Customer Reviews

Give Me Liberty!: An American History (First Edition, Seagull Edition) (Vol. 1)

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

 

 

"We all declare for liberty, but in using the same word we do not all mean the same thing." - Abraham Lincoln (1864)

Lincoln's aphorism is the pivotal crux of U.S. history explored by Professor Foner in this first-rate textbook for upper-grade high school students or freshman and sophomore college students.

Foner explores how and why the meanings of liberty and freedom changed throughout American history. In examining any particular period, he asks the crucial historical questions:

What new ideas about liberty and freedom circulated? What new circumstances generated them?

How did they expand/develop or contract/regress?

What groups or individuals supported or thwarted them?

Why did they find fertile ground or face hostility?

Foner asserts that three (3) dimensions of liberty and freedom have been critical in American history:

1) the (contested) meanings of liberty and freedom;

2) the social conditions that made liberty and freedom possible; and

3) the boundaries of liberty and freedom that determined who was entitled to enjoy freedom and who was not.

As summarized by David Hackett Fischer, "what made America free, and keeps it so, was not any single version of liberty and freedom but the interplay of many visions."

It is a book that has all the facts of US History. It gives extra details to place every detail given in the right place. It is also very easy to read and would go along great with a lecture class. Personally I read this book with Howard Zinn side by side so I could get the facts and opinion at the same time. Very good book.

History has always been a bore to me but I needed this book for a class. For the price and condition of the book, it is a good buy. It was easy to read but in the end, I still don't love reading history books.

Book was in great condition! No pages missing or even folded. Item arrived at my house in reasonable time. Great seller.

Great book, very helpful in my class. It's required reading but it's a good read.

I have always considered myself knowledageable with History, but this book and the accompanying college course made me realize how little I really know. What is great about this flavor of Give Me Liberty is that it is the Seagull edition, which means it is bascially the same size as your high dollar paper back, but more dense due to the paper being used. While reading, the smaller pages allowed me break chapters down easier, and I do not miss the pictures.

I also noticed that your usual wear and tear is less due to the reduced size.

So in closing, this book is a great deal. Not only is the price already reduced because it is a seagull edition, Amazon is noticeably lower as well.

Although the cover of the book is much worse than I expected, the pages inside are much better than my expectation. It's OK.

The product came quickly and just as described. Would definitely do business with this seller again.

Yeah I know not a textbook review; bottom line if your professor asks for this book suck it up and buy it, whether it is boring or not!! That being said, Great textbook prices on Amazon. They actually charge what the book is worth. I do realize that they have little overhead comapred to College bookstores, but I also realize that College students are usually on shoestring budgets and Barnes and Noble owns alot of bookstores and maybe could do some sort of charitable contribution towards education, instead of being a reverse Robin Hood. Don't get me wrong I love capitalism, I just hate people that are going to school to be intelligent, only to buy from someone that is gougin you!