This Country of Ours, Part 7

This series, in seven parts, tells the story of America from the earliest founding through the days of Woodrow Wilson the Great War (World War I). Part 7 continues the series with the development of the United States under the Presidents from Washington to Wilson.

Table of Contents:
1. Washington First in War, First in Peace
2. Adams - How He Kept Peace with France
3. Jefferson - How the Territory of the United States Was Doubled
4. Jefferson - How the Door into the Far West Was Opened
5. Jefferson-About an American Who Wanted to Be a King
6. Madison - The Shooting Star and the Prophet
7. Madison - War with Great Britain
8. Monroe - The First Whispers of a Storm - Monroe's Famous Doctrine
9. Adams - The Tariff of Abominations
10. Jackson - ""Liberty and Union, Now and Forever"" - Van Buren - Hard Times
11. Harrison - The Hero of Tippecanoe
12. Tyler - Florida Becomes a State
13. Polk - How Much Land was Added to the United States
14. Polk - The Finding of Gold
15. Taylor - Union or Disunion
16. Fillmore - The Underground Railroad
17. Pierce - The Story of ""Bleeding Kansas""
18. Buchanan - The Story of the Mormons
19. Buchanan - The First Shots
20. Lincoln - From Bull Run to Fort Donelson
21. Lincoln - The Story of the First Battle between Ironclads
22. Lincoln - Thru Battle of Shiloh and the Taking of New Orleans
23. Lincoln - The Slaves are made Free
24. Lincoln - Chancellorsville - the Death of Stonewall Jackson
25. Lincoln - The Battle of Gettysburg
26. Lincoln - Grant's Campaign - Sheridan's Ride
27. Lincoln - Sherman's March to the Sea - Lincoln Re-elected President
28. Lincoln - The End of the War - The President's Death
29. Johnson - How the President Was Impeached
30. Grant - A Peaceful Victory
31. Hayes - Garfield - Arthur
32. Cleveland - Harrison - Cleveland
33. Mc Kinley - War and Sudden Death
34. Roosevelt - Taft
35. Wilson - Troubles with Mexico
36. Wilson - The Great War

AUTHOR
Henrietta Elizabeth Marshall (1867 - 1941) was a British author, most famous for her works of history for children.

For decades, Marshall's books were ubiquitous in schools and home libraries. Much of the popularity of her works stems from her talent for making history read like good storytelling.

COMMENTARY
Reviews for Alcazar AudioWorks' production of This Country of Ours, Part 7
We are nearly to the end of our second time through This Country of Ours by H.E. Marshall, and I'll be sorry when we reach the end, for it has been a fascinating journey. The first time we went through the book, I read aloud to our older children. This time we are using Alcazar Audioworks' unabridged reading of the book on CD. The book, just shy of one hundred chapters, is divided into eight volumes of CDs so that you only need to purchase the portion that relates to the particulars of your study of U.S. history. That's a help to the budget!

Part Seven A: Stories of the United States under the Constitution opens just after the ending of the American Revolution, describing how George Washington, having stepped down from commanding the young nation's army, was called out of retirement to be its first president. The stories continue through the administrations of the next fourteen presidents, through the beginning of Lincoln's first term, and the war between the Northern and Southern states, culminating in the battle between the Monitor and the Merrimac. You'll hear about Lewis and Clark, the War of 1812, the Monroe Doctrine, ""Tippecanoe and Tyler too!"" and much, much more.

With our students listening to history this way, I get to be a listener, too. I like the fact that we can be folding laundry or washing dishes while doing our history reading! The CD are divided into tracks, making it easy to break up the reading and have the listeners tell back (or narrate) what they've heard. Two readers alternate, helping to keep the listener's interest; Bobbie Frohman and David Thorn do an excellent job of infusing life into an already well-told story.
H.E. Marshall, the author of This Country of Ours and other history books for young people, was a gifted storyteller with a passion for her subject. Her writing, though full of historical events, dates, and facts, is never dull nor dry, being a series of stories about individuals and the events they shaped or found themselves caught up in. To get an idea of the book, look for it online as a free e-text. These are not merely names and dates, places and events, these are stories about real people, vividly described.

A note of caution: As This Country of Ours was published in 1917, it does not meet today's standards of political correctness. For example, Native Americans are referred to in places as ""Redmen."" The story of the Mormons, presented in a chapter set during the presidency of Buchanan, though based on historical accounts, does not agree with the official record as set forth by the Mormon church.

This Country of Ours is one of the books used in the Ambleside Online curriculum. The sets correspond to the divisions within the book, rather than Ambleside Online years. However, it is not difficult to figure out which set(s) are needed, if you compare the chapter listings on Alcazar's and Ambleside's websites.

Whether or not you are using Ambleside Online's reading list, you'll find This Country of Ours a fascinating look at American History, livelier than anything you'll find in a textbook. Highly recommended.
Reviewed By: Virginia Jones - Eclectic Homeschool Online
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