Give Me Liberty : An American History, Vol. 1

Hey everyone, I want to give you a little overview of myself a bit before I talk about the book if you don't mind. I am graduate of the University of California, Riverside(Class of 2015!! majored in Chicano Studies(yes Chicano Studies,the classes that have been called "Anti-American or Anti-United States(NOT TRUE!!) and Political Science). If you haven't heard of the field of Chicano Studies before I strongly suggest that you do so right now!! Anyway,on to my review. Currently I am on chapter 13(A House Divided) and even though I haven't finished it yet I really, really do love this book!! :). How I should review this book I honestly don't know, haha but here I go. Even though Foner's sentences and words are a little patchy sometimes it is still an interesting, telling and great read for any lover of history and the history of our country(United States of America) especially in the fields of both social and political histories. Unlike other US history books(You know the ones you read in High School) that I have read, Eric Foner's Give Me Liberty! is actually really admirable, daring and honest as he does not shy away from the contradictions, the evils of white supremacy and slavery, injustices and TRUE history of these United States as well as what it has done to its very own citizens and occupants. Each chapter brilliantly and interestingly lays out the key moments that made the nation-state's history from the beginnings or "discovery" of the New World, European Conquest and Settlement, Anglo/English America, Colonial US, Wars for Independence and the American Revolution to the eras of Manifest Destiny and Westward Expansion(an invasion in the eyes of Mexicanos and Indians but that's another story, lol),the Civil War and Reconstruction. My Dream US History book has finally come to fruition(I hope this book gets assigned more often in history classes or actually replaces the previous books I mentioned) and I have a brilliant scholar and historian in the name of Eric Foner to thank! Thanks very much Prof. Foner! 5 stars!!!. Highly recommended read!!

If you're buying this book, it's probably because you don't have an option. However, I'll go through some of the many benefits and why you're lucky your university/high school chose this book over the many others.First, Eric Foner is an amazing historian. He explains events and what happened with minimal biases. Note that every single history book ever printed has biases. It's impossible for a history book to have just events without perspective and biases. People obtain history from old documents and the authors are the one that piece together information. Eric Foner presents information not only by his own research but also using information from other sources. So, thus, this book will work no matter what class you're in and can always find help online.Moreover, this book has a multitude of help resources ranging from practice quizzes, flashcards, video lectures, and even external video courses. Most of the material can be found at [...]. This book comes with free resources that you have to pay for most other textbooks. There are also a lot of YouTube channels that work in parallel with the content of this book.Also, this book is a fast and easy read. A lot of other textbooks have a lot of technical and outdates jargon that's hard to understand. While the chapters are quite long, you can easily finish one chapter in one hour if you don't distract yourself. Also, all the paragraphs, chapters, and sections are clearly labeled so you can definitely skip over certain topics you already have familiarity in.Overall, I highly recommend this book. You should be optimistic that your school/university has chosen this book for their curriculum rather than some other textbook. This book is also available for rent and also is much cheaper than other history books. Good luck to whoever reading this review and happy studying!

If you're reading this, you probably don't have a choice on whether or not you want to buy this book. So let me give you a couple reasons why you should actually read this:+The focus of this book isn't just on telling the story of how we came to be, it focuses on freedom and how our notion of freedom has changed through the ages+SO well written. Reads similar to a novel and is easy to follow along with.+Glossy, lay-flat design makes it perfect for highlighting and reading. The quality of the book is superb.+Did I mention this was well written? I'm halfway through the semester and have actually read all 5 chapters so far. It's an amazing book with an amazing author+Doesn't simply tell the story. You probably already know how Christopher Columbus was a terrible man. This instead has little to say about Columbus, even less to say about the Pilgrims. It's truthful to what our history as Americans is. Over 80% of the people who landed in Jamestown died in the first year from harsh conditions. We were so desperate that we stole food from Powhatan.+Truly tells the story of how rough things were for the colonists. Absolutely real and not sugar coated like most high-school or college books. Foner tells it as it was!

It was a school textbook

Outstanding. I knew Dr. Foner was a brilliant scholar and writer after reading some of his shorter work and taking part in his eye-opening free online course on the Civil War and Reconstruction, so when I saw that he had written a textbook on American history, I was immediately interested to see how his style would translate to the textbook genre. I have not been disappointed. I am curious, though, how much I am missing by not getting the full edition with all of the extra material; however, I could not be more pleased with this concise, yet thorough treatment of American history--and for a reasonable price for a full, comprehensive text like this. Truly great. (Also, do yourself a favor and check our his book The Fiery Trial, and his online course mentioned above. You won't regret it.)

An in-depth, historians read of America to 1877. This was my guide through my American History classes. It had sketches, maps, and very detailed accounts of events. Foner's writing was easy to read and insightful; the events that he presents are contextualized extremely well; and he covers a wide swath of history with focused points.

Amazing book, I bought it for a course but it is so easy to read and search through, I would recommend for anyone who wants to learn about the history of the united states without taking a class.

Livre très complet. Des questions pour faire réfléchir sur le contenu des différents chapitres.Il vaut mieux aimer l'histoire ou le livre sera vite abandonné