hey, this book must provide some very insightful information and deep analysis into American history. I was greatly mistaken. Words are often chosen without thought and superlatives and adjectives are used excessively, for example, "the Royal Navy had finally retaliated by throwing a ruinous naval blockade along America's coast and by landing raiding parties almost at will"--immediately preceded AND followed by a discussion of the nationalism surge and economic successes following the War of 1812 as well as "the devastating defeat of the British to Andrew Jackson", jumping from one extreme situation to another with no historical transition. Moreover, the authors are more concerned in presenting their own, often extremely liberal opinions, and attempting to cast them upon future generations that study from their textbook, instead of including objective information, often calling entire presidential administrations they dislike as "failures." When perusing the book, I feel like I'm reading a tabloid of exaggerated truths. While it is important to put life into your writing, when done to an extreme in a textbook, it becomes burdensome and false. There are certainly better alternatives to this "comic book."

Bailey's American Pagaent is engaging and informative, and is an absolute must-have for any AP US student. In addition to earning me a 5 on the exam, this book frankly helped shape my opinion on American society past and present. It enabled me to understand the key themes of our past: compromise, expasion, free enterprise vs. government regulation, social movements, and much more. The book is, generally speaking, organized around the chronological presidencies. There are a few exceptions in which several chapters are dedicated wholly to the industrial revolution or antebellum reform disregarding the presidencies during the time. Each chapter is around 20 pages in length. When read thoroughly, these chapters do warrant some time, but however much time I invested into it, I got as much out of it by being able to understand and apply the material.

The only exception to this concerns the fact that some of the book is not on the test: the first and last sections. This isn't really a bad thing since these sections are fascinating to read anyway, but they may take more time to read than what's really necessary to succeed on the exam. The first few chapters detail the history of American geography- glacial movements, etc. This is not relevant to the AP US test, but is interesting nonetheless. Also, the chapters detailing history post-World War II and all the presidencies (from roughly Nixon to now George W. Bush) may take too long to read given that the test consists of only several questions about history in this era. Nevertheless, this is an excellent book. If I hadn't read it in a classroom context, it would have been valuable to read anyway.

As a sixteen-year-old high school student, I've experienced many textbooks. Most US history texts are terribly banal books that turn 400 or so years of the Westernized Americas' history into a lot of "soup;" i.e., it all blends together and the reader remembers nothing. Not so with Bailey.

No one textbook can tell all about American history, and there are aspects left out of this one; however, it holds the reader's interest while simultaneously being extremely informative. Rather than focusing solely on dates, places, battles, etc., Bailey has chosen to write about the people who shaped the country, giving more insight into what caused the battles, treaties, and laws with which we are so familiar. The text also deals with foreign history when it is relevant to the United States; e.g. the English Civil War and the Napoleonic Wars. The timelines at the end of each section are particularly useful in putting things in order.

AMERICAN PAGEANT is not as dense as it could be, but it's as dense as is practical for a high school text. It's so well written that if any history book is going to actually be read, this is the one. The only complaint is that some of the terms in the corresponding "Guidebook" aren't really mentioned in the book. (The "Guidebook" is also very useful and should, if possible, be used in coordination with the text.)

I used American Pagent in my AP US History course. I enjoyed it very much. The writing was so interesting, that at times I thought I was reading a book. However, when I needed to get homework done quickly, I found that I had to read through too much commentary to find information quickly.

The American Pageant is absolutely the most engrossing and readable history textbook. This textbook presents all important facets of American History lucidly and concisely, combining essential facts with intelligent commentary, and more often than not, it features downright funny anecdotes and/or quips, which we soon dubbed "Pageantisms" in our AP class. I still remember how the book described the general public opinion of President Chester A. Arthur when he took office after President James Garfield was shot: he was considered nothing more than a "foppish dandy." What exactly a foppish dandy is, I'm not entirely sure, but the fact that my history book contained the words "foppish dandy" was enough to elicit a chuckle from myself, and to compel me to continue reading about this lesser-known president. For all critics out there who would say that such information in a history textbook of an AP course is silly, unneeded, and takes away from the must-know information at hand, I say you are wrong; it's entertaining asides such as this that make a history student such as myself have a desire to learn. A boring textbook that vomits facts at you can't provoke such desire. This is why the American Pageant shines; this is why the American Pageant is the best textbook for AP United States History out there. And if you're still skeptical, the American Pageant is largely responsible (my AP U.S. teacher also, but he's not for sale on Amazon) for my earning a 5 on the AP Exam. Take that, critics.

I read this book first in high school several years ago as part of an advanced placement U.S. History course. I hated it then - but love it now. Bailey captures the depth of the issues the nation faced in each step of its development. His accuracy and profound insight keep the subject matter from becoming too dry. What I loved most about the text is that it never over-simplifies the significant historical events such as the political struggles of the 1st and 2nd continental congresses, secession issues and America's position in both World Wars. He digs deep beneath the surface to paint a thorough understanding of what the root causes were of historic events. The 10th addition adds interesting subsections that profile the various immigrant cultures that influenced American history. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand the nation's history and the people who made it.