Days of Destiny: Crossroads in American History [Hardcover]

DK Publishing (Author), James M. McPherson (Author), Alan Brinkley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2001

America's greatest historians examine thirty-one uncelebrated days that changed the course of history There are moments in American history when something old ends and something new begins. These are the days of destiny. We asked some of the most respected (and best-selling) historians of our time to choose specific days on which American history turned. Their responses make up the month's worth of essays included in this volume. Some chose wars and battles, politics and presidents; others found answers in less well-known areas of historical study: the Great Awakening of the 1740s, the Indian Wars of the 1870s, the plight of working women at the turn of the twentieth century, the countercultural efflorescence of the late 1960s. In Days of Destiny: Crossroads in American History, the Society of American Historians brings you thirty-one engaging narratives, each illuminating with crisp prose and unparalleled scholarship an event that profoundly shaped the nation and world in which we live in. From King Philip's 1675 parley with white colonial officials to the 1973 research conference at which the biotechnology revolution was announced, these vignettes will transport you to places and introduce you to people who have made a continuing difference in the history of America.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Two distinguished American historians have assembled a brilliant team to bring to vivid life those intense days that made a vital difference to the way we Americans have lived. Days of Destiny is a feast of information and insight for all who are fascinated by the jagged, turbulent course of American history. (Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.)

About the Author

James M. McPherson is George Henry Davis '86 Professor of American History at Princeton University, where he has taught since 1962. He is the author of a dozen books, mostly on the era of the American Civil War. His Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era won the Pulitzer Prize in History in 1989, and his For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War won the Lincoln Prize in 1998. Alan Brinkley is Allan Nevins Professor of History at Columbia University, where he has taught since 1991. His works include Voices of Protest: Huey Long, Father Coughlin, and the Great Depression (1982), which won the National Book Award; The Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People (1993); The End of Reform: New Deal Liberalism in Recession and War (1995); and Liberalism and Its Discontents (1998). The Society of American Historians was founded in 1939 by Allan Nevins and several fellow authors for the purpose of promoting literary distinction in historical writing. From its inception, the Society has sought ways to bring good historical writing to the largest possible audience. Membership in the society is by invitation only and is limited to 250 authors. The Society administers four awards: the annual Francis Parkman Prize for the best-written nonfiction book on American history, the annual Allan Nevins Prize for the best-written dissertation on an important theme in American history, the biannual Bruce Catton Prize for lifetime achievement in historical writing, and the biannual James Fenimore Cooper Prize for the best historical novel.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: DK ADULT; 1st Edition edition (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789480107
• ISBN-13: 978-0789480101
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,238,588 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Days of Destiny: Crossroads in American History, October 14, 2002

By 

Joe Zika "Khemprof" (Cincinnati, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Days of Destiny: Crossroads in American History (Hardcover)

Days of Destiny: Crossroads in American History edited by James M. McPherson and Alan Brinkley is a book that brings thirty-one of todays best-selling and most respected historians together into a project that is engaging with unparalleled scholarship, as the question that is asked are there moments in American History when something old ends and something new begins. This book takes us from King Philip's 1675 parley with white colonial officials to the 1973 research conference at which the biotechnology revolution was announced.

This is a book that will court your mind with its information and insight, making a very fascinating read about the turbulent course of American History. As some of the historian chose wars, presidents, battles and politics, others chose areas, of less well-known areas of study making a well-rounded book with crisp prose and readability that will keep your interest.

