America a Narrative History Brief 9th Edition Chapter Summaries

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 · 371 ratings  · 31 reviews

Start your review of America: A Narrative History

First off, let me clear something up: I AM A HISTORY BUFF. I ADORE HISTORY. I have been known to read history textbooks FOR FUN. So when I say I hated this... it's not just cuz it's a) history or b) a textbook.

It's because it was a HORRIBLY written, unclear, confusing, History Textbook, riddled with historical mistakes and oversights. This is basic history. My time period. It goes up to Lincoln's assassination. I have been studying the 1700's-1900's my entire life. That's my favorite time perio

First off, let me clear something up: I AM A HISTORY BUFF. I ADORE HISTORY. I have been known to read history textbooks FOR FUN. So when I say I hated this... it's not just cuz it's a) history or b) a textbook.

It's because it was a HORRIBLY written, unclear, confusing, History Textbook, riddled with historical mistakes and oversights. This is basic history. My time period. It goes up to Lincoln's assassination. I have been studying the 1700's-1900's my entire life. That's my favorite time period. I already know basically everything in this textbook.

Tindall and Shi managed to confuse me, on topics I already knew everything about. In their miserable attempt to create an "interesting" textbook, all they succeeded in doing was make up or exaggerate stuff about certain religious groups or historical figures that is completely false, and confuse people. When they're describing the battles of the Civil War, it's NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE to decipher a) who LED the battles and b) who WON the battles. Kinda important facts, don't ya think?

They were constantly jumping way out of historical chronology, and half the time it was obvious that the authors of this textbook had not personally read any primary sources, or done any real research on the topics they are covering, but rather, they just copied what other people had SAID about those primary resourced. Ever heard of the game telephone? Yeah, this textbook kinda ends up like that. It's hard to sort out the real facts through all the flowering language, and constant time jumps.

Also, the authors seem to hate all Americans. Every single person they talk about, they hate. They're derogatory, and tell you how all these people are horrible, horrible, humans, and show a completely one-sided point of view, without ever giving thought that their might have been MOTIVE for their actions (if the actions actually happened, which you can never really be sure of with this book.)

Please, please, please, I have read countless AMAZING U.S. History textbooks. PLEASE, if at all possible, read a different book. This book will make you hate humans, and history.

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While not exciting, a good, solid and very readable history of America through reconstruction.

Mar 12, 2020 Joah Pearson rated it did not like it

This absolutely delightful book is sadly misnamed. Instead of "America: A Narrative History," it should be called, "America: A Politically-Correct Narrative History." Also fitting would be the subtitle: "The Extreme Liberal American's Dream Come True: A History That Spits on Our Cultural Heritage!" Finally, there should be a caption that reads: "The contents herein include details that may or may not be historically accurate and/or quoted in context, but will always conform to our cultural momen This absolutely delightful book is sadly misnamed. Instead of "America: A Narrative History," it should be called, "America: A Politically-Correct Narrative History." Also fitting would be the subtitle: "The Extreme Liberal American's Dream Come True: A History That Spits on Our Cultural Heritage!" Finally, there should be a caption that reads: "The contents herein include details that may or may not be historically accurate and/or quoted in context, but will always conform to our cultural moment of insanity by subversively challenging biblical orthodoxy and consistently condemning those of the categories of white, Christian, and male."

Wonderful.

Just wonderful.

Note: The edition I read was the Brief 11th.

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I use this as my AP US History textbook. It is highly readable and does a fairly good job overall of laying a foundation for primary source engagement, more detailed supplementary material and further in-depth instruction. It is the only textbook I've read cover to cover and not felt it to be consistently more of a chore than a pleasure. The timelines at the beginning of chapters are great overview tools but as a teaching text there aren't any "review sets" and terms to just simply assign. Solid I use this as my AP US History textbook. It is highly readable and does a fairly good job overall of laying a foundation for primary source engagement, more detailed supplementary material and further in-depth instruction. It is the only textbook I've read cover to cover and not felt it to be consistently more of a chore than a pleasure. The timelines at the beginning of chapters are great overview tools but as a teaching text there aren't any "review sets" and terms to just simply assign. Solid laying-the-groundwork text. ...more

Jun 17, 2017 Elaine rated it did not like it

Worst textbook I've ever read. Tindall rambles on about esoteric, unnecessary details while misrepresenting important concepts AND in the driest, dullest writing I've ever come across. This book manages to twist and tailor history to fit its biased perspective - if I had no common sense, I would probably now believe in the whitewashed history of the U.S. that this textbook feeds its readers. Made me hate America a bit (read: a lot) and also myself for finishing this book. Wikipedia is more infor Worst textbook I've ever read. Tindall rambles on about esoteric, unnecessary details while misrepresenting important concepts AND in the driest, dullest writing I've ever come across. This book manages to twist and tailor history to fit its biased perspective - if I had no common sense, I would probably now believe in the whitewashed history of the U.S. that this textbook feeds its readers. Made me hate America a bit (read: a lot) and also myself for finishing this book. Wikipedia is more informative and concise. This is the book I read when I need help falling asleep at night. ...more

There have since been subsequent editions - read only the second edition which takes the reader up to the end of the Reagan presidency. This is one of the largest books you may read, and it's worth it. Brilliantly written, it covers every aspect of America from the early civilisations, the conquests, the settlements, independence, civil war and USA's growing role as a major player on the global scene.

In sizable chunks, it covers political, social, moral and international impacts. It's a fascinat

There have since been subsequent editions - read only the second edition which takes the reader up to the end of the Reagan presidency. This is one of the largest books you may read, and it's worth it. Brilliantly written, it covers every aspect of America from the early civilisations, the conquests, the settlements, independence, civil war and USA's growing role as a major player on the global scene.

In sizable chunks, it covers political, social, moral and international impacts. It's a fascinating read, probably made better because it covers so much material that it doesn't dwell on one subject for too long, but keeps the reader moving. Its also even-handed and doesn't hold back on an honest view of the politicians and decisions made throughout American history.

It's coverage of race, from the ideals of the civil war through to the race riots of the nineteen sixties is especially enlightening. And the role of the USA in the two world wars also provides a clear picture of how America became the most powerful nation on the planet, and why it spent the latter half of the twentieth century fighting communism.

George Tindall was an American historian who passed away in 2006 at the age of eighty-five. He also wrote a number of books specialising in the south of the USA. He writes lucidly, and despite the size of this volume, it's a relatively easy read. If it's too much in one go, the detailed index provides the opportunity to home in on any particular subject in some depth.

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So I used this textbook (or a previous edition of it) for AP US History in high school, and I keep it around as a reference point for things I learned (incorrectly) in high school--basically to get a sense, as a scholar and future professor (hopefully,) of what students are learning and what the dominant narratives being spread are. I was told in high school that the textbook was chosen because it was the cheapest option with color photographs, though that was in 2010, so lord only knows what th So I used this textbook (or a previous edition of it) for AP US History in high school, and I keep it around as a reference point for things I learned (incorrectly) in high school--basically to get a sense, as a scholar and future professor (hopefully,) of what students are learning and what the dominant narratives being spread are. I was told in high school that the textbook was chosen because it was the cheapest option with color photographs, though that was in 2010, so lord only knows what the market looks like now. I will say that even at the time, the text was riddled with typos, with some pages making almost no sense at all because sentences repeated themselves or words were missing. There were also images that were misidentified--a picture of the Constitution was labeled as the Declaration of Independence (or vice versa). Adam Jortner has also written about this textbook in his essay in Why You Can't Teach US History Without American Indians and the way maps are used to eliminate indigenous presence (an essay I strongly recommend in a book I strongly recommend!) so that is also something to consider. It did prepare me to be able to spit back the dominant narrative on a standardized test, so I guess it did its job, but I'm sure there are at last marginally better books out there. ...more

Super informative and super readable, this is all that you can reasonably expect out of an introductory-level text. Explains the stuff that you only sort of remember from high school, and the stuff you feel embarrassed asking about because adults already know this by now. (What's the deal with this guy Benedict Arnold? GOP really stands for Grand Old Party, that's not a joke? So, when you say Iran-Contra, you mean, uh?) Also surprisingly strong and refreshing writing for a textbook.

One more not

Super informative and super readable, this is all that you can reasonably expect out of an introductory-level text. Explains the stuff that you only sort of remember from high school, and the stuff you feel embarrassed asking about because adults already know this by now. (What's the deal with this guy Benedict Arnold? GOP really stands for Grand Old Party, that's not a joke? So, when you say Iran-Contra, you mean, uh?) Also surprisingly strong and refreshing writing for a textbook.

One more note on the genre of history: When people say that something is on the Right or Wrong Side of History, I've always felt that to be a graspingly weak judgement. But I did have a good deal of grim satisfaction, reading through this, thinking what a similarly competent and middle-of-the-road historian will say about our current times in, say, 2070. Eyebrows will raise. (Wait, Nixon's reelection campaign people actually called themselves CREEP?)

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This book covers American history from the aftermath of the Civil War until the 2000 presidential elections, which is about as close to 'the present time' as a history book can reach. (Volume 2 does not start with page 1, but picks up where Vol. 1 left off.)

I did not go forth and choose to read this book, as I did with other history overviews and biographies. Instead, I found it on the desk in the tutoring room, where someone else must have used it and abandoned it. I had no intention of reading

This book covers American history from the aftermath of the Civil War until the 2000 presidential elections, which is about as close to 'the present time' as a history book can reach. (Volume 2 does not start with page 1, but picks up where Vol. 1 left off.)

I did not go forth and choose to read this book, as I did with other history overviews and biographies. Instead, I found it on the desk in the tutoring room, where someone else must have used it and abandoned it. I had no intention of reading it cover to cover. However, it's a history book! I love history books! How could I ignore it? As a compromise, I decided to look at the pictures. Then I noticed something odd, but maybe I was imagining it. I decided to type a list of the pictures.

A picture is worth a thousand words, and 75 pictures times a thousand words is practically its own book. I can't be the only one who flipped through this college text book and assumed the pictures would give me an overview. Therefore, I wondered if the pictorial overview gives a clear or distorted image of what America looks like.

I was right. According to this Norton History book, women in America seldom appear in public without a man. And they never, ever, go out in public with another woman but no man. Hundreds of pictures – but only six women alone, and exactly one of more than one woman without a man – and that's a Tupperware party.

Did the Taliban edit this book? Or perhaps some well-meaning Christian organization? Sometimes, it's hard to tell.

Dear Norton,

The pictures in this sixth edition of "America A Narrative History" disappointed me. In future editions, please be aware that, while men often go out in public together, so do women. Please reflect that in the pictures you choose to display in your book.

Thank you,

Sylvia McIvers.

NOTE 1: the letter C indicates that the picture is not a painting/photo but a newspaper cartoon. Many have people representing ideas and ideals, not living people. Women are almost never a caricature of a living person, but ONLY an ideal. (Sadly, LJ refuses to print the table.)

NOTE 2: Photographed/painted people tend to be white unless otherwise noted.

NOTE 3: There are more pictures including horses than there are pictures including Native Americans. Clearly, horses played a larger role in American History. The Picture Does Not Lie.

NOTE 4: There are an equal number of pictures of individual women as there are pictures including horses. Clearly, horses played an equal role in American History … The Picture Does Not Lie.

More notes:
* Page 621 has text about Ida B. Wells, but no photo. The text also tells of her family, while apparently, Washington and Dubois had no parents, didn't marry, and had no children. Or perhaps they simply weren't relevant, and Well's family defined her, just as women in many of these pictures are defined by family.

* Page 667 shows Eugene V. Debs, founder of the American Railway Union. He has a page of text. There is no corresponding picture of Mother Jones, dedicated union advocate, who also has a page of text – including her family! – but no corresponding picture, because everyone knows there were no women early in the labor movement.

* Page 709 almost, almost has a picture of America's First Lady as an individual person, alone. Instead, she is reading to a child. Now I want a picture of Pres. Bush reading to kindergarteners when a plane flew into the World Trade Center, but that takes place after 2000… it's too modern

* Page 788 shows a fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. Some people in the crown might be female, since most of the workers there were women. This would be a nice place for a group shot of women escaping the fire, or shivering after their escape. Surely such pictures exist?

Page 850 although the KKK marchers wear hoods, I feel safe labeling this picture as all male, since women didn't have enough rank to join the march.

* Page 855: The well-dressed jazz singer (male) wears a jacket and tie, while the well-dressed jazz singer wears a dress that reveals the tops of her breasts and most of her thighs. Men dance athletically, and women basically lean over in case the audience didn't see enough while she was standing upright. Male singers are dark skinned, female singers are so much lighter that I can't tell if they're supposed to be white. (black & white print, don't know if the original was in color. Did they have color photography during the jazz age?)

* Page 857: A young woman and an older man are enthusiastically dancing the Charleston on the cover of Life magazine. The text on the same page talks about Margaret Sanger, who distributed birth control and went to jail for it. Clearly, according to the pictorial overview in Norton's history book, the beginning of the birth control movement is much less relevant to life in 2000 (publishing date) than the Charleston.

* Page 860: The women marching wear skirts past their ankles, though not touching the floor – a sharp contrast to the flapper two pages ago, who's dress is so short it shows the garters holding up her stockings.

* Page 1055: A Tupperware party! The one and only place where it is acceptable for women to gather without a man is... a Tupperware party. How modern of Norton to publish this photo of women!

