What Every American Should Know about American History: 200 Events That Shaped the Nation [Paperback]

Alan Axelrod (Author), Charles Phillips (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1993

Brief essays describe pivotal events that shaped United States history, from Leif Ericson's exploration of Vinland to the end of the Cold War and the Rod King incident.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

If you've ever thought American history was as dry as the dust on an old battlefield, guess again. This engaging collection of 200 bite-sized-yet-satisfying descriptions of pivotal events includes "Leif Ericson Explores Vinland," "The American Revolution Begins," "Montgomery Ward Starts a Mail-order Business," "Betty Friedan Publishes The Feminine Mystique," and "The Cold War Ends." As Axelrod and Phillips state in their introduction, "all are events any American should know about and appreciate to understand fully his or her own pursuit of happiness, the foundation of that elusive American dream so often celebrated in our literature and so seldom fulfilled in our history." And what about the 201st event? The afterword offers the Gulf War, the Rodney King trial, and even Johnny Carson's retirement from the Tonight Show as candidates. As the authors explain, "Significant events are more often like good wines; they age well and taste better later." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Similar in concept as well as title to John Garraty's 1,001 Things Everyone Should Know About American History ( LJ 4/1/89), this volume continues the present fast-food approach to digesting American history. Here 200 events, arranged chronologically from "Leif Ericson Explores Vinland" to "The Cold War Ends," are described with the hopes of creating a "usable past" rather than a continuous narrative of facts. Some headings, such as "George Washington Carver Invents Peanut Butter," may trivialize the broader sociological discussions that follow. Each entry consists of a brief statement of the event followed by a historical overview of its import and influence on American thought and culture. These range in length from a few paragraphs to a few pages and are cogently written, concisely thorough, and admirably informative. A nine-page select bibliography concludes the volume. Despite its attractive price tag, this book should be viewed merely as a starting point for answers to specific questions on American history. (Index not seen.)-- James Moffet, Baldwin P.L., Birmingham, Mich.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Bob Adams Inc. Publishers (October 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558503099
• ISBN-13: 978-1558503090
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,347,386 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Thought Provoking Vignettes on American History, July 9, 2000

By 

George R Dekle "Bob Dekle" (Lake City, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: What Every American Should Know about American History: 200 Events That Shaped the Nation (Paperback)

The writers give what they believe to be the 200 most significant events from American history. They give a summary of the event followed by a brief description of how that event fits in with the broader context of American history.

For the most part, they have chosen and written well. While not scholarly, their analyses appear both sound and well thought out. I say appear, because toward the end of the book, when they arrive at incidents which the adult reader will have lived through and will recall well, they miss the mark more often than they hit it. It makes one wonder if their description and analysis of the more distant events might not be skewed as well.

When the book is read with the realization that the authors write from a particular socio-political agenda, then the thoughtful reader can sift their views through the filter of healthy skepticism. Read in this manner, the book is informative, entertaining, and thought provoking.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and very readable., July 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: What Every American Should Know About American History: 200 Events that Shaped the Nation (Library Binding)

For someone who enjoys history, this is the perfect book to carry along when you may have short (or long) periods of time to kill. For someone not fascinated by historic events, this is a good, painless way to gain a grasp of history's effect on the present. Presented in small doses, it's very interesting, readable, and portable.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Concern, February 27, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: What Every American Should Know about American History: 200 Events That Shaped the Nation (Paperback)

This book should be renamed, "What Every American that is Ashamed of America Should Know About American History." Nearly every segment finds a way to present a negative angle on most of the events.