David Rubel - Scholastic Timelines: The United States in the Nineteenth Century

Scholastic Timelines
The United States in the Nineteenth Century
By David Rubel

A follow up to The United States in the Twentieth Century.

Publisher’s Description
A young reader’s introduction to the nineteenth century, this book describes the people and events that shaped life in the United States, from the birth of industry to the Civil War, and provides little-known tidbits of history.

The 19th century is presented chronologically in this colorful and detailed book in the Timelines series. Rubel divides each page by date into four horizontal ribbon-like strips: politics at the top, then life, arts and entertainment, and science and technology. Ten chapters further divide the century by important historical events of the era: Federalism, Jacksonian Democracy, the Civil War, the Gay Nineties, etc. Exciting drawings, photographs, and maps bring the many details alive for readers who are interested in everything happening from 1800–1899. In 1813, the first reference to the US Government as “Uncle Sam” appeared; in 1846, two New York teams played the first recorded baseball game, and a pitcher named Davis was fined six cents for swearing at the umpire. The sound-bite presentation and sheer mass of tidbits will make it difficult for some readers to focus on the larger lessons and issues of the 19th century; however, the book fully complements other resources on the era.

This comprehensive chronology is an ambitious, informative compilation of the people, places, and events that contributed to the daily landscape of the 19th century in the U.S. An innovative work that enables readers to view history in an immediate and exciting fashion, it is divided into 10 fact-packed, accessible sections that cover topics such as federalism, industrialism, the Civil War, and “The Gay Nineties.” The user-friendly format has been structured with careful attention to detail. Chapters consist of chronologically arranged entries with the main subject highlighted in bold, colored print in four separate categories: “Politics,” “Life,” “Arts & Entertainment,” and “Science & Technology.” This instructive layout enables readers to follow a particular sequence of milestones as well as gain a broader perspective through an exploration of events that occurred during the same time frame in different spectra. Riveting black-and-photos and high-quality illustrations augment the text. In addition, there are useful cross-references, a well-written glossary, and an accurate index.