History & Historical Writing

American Decades is a cross-disciplinary source for students, teachers, librarians and general researchers who need a single, consistent reference to document and analyze periods of contemporary American social history.

vol. 1. Early American civilizations and exploration to 1600 - edited by Gretchen D. Starr-LeBeau -- vol. 2. The colonial era, 1600-1754 - edited by Jessica Kross -- vol. 3. The revolutionary era, 1754-1783 - edited by Robert J. Allison -- vol. 4. Development of a nation, 1783-1815 - edited by Robert J. Allison -- vol. 5. The reform era and eastern U.S. development, 1815-1850 - edited by Gerald J. Prokopowicz -- vol. 6. Westward expansion, 1800-1860 - edited by Peter C. Mancall -- vol. 7. Civil War and Reconstruction, 1850-1877 - edited by Thomas J. Brown -- vol. 8. Development of the industrial United States, 1878-1899 - edited by Vincent Tompkins.

Examines hundreds of speeches from colonial times to the modern era, allowing readers to consider exactly what the speakers said--and to better understand the motivations behind each speech as well as the effect on the audiences that heard them. Includes contextual headnotes, timelines, historical reviews of each era, biographical sketches of each speaker, and anecdotal sidebars containing additional information about the speech or speakers.