Explore national history with this collection of study guides for fiction and non-fiction texts covering events, key figures, and viewpoints that have shaped the United States over the centuries. A sampling of topics within this collection includes the Puritans, Indigenous peoples, the successes and failures of the country's founders, U.S. presidents, war, the Great Depression, the Civil Rights Movement, and more.
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Literature, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Identity: Femininity, Life/Time: Midlife, Life/Time: The Future, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Marriage, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Historical Fiction, History: U.S., Gender / Feminism, History: World
Publication year 2011
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Language, Identity: Race, Relationships: Teams, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Immigration, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Natural World: Place
Tags History: U.S., Immigration / Refugee, Social Justice
Flesh and Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy (2011) is a historical nonfiction book intended for an audience of young readers. It was written by Albert Marrin, a former history professor and author of dozens of historical nonfiction books.Marrin, whose academic focus was on liberty under the law, wrote often about times of suffering and movements for liberation, including The War for Independence: The Story of the American Revolution (1988), Years of... Read Flesh and Blood So Cheap Summary
Publication year 2014
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Race, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Relationships: Family, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Indigenous, Relationships: Marriage, Society: Colonialism, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Historical Fiction, History: U.S., Survival Fiction, History: World
Publication year 1981
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Society: Colonialism
Tags Historical Fiction, Survival Fiction, Action / Adventure, Western, American Literature, History: U.S., History: World
Publication year 1997
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Tags History: U.S., Education, Education, American Civil War, Military / War, American Literature, History: World
For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War is a 1997 nonfiction book by James M. McPherson. McPherson has taught at Princeton since 1962 and written numerous books on the American Civil War, including Battle Cry of Freedom, which won the Pulitzer Prize in History. After several instances of visiting Civil War battlefields and finding himself unable to satisfactorily answer why so many men gave their lives in the war, McPherson sets out... Read For Cause and Comrades Summary
Publication year 1970
Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Equality, Society: Economics, Society: Politics & Government
Tags Politics / Government, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: U.S.
Publication year 2000
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Tags Politics / Government, Education, Education, History: U.S., History: World, American Revolution, Biography
The Pulitzer Prize–winning book Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation is the work of renowned American history writer, Joseph J. Ellis. Published in 2000, Ellis’s book examines the lives, contributions, and relationships of the men responsible for establishing the new American nation following the defeat of the British in the 1776 war of independence. Ellis first introduces the idea that the American Revolution, while seeming inevitable to modern Americans, is by no means a forgone conclusion at... Read Founding Brothers Summary
Publication year 2004
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Tags History: U.S., American Revolution, Colonial America, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Gender / Feminism, History: World, Biography, Politics / Government
Published in 2004, Cokie Roberts’s Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation is a non-fiction, historical study of the role women played in establishing the United States as an independent nation. This study guide refers to the first edition of the text, published by William Morrow-HarperCollins in 2004. In her introduction, Roberts recalls her childhood delight at hearing tales of her ancestor William Claiborne, who met the Founding Fathers. However, she recognizes that she... Read Founding Mothers Summary
Publication year 1941
Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Nation, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags History: U.S., Politics / Government
Publication year 2021
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags History: U.S., Race / Racism, Social Justice, African American Literature, American Civil War, History: World, Politics / Government
Publication year 1947
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance
Tags Free verse, Race / Racism, History: U.S.
Publication year 2018
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Race, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Race / Racism, History: U.S., Civil Rights / Jim Crow, Politics / Government, American Civil War, Reconstruction Era, Military / War, History: World, Biography
Publication year 2010
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Friendship
Tags Realistic Fiction, Grief / Death, Love / Sexuality, Parenting, History: U.S., American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction
IntroductionFreedom is a 2010 novel by American author Jonathan Franzen. The story focuses on the Berglunds, a dysfunctional family living in Minnesota. The novel examines themes of family, freedom, depression, addiction, marriage, and more. Freedom was a selection for Oprah’s book club and won great critical acclaim.Content warning: This guide contains references to alcohol addiction and rape, which are discussed in the source text. Plot Summary The book unfolds across four parts. Part 1, “Good... Read Freedom Summary
Publication year 1980
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Courage
Tags History: U.S., Children's Literature, Military / War, Realistic Fiction, History: World, Historical Fiction, Action / Adventure
Publication year 2002
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Equality, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags History: U.S., Race / Racism, Social Justice, Gender / Feminism, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics / Government
Publication year 2012
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags Race / Racism, History: U.S.
Publication year 2016
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Identity: Race, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Education, Society: Nation, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt
Tags Black Lives Matter, Race / Racism, Social Justice, Civil Rights / Jim Crow, History: U.S., Business / Economics, Diversity, Class, Education, Finance / Money / Wealth, Poverty, Politics / Government, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Sociology, History: World
Publication year 1994
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Sexuality, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Masculinity, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Identity: Gender
Tags History: U.S., LGBTQ, Gender / Feminism, Sociology, History: World
Publication year 2003
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Class
Tags History: U.S., Race / Racism, Education, Education, Sociology, History: World
Ira Berlin’s Generations of Captivity: A History of African-American Slaves (2003) is an analytical work of historical research and synthesis that traces the development of American slavery from the 17th century to national Emancipation. Berlin compares the development and conditions of slavery across regions including the North (usually New England and the Mid-Atlantic states), the coastal South (or sections of it most relevant to the corresponding timeline), and the Southern Interior, particularly in the Lower... Read Generations of Captivity Summary
Publication year 1796
Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government
Tags History: U.S., Politics / Government, American Literature, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction