The Handy American History Answer Book

David L. Hudson

Description

Take a walk through the biggest events, the wars, the economic, political, and social forces, the presidents, and lesser-known personalities as well as the sports, music, and entertainment that created, changed, and built the United States!

From Washington to the microchip, Columbus to modern terrorist threats, the Anasazi to the iPhone, The Handy American History Answer Book traces the development of the nation, including the impact of the Civil War, the discovery of gold in California, the inventions, the political and economic crises, and the technology transforming modern culture today. It answers nearly 900 commonly asked questions and offers fun facts about American, its history, and people, such as:

What were the first crops developed by the early Indian cultures?

What was the Lost Colony?

When did the first Africans arrive in the British colonies of North America?

What was the Stamp Act?

Did the American colonies have the death penalty?

Why did Elbridge Gerry, Edmund Randolph, and George Mason refuse to sign the Constitution?

What were the Lincoln–Douglas debates?

What Civil War nurse later founded the American Red Cross?

Who were the robber barons?

Who invented the sport of basketball?

How bad was the San Francisco earthquake of 1906?

What was the Harlem Renaissance?

Who were the “Four Horsemen”?

Was the U.S. mainland attacked during World War II?

When did the Cold War begin and why?

How was Earl Warren crucial to the Brown v. Board of Education decision?

What caused the Vietnam War?

What was Reaganomics?

What impact did the Challenger disaster have on the U.S. space program?

What record producer co-founded Def Jam?

Who became the first space tourist?

This fun, fact-filled primer is a captivating, concise, and convenient history of America and Americans. The Handy American History Answer Book also includes a helpful bibliography and an extensive index, adding to its usefulness.

Sujets

• historical
• HISTORY
• Histoire
• Reference
• Questions and answers
• General officer
• Politics of the United States
• General
• United States
• Bill of Rights

Informations

• Publié par: Visible Ink Press
• Date de parution: 20 juillet 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781578595471
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

About the Author

David L. Hudson Jr., J.D. is the author, co-author, or co-editor of more than 40 books, including several in the Handy series: The Handy Supreme Court Answer Book, The Handy Law Answer Book, The Handy Presidents Answer Book (2nd edition), and The Handy History Answer Book (3rd edition). He serves as the Director of Academic Affairs for the Nashville School of Law. He also teaches classes at the Nashville School of Law, Vanderbilt Law School, and Belmont University Law School. He earned his undergraduate degree from Duke University and his law degree from Vanderbilt. Hudson lives in Nashville with his wife, Carla, who assists him with her excellent research skills.
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Please visit the Handy series website at www.handyanswers.com .

