The Bedford series in history and culture

Incorporating famous documents and crucial letters, Abraham Lincoln, Slavery, and the Civil War walks you through the development where Lincoln stood on all the critical issues of the day, including free labor, antebellum politics and the Republican party, slavery, secession, the Civil War, and emancipation.

Ideal for introducing students to the conception and development of the Bill of Rights, this concise volume examines the Federalists' and Anti-Federalists' struggle over amending the Constitution while highlighting the relevance their debates have for modern-day issues. Rakove's lively narrative begins with a study of American roots in English common law, examines the heated discourse and thoughtful deliberation of the founders, and culminates with a close look at the evolution of rights distinctly American. Interspersed throughout are 25 primary documents - including letters, declarations, newspaper editorials, and debates - that embody and contextualize the issues. Also included are extensive gloss notes, a chronology, questions for consideration, a bibliography, and an index.

"William Lloyd Garrison and the Fight against Slavery: Selections from The Liberator provides a substantial and wide-ranging selection of writings from The Liberator, the antislavery newspaper founded in 1831 by the preeminent abolitionist of his day, William Lloyd Garrison. The 41 selections offer the opportunity to read and analyze, firsthand, a broad spectrum of Garrison's writings on issues related to slavery. An extensive introductory essay provides historical background on slavery and abolitionism in America as well as a compelling narrative of the events in Garrison's career. Also included are questions to consider when reading Garrison's writings; illustrations, including photographs of Garrison and other famous abolitionists; a chronology of Garrison's life; and a bibliography and index."--BOOK JACKET.

This brief volume introduces readers to the prominent reformer and journalist Ida B. Wells and her late-nineteenth-century crusade to abolish lynching. Built around three crucial documents - Well's pamphlet Southern Horrors (1892), her essay A Red Record (1895), and her case study Mob Rule in New Orleans (1900) - the volume shows how Wells defined lynching for an international audience as an issue deserving public concern and action. The editor's introduction places lynching in its historical context and provides important background information on Well's life and career. Also included are illustrations, a chronology, questions for consideration, a bibliography, and an index.

"The only book on Dred Scott built around primary documents, this brief text examines the 1857 Supreme Court case - one of the most controversial and notorious judicial decisions in U.S. history - in which a slave unsuccessfully sued for his freedom. In addition to excerpts from each justice's opinion, contemporary editorials and newspaper articles, and pertinent excerpts from the Lincoln-Douglas debates, the book includes a comprehensive introduction that provides background information on the slavery controversy in antebellum America. Helpful editorial features include headnotes, maps, illustrations, a chronology, questions for consideration, a selected bibliography, and an index."--Jacket.

At the turn of the 17th century, English writer and explorer Sir Walter Scott read an account of a great golden city in South America. He set out to explore the area, now Venezuela, and on his return he published The Discovery of Guiana. He is considered to have greatly exaggerated his findings, and his work contributed to the El Dorado legend.

This unique anthology chronicles the Plains Indians' struggle to maintain their traditional way of life in the changing world of the nineteenth century. Its rich variety of 34 primary sources - including narratives, myths, speeches, and transcribed oral histories - gives students the rare opportunity to view the transformation of the West from Native American perspective. Calloway's comprehensive introduction offers crucial information on western expansion, territorial struggles among Indian tribes, the slaughter of the buffalo, and forced assimilation through the reservation system. More than 30 pieces of Plains Indian art are included, along with maps, headnotes, questions for consideration, a bibliography, a chronology, and an index.

Reading level: M [purple].