250 Years of the United States of AmericaLike this list

31 items

• The Soul of America

  the Battle for Our Better Angels

  Meacham, Jon,

  Add The Soul of America to your for later shelf

  Our current climate of partisan fury is not new, and in The Soul of America Meacham shows us how what Abraham Lincoln called the "better angels of our nature" have repeatedly won the day. Painting surprising portraits of Lincoln and other…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Greatest Sentence Ever Written

  Isaacson, Walter,

  Add The Greatest Sentence Ever Written to your for later shelf

  The Greatest Sentence Ever Written examines the powerful words at the heart of the Declaration of Independence and explores why they continue to shape American identity. Walter Isaacson looks closely at the sentence’s meaning, origins, and lasting…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Warmth of Other Suns

  the Epic Story of America's Great Migration

  Wilkerson, Isabel,

  Add The Warmth of Other Suns to your for later shelf

  In this beautifully written masterwork, Pulitzer Prize–winning author Isabel Wilkerson presents a definitive and dramatic account of one of the great untold stories of American history: the Great Migration of six million Black citizens who fled the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Hamilton

  Add Hamilton to your for later shelf

  Hamilton brings the story of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton to life through a bold mix of hip-hop, jazz, R&B, and Broadway-style music. Filmed with the original Broadway cast, the production follows Hamilton’s rise from an ambitious immigrant to…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Born Fighting

  How the Scots-Irish Shaped America

  Webb, James, 1946 February 9-

  Add Born Fighting to your for later shelf

  More than 27 million Americans today can trace their lineage to the Scots, whose bloodline was stained by centuries of continuous warfare along the border between England and Scotland, and later in the bitter settlements of England’s Ulster…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Rediscovery of America

  Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History

  Blackhawk, Ned,

  Add The Rediscovery of America to your for later shelf

  The most enduring feature of U.S. history is the presence of Native Americans, yet most histories focus on Europeans and their descendants. This long practice of ignoring Indigenous history is changing, however, with a new generation of scholars…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• South to America

  a Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation

  Perry, Imani, 1972-

  Add South to America to your for later shelf

  We all think we know the South. Even those who have never lived there can rattle off a list of signifiers: the Civil War, Gone with the Wind, the Ku Klux Klan, plantations, football, Jim Crow, slavery. But the idiosyncrasies, dispositions, and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• 1776

  McCullough, David G.,

  Add 1776 to your for later shelf

  In this masterful book, David McCullough tells the intensely human story of those who marched with General George Washington in the year of the Declaration of Independence - when the whole American cause was riding on their success, without which…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Country Music

  Volume Two

  Add Country Music to your for later shelf

  Country Music explores the rich history of one of America’s most beloved musical traditions, tracing its roots from folk songs, hymns, and blues to the stars who helped shape its sound. Directed by Ken Burns, this sweeping documentary features…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The National Parks

  America's Best Idea

  Add The National Parks to your for later shelf

  The National Parks: America’s Best Idea explores the history, beauty, and lasting importance of America’s national parks. Directed by Ken Burns, this documentary series shares the stories of the people who fought to protect these remarkable places…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• America, U.S.A.

  How Race Shadows the Nation's Anniversaries

  Glaude, Eddie S., Jr., 1968-

  Add America, U.S.A. to your for later shelf

  America, U.S.A., deliberately formulated and beautifully written, details a heart-wrenching exploration of America’s legacy. It is a magnificently complex combination of voices and lessons that, together, paint a sprawling and honest tableau of the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Freethinkers

  A History of American Secularism

  Jacoby, Susan

  Add Freethinkers to your for later shelf

  At a time when the separation of church and state is under attack as never before, Freethinkers offers a powerful defense of the secularist heritage that gave Americans the first government in the world founded not on the authority of religion but…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• 1864

  Lincoln at the Gates of History

  Flood, Charles Bracelen

  Add 1864 to your for later shelf

  In a masterful narrative, historian and biographer Charles Bracelen Flood brings to life the drama of Lincoln's final year, in which he oversaw the last campaigns of the Civil War, was reelected as president, and laid out his majestic vision for the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Bourbon

  the Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of An American Whiskey

  Minnick, Fred, 1978-

  Add Bourbon to your for later shelf

  Bourbon: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of an American Whiskey explores the fascinating history of bourbon and its place in American culture. Fred Minnick traces the spirit’s journey from its early roots through Prohibition, decline, and modern…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Baptism by Fire

  Eight Presidents Who Took Office in Times of Crisis

  Updegrove, Mark K.

  Add Baptism by Fire to your for later shelf

  Americans have long been defined by how they face adversity. This is perhaps nowhere more evident than in how the nation’s chief executive has tackled myriad issues upon entering the White House. The ways that U.S. presidents handle the vast…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Capitol Men

  the Epic Story of Reconstruction Through the Lives of the First Black Congressmen

  Dray, Philip

  Add Capitol Men to your for later shelf

  Reconstruction was a time of idealism and sweeping change, as the victorious Union created citizenship rights for the freed slaves and granted the vote to black men. Sixteen black Southerners, elected to the U.S. Congress, arrived in Washington to…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Dancing in the Dark

  a Cultural History of the Great Depression

  Dickstein, Morris

  Add Dancing in the Dark to your for later shelf

  Only yesterday the Great Depression seemed like a bad memory, receding into the hazy distance with little relevance to our own flush times. Economists assured us that the calamities that befell our grandparents could not happen again, yet the recent…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Lincoln

  Add Lincoln to your for later shelf

  Lincoln follows President Abraham Lincoln during the final months of the Civil War as he works to pass the 13th Amendment and bring an end to slavery in the United States. Daniel Day-Lewis delivers a remarkable performance, capturing Lincoln’s…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• White Devil

  a True Story of War, Savagery, and Vengeance in Colonial America

  Brumwell, Stephen, 1960-

  Add White Devil to your for later shelf

  In North America's first major conflict, known today as the French and Indian War, France and England--both in alliance with Native American tribes--fought each other in a series of bloody battles and terrifying raids. No confrontation was more…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Saving Private Ryan

  Add Saving Private Ryan to your for later shelf

  Saving Private Ryan follows a group of American soldiers during World War II as they search for a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in combat. Directed by Steven Spielberg, the film is known for its intense realism, emotional storytelling,…Read moreRead more of this annotation