Contents
A CKNOWLEDGMENTS
I NTRODUCTION
T IMELINE
EARLY AMERICANS AND PRE-REVOLUTIONARY HISTORY
Early Americans
The First Europeans to Reach America
Spanish Conquerors and Explorers
Colonial America
The Pilgrims and the Puritans
Dutch and Swedish Colonists
Other English Colonists
Movements and Rebellions
Wars and Conflicts
Famous American Indian Leaders
Early Educational Institutions
THE REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD
Growing Discontent
Early Sparks of Rebellion
George Washington and the First Years of the Revolutionary War
The War Concludes
CREATING THE CONSTITUTION
The Articles of Confederation
The U.S. Constitution
Ratifying the Constitution
The Bill of Rights
The Early Presidency
Early Unrest in the Country
The Supreme Court
Congress
PRE-CIVIL WAR AMERICA
Presidential Elections and Presidents
War of 1812
The Mexican-American War
Texas
THE U.S. CIVIL WAR ERA
The Slavery Issue
Other Issues Preceding the Civil War
The Civil War Breaks Out
All-Out War
The War Turns Sour for the South
End of the Civil War
Major Figures in the Civil War
Reconstruction
LATE NINETEENTH CENTURY AND THE PROGRESSIVE ERA
The Grant Administration
Expansion into the West
The Wild West
Trains and Communications
The Progressive Era
Race Relations
Two Presidents Murdered
Teddy Roosevelt
President William Howard Taft
Growing Power of Journalism
Innovations in the Progressive Era
FROM WORLD WAR I TO THE ROARING TWENTIES
World War I
After the Great War
The Prohibition Era
Women s Suffrage
Roaring Twenties
THE GREAT DEPRESSION, WORLD WAR II, AND ITS AFTERMATH
The Great Depression
World War II
Postwar Period
The Korean War
SOCIAL CONFLICT AND CHANGE: 1950s TO 1970s
The Beat Generation, Hippies, and Flower Power
Other Struggles in Human Rights
The Civil Rights Movement
POLITICAL CONFLICT AND CHANGE: 1950s TO 1970s
The Red Scare
The Space Race
JFK
LBJ
The Vietnam War
Nixon
Presidents Ford and Carter
Technology
TRANSITION TO A NEW CENTURY: 1980s TO THE PRESENT
The Reagan Era
The First Persian Gulf War
President Clinton: A Brief Return to Prosperity
Controversies, Disaster, and Terror
President George W. Bush and the Beginning of the War on Terror
Barack Obama and His Presidency
Technology and the Rise of Social Media
SPORTS HISTORY
Auto Racing
Baseball
Basketball
Professional Basketball
Football
Boxing
Mixed Martial Arts
Golf
Hockey
Olympics
Horse Racing
Swimming
Tennis
Track and Field
Soccer
MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT
Music
Movies
Radio and Television
Literature
B IBLIOGRAPHY
T HE A MERICAN S TATES
P RESIDENTS
U.S. C ONSTITUTION
I NDEX
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank Roger J necke of Visible Ink Press for his vision in creating the Handy series and allowing me to participate as an author; Kevin Hile of Visible Ink Press for his expert editing; and my wife, Carla Harris Hudson, for her superb research skills. I also wish to thank all of my students through the years at Southeastern Paralegal Institute, Middle Tennessee State University, the Nashville School of Law, and Vanderbilt Law School for supporting me as an educator.
Photo Credits
David Bjorgen: p. 66 .
Dr. Dennis Bogdan: p. 203 .
Ron Cogswell: p. 111 .
HJPD: p. 2 .
Leena Krohn: p. 237 .
Library of Congress: p. 123 , 160 , 162 , 211 , 214 , 215 , 217 , 285 , 338 .
Stuart Milk: p. 206 .
National Aeronautics and Space Administration: p. 228 , 230 , 231 .
Fred Palumbo: p. 295 (R). Ivo Shandor: p. 96 .
Shutterstock: p. 14 , 32 , 92 , 197 , 257 , 260 , 262 , 269 , 272 , 275 , 276 , 279 , 281 , 290 , 298 , 300 , 302 , 304 , 309 , 312 , 313 , 315 (L and R), 317 , 327 , 329 , 330 , 332 , 340 , 343 , 345 , 348 , 350 , 352 , 358 , 360 , 361 , 364 .
Gloria Steinem: p. 207 .
Toastydave: p. 192 .
Wystan from Ann Arbor: p. 169 .
Public domain: pp. 5 , 7 , 11 , 16 , 19 , 21 , 23 , 25 , 30 , 34 , 37 , 39 , 42 , 44 , 46 , 48 , 51 , 53 , 57 , 60 , 64 , 68 , 69 , 71 , 74 , 76 , 78 , 79 , 81 , 83 , 86 , 88 , 97 , 99 , 101 , 102 , 103 , 106 , 108 , 114 , 116 , 119 , 125 , 128 , 130 - 131 , 135 , 137 , 139 , 141 , 143 , 147 , 149 (L and R), 151 (L and R), 152 , 154 , 156 , 158 (L and R), 164 , 170 , 171 , 173 , 175 , 180 , 183 , 185 , 188 , 190 , 194 , 202 , 209 , 224 , 226 , 234 , 240 , 242 , 244 , 249 , 251 , 253 , 264 , 266 , 283 , 284 , 288 , 291 , 293 , 295 (L), 306 , 320 , 322 , 326 , 344 , 357 .
Introduction
History always interested me more than all other subjects in school. I couldn t find enough information about different historical figures, battles, movements, and eras. While I later took courses on ancient Greek and Roman history, Russian history, and modern European history, my favorite was American history.
That is one reason why I remain grateful to Roger J necke of Visible Ink Press because he gave me the opportunity to write a book on American history. When he asked if I would like to write this book for the Handy Answers series, I couldn t help but say yes.
The Handy Answers series provides information on important subjects in an accessible, easy-to-read format. Previously, I have worked on several works in the series- The Handy Supreme Court Answer Book, The Handy Law Answer Book, The Handy Presidents Answer Book (2nd edition), and The Handy History Answer Book, (3rd edition). The Handy American History Answer Book is a natural extension of the series.
Hopefully, the Handy American History Answer Book will supplement high school or community college courses on American history. Students in the United States need more education on history and civics. The book also can provide a starting point for those who simply want to refresh their memory or learn more about the subject.
The difficulty with such a work is determining what material most merits inclusion. But that is a great problem to have because it leads to more reading, more research and more writing. It hel