High School Government and US History reading list help

[AENeuman]

Hello, I am looking for some book recommendations for my honor students in both my 12th grade American Government class and 11th grade US History class. Something interesting for a teen mind.

It needs to relate to American Government or the following historical times in the US: (semester 1) Gilded Age, Populism, Progressive Age, America as a colonial power, WW1. (semester 2) 20's to 70's.


Thanks.

[stevew]

I just took American Govt in college this summer. Do you want to look over the syllabus?

[SirFozzie]

The decision over a national bank.

Civil Rights battles.

The establishment (and removal) of Prohibition

[JediKooter]

1920s. Women's suffrage?

[rowech]

Originally Posted by AENeuman

Hello, I am looking for some book recommendations for my honor students in both my 12th grade American Government class and 11th grade US History class. Something interesting for a teen mind.

It needs to relate to American Government or the following historical times in the US: (semester 1) Gilded Age, Populism, Progressive Age, America as a colonial power, WW1. (semester 2) 20's to 70's.


Thanks.

What about Lehane's "The Given Day?"

If the English department's not doing it, "The Great Gatsby."

Probably a stretch but "Eight Men Out."

[cougarfreak]

Have you tried Zinn's "A People's History of the United States"? I have my AP kids do quite a bit of reading out of that. It's the opposite view of what is commonly in textbooks (i.e., the labor movement, women, poor class, etc).

[JPhillips]

The Worst Hard Time is a great read on the dust bowl.

[JPhillips]

You may not want to deal with it in a high school, but the play version of Uncle Tom's Cabin was incredibly important in developing racial views in the U.S. For decades it was easily the most produced play in the U.S.

[rowech]

William Martin's book "Annapolis" is a really underrated gem in my opinion and could do something for you.

The book "Man on the Moon" is a fantastic history of putting a man on the moon. Really a cool book that highlights the 50s/60s space program as well as the people involved.

[Buccaneer]

I am a huge fan of William Martin (probably my favorite current author) but I know AENeuman would not be interested in historical fiction (unless it's by Shaara).

I love the What If's series (different variations on the same theme - shortish essays by prominent historians). Each essay could spark great discussions.

[JPhillips]

I know I've recced Isaac's Storm about the Galveston hurricane. Pretty quick read that shows how a thriving city can be wiped out and never return in the same manner.

[rowech]

Another suggestion might be some sort of history on Chicago or New York?

Development of Trains and Subway?

[AENeuman]

Thanks all. While I do not like fiction, I am not opposed to letting my students read it for my class.

Any government rec's?

[AENeuman]

Originally Posted by stevew

I just took American Govt in college this summer. Do you want to look over the syllabus?

Yes please, I will pm you my email.

[AENeuman]

Originally Posted by cougarfreak

Have you tried Zinn's "A People's History of the United States"? I have my AP kids do quite a bit of reading out of that. It's the opposite view of what is commonly in textbooks (i.e., the labor movement, women, poor class, etc).

I do some fun stuff with this too, especially on the atomic bomb. The more I separate myself from my college days in San Francisco, the more I have been able to appreciate this book.

[JPhillips]

I like the primary source book of Zinn's a lot. There's a lot of writing that doesn't see much daylight.

[JPhillips]

I got into reading about the Korean War because of my dad. There's a series of oral histories compiled by Donald Knox that do a great job of both explaining the big picture and revealing the difficulties for the American soldiers.

[JPhillips]

I enjoyed the Ambrose book on Eisenhower and the development of the CIA, but I don't know if it is still in print.

[Barkeep49]

Originally Posted by AENeuman

Thanks all. While I do not like fiction, I am not opposed to letting my students read it for my class.

Any government rec's?

I recommend the first 109 pages of "Master of the Senate." It really helps someone understand the Senate.

[Autumn]

In honors U.S. History in high school we read part of The Power Game, as well as a book that .... I came in here to tell you about but suddenly cannot remember the name of. I am apparently a relic of American history at this point. I remember it had a great section on McCarthyism and the drama of the hearings. I will leave this here so I can put the title in if I ever remember it. It was a great read as a high schooler.

[DaddyTorgo]

I was no help in this thread yet? Really? I'm ashamed of myself.

[MacroGuru]

I read a book recently titled "Blood on the Tracks" by Cecillia Holland...I think it was a kindle only book...but this is what it is about..I was hooked and it provided some great discussion because I made my daughter read it because we are both history buffs.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Twelve years after the Civil War ended, while the U.S. was deep in a depression, the owners of the four largest railroads met in New York and agreed to cut their workers’ salaries by 10 percent. Blood on the Tracks immerses readers in the physically and emotionally charged struggle that soon followed--the Great Railroad Strike of 1877. Cecelia Holland, a prolific writer of historical novels, turns this forgotten chapter of history into an impossibly interesting study of gritty American life before big government, unions, or business regulation. Holland’s vivid descriptions bring to life the seething anger of the mobs and their battles to control the lines. She renders the chaos of the strike in individual vignettes of drunkards, angry workers, curious onlookers, sheriffs disabused of power, militiamen who put down their arms to join the resistance, and men cajoled by the railroad bosses to take up arms against the crowd. The piece ends with a witty yet stern rebuke of Ayn Rand’s novel Atlas Shrugged, which used the story of a fictional rail line to champion a belief that profit is the best motivator (and Laissez-faire the best economic climate) for humanity. --Paul Diamond

Product Description

The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 wrenched American history onto a new course. Focussing on events in Baltimore and Pittsburgh, this essay brings this dramatic and bloody confrontation to life, as ordinary people, driven to the wall by oppression, rose against their masters. This was the opening act in long years of savage struggle for the rights of labor that continue to this day.