Give Me Liberty!: Volume 1

Give Me Liberty! An American History, Volume 1 (2005) is a textbook that spans America’s past from the pre-Columbian era to the end of the Reconstruction period. The text is co-authored by Eric Foner, Kathleen DuVal, and Lisa McGirr. First published in 2005 and most recently updated in 2023 for its 7th edition, the textbook navigates through America’s historical landscape with a clear focus on how the concept of freedom has been contested, reshaped, and understood across different epochs and among various groups within the nation. This educational journey critically engages with thematic elements of freedom, power, and the continuous struggle for equality that have shaped the United States.

This guide uses the 2023 7th edition, published by W. W. Norton & Company.

Content Warning: The source text includes discussions of enslavement and racial discrimination, racial and ethnic conflicts, sexism, wars, colonization, and other forms of violence that have shaped the US.

Summary

Give Me Liberty: An American History Volume 1, by Eric Foner, Kathleen DuVal, and Lisa McGirr, explores the evolving concept of American freedom from the early interactions between Indigenous peoples, Europeans, and Africans through various periods up to the Reconstruction era of the 19th century.