The contents are as follows:

June 17, 1675 King Philip's Quarell by James Axtell
October 23, 1740 Whitefield Awakens America by John Demos
May 23, 1775 Silas Deane's Diary by Jack N. Rakove
October 19, 1781 the Battle of Yorktown by Robert Middlekauff
July 16, 1787 The Day the Constitution was Saved By Godon S. Wood
June 20, 1790 Mr. Jefferson's Dinner {arty by Joseph J. Ellis
March 4, 1801 The Second American Revolution by Joyce Appleby
Mid-February 1824 The Way West by William H. Goetzmann
January 1, 1831 The Liberator by Ira Berlin
July 20, 1848 The Seneca Falls Convention by Christine Stansell
March 6, 1857 The Day of Dred Scott by Sean Wilentz
September 13, 1862 The Lost Orders by James M. McPherson
June 13, 1866 Equality Before the Law by Eric Foner
October 5, 1877 I Will Fight No More Forever by Elliot West
February 24, 1908 Affirming the Sexual Division of Labor by Alice Kessler-Harris
August 14, 1908 The End of Accommodation by David Levering Lewis
January 1, 1913 The Routine Arrest That Launched Revoultion by Geoffrey C. Ward
June 20, 1917 The Great Demand by Nancy F. Cott
July 20, 1925 The Scopes Trial: Darrow v. Bryan by Alan Brinkley
May 22, 1933 Harry Hopkins Brings Relief by Linda Gordon
April 2, 1943 Testing America by Nicholas Lemann
July 25, 1945 the Most Terrible Bomb in History of the World by John W. Dower
September 19, 1946 The President Learns about Civil Rights by William E. Leuchtenberg
May 3, 1948 Holly at the Crossroads by Ann Douglas
January 17, 1961 A Farewell to Arms by Douglas Brinkley

June 21, 1961 The Decision to Publish Kuhn by David A. Ho;inger
July 28, 1965 End of an Era, Start of a War by David Kaiser
January 14, 1967 The Human Be-in by David Farber
July 12, 1967 Days of Rage: The Life and Death of Newark by Kenneth T. Jackson
November 22, 1971 Sally Reed Demand Equal Treatment by Linda K. Kerber
July 14, 1973 The Battle over Biotechnology by Daniel J. Kevles

As you can see this is a who's who line up of historians that chose a moment that changed history and you will not be disappointed reading the very well put together book, as it is a book of extraodinary acts and thoughts of exceptional people, and it is reflected by these scholars making a profound difference, not only in history but our daily lives.

This book is sponsored by the Society of American Historians and was written by members elected to the society because of their demonstrated capacity to write lucid, significant and very readable history. I found this book to provide stimulation and enjoyment, delivering an understanding of some of the central questions in American history. This is well worth your money to purchase and this volume is well appointed with illustrations further enriching your experience.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Overlooked days of destiny.. fascinating., July 25, 2008

By 

C. T. Hunter "chips_books" (Gainesville, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Days of Destiny: Crossroads in American History (Hardcover)

This heavy book is made up of 31 articles written by prominent historians, each of whom selected a day in American history that they believe were critical in forming the nation we live in today. For the most part, these aren't the typical events you would normally think of (signing of the Declaration of Independence, Pearl Harbor, ect.), but rather focus on the more obscure and overlooked events that nonetheless played important roles in our history. There is a very nice variety of topics discussed, including backroom meetings debating our form of government, presidential decisions on foreign policy, and even trouble in New Orleans that changed the face of Jazz music. If anything, there is an overly-heavy representation of articles focusing on the civil rights movements and Supreme Court decisions that influenced them.

One of the best aspects of this book is the incredible amount of illustrations and pictures throughout. Every article includes 10+ pictures helping to bring the stories to life. Important people, events, and scenes are displayed flawlessly, including full two-page pictures depicting most of the "days of destiny". My favorite article was written by the head editor, James McPherson, and chronicles the story of Jackson's famous "Lost Orders" that receives comparatively little attention in American History classes, but could be said to have changed the course of the Civil War.

The book is extremely well put together, with glossy pages and tight binding. While the layout is similar to a textbook, the articles themselves are very easy to read and entertaining. You'll be able to think of plenty of days that probably influenced America more than the ones included here, but this book isn't meant to detail the more well-known or the most important days. It focuses on the overlooked or forgotten days that these particular historians wished to focus more attention on. Extremely informative and entertaining. Well done to the editors, highly recommended.