Customer Reviews

A Compendium of the History of the United States from the Earliest Settlements to 1872

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"History of the United States" by Stephens is a refreshing look at the history of this nation. It is refreshing in that Stephens has no agenda, is not concerned with political correctness, and is not catering to anyone. The book was written in 1872, just seven years after the end of the Civil War, so the thoughts of that era were very much on the author's mind.

Readers should understand that the book is geared towards students and serves as a general history. Stephens himself states (although at the end of the book) what the book is NOT: a study of economic trends, inventions, explorations, etc., although some of these aspects are touched upon. The best parts of the book are the early chapters concerning the settlement of the colonies and the last few chapters which summarize the Civil War. A bit too much detail (for me anyway) is given to the Presidential elections. I would rather have read in more detail about the policies and actions of each President. Again, understand that this is a general history book, a starting point if you will, and not a detailed study.

A.H. Stephens was one of the foremost legal scholars of the 19th Century. This book would make an excellent companion volume for any young person interested in history. By tracing the development of the colonies in North America through Reconstruction, it serves as a good examination of the time period. It also would serve well to educate the public, about the time period without the modern trappings of political correctness.

Alexander Stephens was a U.S. Representative from Georgia prior to southern secession, and the Vice-President of the Confederate States under Jefferson Davis during the Late Unpleasantness. Diminutive in nature but large in wit, he once retorted to a colleague who insulted him by stating that he could eat him for breakfast by replying, "Well Senator, if you should eat me, you would have more brains in your stomach than you ever had in your head."

Stephens was certainly intelligent. In addition to the book under review, he also wrote "A Constitutional View of the Late War Between the States," a scholarly defense of the southern right of secession.

In this volume, Stephens does a solid job of tracing the key principles of American history from the colonial age through 1872. It is written in a readable narrative style accessible to the thoughtful junior high and high school student.

I give it four stars instead of five only because Stephens did us a disservice by not living in our generation and therefore ending his history so abruptly!