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This is the fourth edition. A seeming thorough, fair, and objective look at the history of America from the migration from Asia to 1995. They have an 11th edition in 2 vols. with a publication date of 2019 at Amazon, which I am thinking of buying. This is an excellent history, well worth the expense.

Gloss. There are much better historians that aren't afraid to dig deep and pull the covers off of American Exceptionalism. This is what you would expect to find in a school house history classroom. But really don't you want to know what really happened? So try a few more honest writers like David McCullough or Howard Zinn for a much more honest read. Gloss. There are much better historians that aren't afraid to dig deep and pull the covers off of American Exceptionalism. This is what you would expect to find in a school house history classroom. But really don't you want to know what really happened? So try a few more honest writers like David McCullough or Howard Zinn for a much more honest read. ...more

This is the eighth edition of America: A Narrative History.

Do you know what I really don't like about history books? They are so long yet they still count as one book. And this one is required reading for my AP US History class. Let me say this first: Oh, my gosh. It is so boring in the beginning. I just can't even open my eyes to let those words in. I just can't, but I do promise you that it does get better... and worse.

Where should I even start? Quotes, Quotes.

Quotes are great, but they don

This is the eighth edition of America: A Narrative History.

Do you know what I really don't like about history books? They are so long yet they still count as one book. And this one is required reading for my AP US History class. Let me say this first: Oh, my gosh. It is so boring in the beginning. I just can't even open my eyes to let those words in. I just can't, but I do promise you that it does get better... and worse.

Where should I even start? Quotes, Quotes.

Quotes are great, but they don't mention where they come from in some passages. I'm disappointed in that (because occasionally, I do like to make quotes that exist but are from people few have heard of; it makes me sound smarter than I really am).

Boring parts. And fun parts. They are mixed into together, but I suppose I can't really tell which parts are boring or interesting. Every reader is different in their own way, but I find the political sections the most fascinating. It's intriguing that some politicians do things a certain but also influential way in hopes of gaining more power. The greed of humanity is great.

Historical figures. There are many. George Washington. The rest of the Founding Fathers. Abigail Adams. Harriet Tubman. Hillary Clinton, even. The book doesn't refrain from badmouthing almost Every. Single. Historical. Figure. And. Famous. Person. In this book. I swear. The book underlines the negative character traits of George Washington (badmouthing is light), Thomas Jefferson (probably deserving of badmouthing), Andrew Jackson (most definitely deservingly in this case), and more.

But the book does fill in the "missing" aspects that aren't found in previous history books. (I mean, a younger student's history book.) The book doesn't shy away from putting in curse words and such. It also doesn't sugarcoat the existence of sexual assault. The book is much more realistic and negative.

So what do I think of it?

Well, I'm no expert on history books. But I know this one is going to be the bane of my existence for the rest of this school year. I already hate it.

Rating: Two out of Five

-ofpaperandwords.blogspot.com

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As someone who likes history but hates studying it, this textbook was a gem. It is very brief and to the point, but it's the little things that really make this textbook shine.

The first great bit that I loved was the free website that they offer with the book. Most other companies charge for this, so this was like having a little extra help for free. The next part that I liked was that there were plenty of little questions peppered throughout the book (usually under one of the many pictures) th

As someone who likes history but hates studying it, this textbook was a gem. It is very brief and to the point, but it's the little things that really make this textbook shine.

The first great bit that I loved was the free website that they offer with the book. Most other companies charge for this, so this was like having a little extra help for free. The next part that I liked was that there were plenty of little questions peppered throughout the book (usually under one of the many pictures) that students can use to test their comprehension of the material. Suffice to say, if you didn't know the answers to the questions that meant that you should go back & re-read the chapter.

Now for the "but" part of my review. There are two flaws to this book, although neither are really terrible enough to warrant knocking the rating down. The first flaw is that the textbook does sadly suffer from "textbook-itis". Textbook-itis is when a publisher/writer has to boil a subject down to the bare minimum in order to squeeze all of the major details into a textbook. It's the best way to ensure that everything is taught, but unfortunately it does make for a dull read for the average student.

The other "flaw" is that the book isn't entirely non-partial. It's rather subtly done & most students would never realize it unless they read the chapters over & over again. It doesn't interfere with the reading & to be honest, the viewpoints are so common that they aren't controversial at all. I honestly don't mind reading an author's viewpoint & in the case of this book I do agree with their opinions, but textbooks are supposed to be non-partial.

Still, this is a great textbook when all things are considered. I do recommend that if you aren't great when studying in a classroom situation that you take the time to find a few accompaniments to help you with the text. I personally liked to use the sparknotes guidelines with this book.

