A Child's First Book of American History

This is one of the few children's history books that you might want to buy in the hardcover edition because you will probably want to hold on to it forever. - Cathy Duffy Reviews

This is America! And this is its glowing, epic story, from the days of the Viking expeditions to the birth of the Atomic age. Here are the explorers, the Indians, the settlers and fur trappers, the soldiers, the statesmen, the men and women who have shaped our country and its destiny. It is a continuous take of adventure, of wars, of industry and invention, of hardship and growth; it is an unparalleled tale of courage, high ideals, hard work--and a precious thing called Freedom.

Perhaps more happened, faster, in the history of this country than in any other. Earl Schenck Miers tells its story as it should be told: in terms of the great moments and events, and through the lives and experiences of individuals.

Among the fifty chapters included are: the faith and longing for freedom of worship that brought the band of Pilgrims to Plymouth's shores; James Smith's own account of his capture by the Indians in 1755; excerpts from Davy Crockett's diary, telling of the last days of the Alamo massacre; a young Southern girl's description of the burning of Columbia, S.C., in the Civil War. Miers has recreated unforgettably, the hardships of a cattle drive, the inspiring story of how Booker T. Washington overcame great obstacles to build a school, the suspense that held America in a spell in 1927 when a young man named Lindbergh flew to Paris by himself.

This telling of the American story is dramatic, ever engrossing--and it is based on careful scholarship. The more than 200 illustrations by James Daugherty--most of them in color--are an integral part of the book. A great artist and a superb scholar-storyteller have joined forces to produce a memorable record--an instructive, immensely readable and heart-warming book about the country we love.