Taking sides: Clashing views in United States history. the colonial period to reconstruction selected, edited, and with introductions by Larry Madaras and James M. SoRelle volume 1 : Clashing views in United States history.
Colonial society: Is history true?; Was disease the key factor in the depopulation of Native Americans in the Americas?; Was Colonial culture uniquely American?; Were the first colonists in the Chesapeake Region ignorant, lazy, and unambitious?; Did Colonial New England women enjoy significant economic autonomy? -- Revolution and the new nation: Did the American Revolution produce a Christian nation?; Were the founding fathers democratic reformers?; Was Thomas Jefferson a political compromiser?; Was James Madison an effective wartime president?; Was the Monroe Doctrine of 1823 designed to protect the Latin American countries from European intervention? Did the election of 1828 represent a democratic revolt of the people? -- Antebellum America: Did the industrial revolution provide more economic opportunites for women in the 1830s?; Did slavery destroy the black family?; Was the Mixican War an exercise in American imperialism?; Were the abolitionists "unrestrained fanatics"? -- Conflict and resolution: Was the Confederacy defeated because of it's "loss of will?"; Did Abraham Lincoln free the slaves?; Was reconstruction a "splendid failure"?.
Summary:
[This book] is a debate-style reader designed to introduce students to controversies in world history. The readings, which represent the arguments of leading historians and commentators on world history, reflect a variety of viewpoints and have been selected for their liveliness and substance and because of their value in a debate framework ... By requiring students to analyze opposing viewpoints and reach considered judgments, [this book] develops students' critical thinking skills. -Back cover.
Series:
McGraw-Hill contemporary learning series. U.S. history, v. 1
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.