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Nope, nope, nope. I probably should give it another chance, now that I'm years past my APUSH class. But I doubt I will. It definitely didn't help my understanding of anything that was "taught" in the class. The narrative is broad--it tries to focus, but doesn't really succeed--and is biased as HELL.

If you want to learn American history with the idea that "white men have done absolutely NOTHING wrong in the history of our country, no, srsly, absolutely nothing," then this is great. But I don't th

Nope, nope, nope. I probably should give it another chance, now that I'm years past my APUSH class. But I doubt I will. It definitely didn't help my understanding of anything that was "taught" in the class. The narrative is broad--it tries to focus, but doesn't really succeed--and is biased as HELL.

If you want to learn American history with the idea that "white men have done absolutely NOTHING wrong in the history of our country, no, srsly, absolutely nothing," then this is great. But I don't think anyone wants that extreme of a bias, especially in a class.

Oh wait, that's all high school history classes are.

Sorry HS'ers, just power through it, it will get vaguely better in college.

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May 19, 2012 Rich rated it it was amazing

A thorough and comprehensive overview of American History from Pre-Colonial through the last presidential election. The free online tests and gradebook were also helpful in using this as a homeschool text. Unlike many texts, it didn't ignore our spiritual heritage and wasn't as liberal in its bias as most. In fact, the authors seemed to be equally cynical about the left and the right! A thorough and comprehensive overview of American History from Pre-Colonial through the last presidential election. The free online tests and gradebook were also helpful in using this as a homeschool text. Unlike many texts, it didn't ignore our spiritual heritage and wasn't as liberal in its bias as most. In fact, the authors seemed to be equally cynical about the left and the right! ...more

My husband had to read this book for his history classes. I read it for my own edification. It just seemed biased and abbreivated from other history books I've read. It was interesting to read a history book for no educational purpose. It was a good introduction to dig deeper into other topics for other points of view. My husband had to read this book for his history classes. I read it for my own edification. It just seemed biased and abbreivated from other history books I've read. It was interesting to read a history book for no educational purpose. It was a good introduction to dig deeper into other topics for other points of view. ...more

May 15, 2015 Bill Polson rated it really liked it

I started reading this book along with 3 others when I was selecting a textbook for my AP classes and as I disliked one it was dropped from the rotation. I'd read one chapter from one book and the next from another. When I finished the process I ended with this one, a great text for US History. I started reading this book along with 3 others when I was selecting a textbook for my AP classes and as I disliked one it was dropped from the rotation. I'd read one chapter from one book and the next from another. When I finished the process I ended with this one, a great text for US History. ...more

This book is an amazing source for learning about our counrty's history. Although it is indeed dificult to memorize all i need to know from this book for my AP exams, it is a thrill to read this informational work of literature This book is an amazing source for learning about our counrty's history. Although it is indeed dificult to memorize all i need to know from this book for my AP exams, it is a thrill to read this informational work of literature ...more

This is volume two of a revisionist history of America. He attempts political correctness over actual facts. While forced to use this as a text for a college history class I found many glaring errors and twisting of facts. However, some of the history portrayed is factual.

May 17, 2012 Heather rated it liked it

It's a textbook so it's definitely not something you pick up for fun. However, I liked the format and it wasn't completely dull. It gives a good overview of American history so if you are looking for something like that, then this is the book for you. It's a textbook so it's definitely not something you pick up for fun. However, I liked the format and it wasn't completely dull. It gives a good overview of American history so if you are looking for something like that, then this is the book for you. ...more

Volume 1. Thorough telling of American history through reconstruction.

Aug 28, 2012 Anette is currently reading it

Among textbooks, its a gem. But fun reading it is not.

It was OK for a textbook and easy to read, but he skimmed over a lot, and he had an awkward way of integrating unrelated or unimportant quotes into the text.

American history,narrative,UNH,

Still has many of the tired historical 'myths' such as the Confederates looking for shoes at Gettybsburg. Still has many of the tired historical 'myths' such as the Confederates looking for shoes at Gettybsburg. ...more

A different take on American history; truly a narrative history of America. I'm enjoying this book! Too bad I only own volume 1 :) A different take on American history; truly a narrative history of America. I'm enjoying this book! Too bad I only own volume 1 :) ...more

This book on the history of the United States is an indepth look at the very start to just after the civil war. Enjoyed the authors ability to bring you into the history.

George Brown Tindall was a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 1958 until his retirement in 1990. He earned a bachelor's degree in English from Furman University in 1942 and, after service in the Army Air Force in World War II, earned a master's degree and a Ph.D. in history from the University of North Carolina.

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America a Narrative History Brief 9th Edition Chapter Summaries

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