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Mary G
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| Posted: Jan 12 2006 at 9:20am | IP Logged
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Hey folks -- I need some living book ideas. My 16 yos is at the point in American history between Lewis and Clark but before the Civil War -- roughly the 1820 till 1860s. Any good living books out there?
His old history text is rather drab and I'm trying to renew the spark of some interest in history. I have tons of stuff for Lewis and Clark and tons for Civil War and nada, nothing zippo for inbetween.
ANY suggestions wil be highly regarded!
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MaryG
3 boys (22, 12, 8)2 girls (20, 11)
my website that combines my schooling, hand-knits work, writing and everything else in one spot!
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ALmom
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| Posted: Jan 12 2006 at 1:41pm | IP Logged
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In general, I'd look for things on Indians or biographies of some of the western explorers (David Crocket, Daniel Boone, etc.) We found some like this at the library - not super but gave some background. I noticed that Let the Authors Speak has Life of David Crocket by David Crocket listed. Also Andrew Jackson by James Marquis and Johnny Osage by Janice H Giles. There are a few others in the general time period. We haven't personally read any of them but have found the Let the Authors Speak to be a reliable resource for twaddle free books on historical time periods.
What about a biography of Custer - our girls weren't terribly interested in this and our oldest boy is just 11 so we are reading books in the Jr Biography section of the library. They at least give a quick fleshing out to the history text without taking a huge amount of time.
Emmanuel Books also sells a book of famous Indian Chieftans. Our dc (younger than yours) liked that a lot - it wasn't specifically located in a time period but it did give some background and spurred some tangents into the time period you are speaking about.
Janet
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momwise
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| Posted: Jan 12 2006 at 2:05pm | IP Logged
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Mary,
Has he already done Uncle Tom's cabin, some slave narratives and Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington? These are on dd's agenda for this month. For literature, how about some short stories by E.A. Poe (1809-1849)?
Here are a few suggestions from History Through the Ages for Pre-Civil War Nat'l Growth:
American Leonardo, the Story of Samuel B. Morse..Carleton Mabee
O Pioneers, My Antonia....Willa Cather
Prairie Traveller....Randolph Marcy
Life on the Mississippi...Twain
Man Without a Country....Edward Everett Hale
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JennGM
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| Posted: Jan 12 2006 at 2:08pm | IP Logged
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Not having a timeline in front of me, I was thinking of the categories...westward expansion, pioneers, antebellum South, Native Americans, underground railroad (Harriet Tubman), railroads, Gold Rush, and finally, the beginning of industrialization in the North...I'm at a loss for actual living books right now, but I know there are quite a few on some of these areas.
This list of Reading your Way Through History had some interesting titles.
One title: Brave Buffalo Fighter by John D. Fitzgerald
Uncle Tom's Cabin was one on my mind for antebellum.
St. John Nepomucene Neumann lived from (1811-1860).
For western PA/Alleghenies, Prince Gallitzin was a great influence. I have one book called Prince Dimitri's Mountaineers by Sr. Mary Fides Glass which has a short story about him and then other related stories about life in the Alleghanies related to Prince Galitzin. There is another book by her that is dedicated to his life, but it's very rare and expensive The Prince Who Gave His Gold Away: A Story of the Russian Prince, Demetrius Gallitzin. Both are OOP, printed by Grail Publications. A non-living book but easier to find is Apostle of the Alleghenies by Margaret and Matthew Bunson.
While on Pennsylvania, right in that era was the dawning of the Pennsylvania Railroad. This museum had info to help. I'm particularly fond of the Horseshoe Curve, an engineering feat built in 1854 and still working hard today. Dh is from Altoona, the nearby railroad shops.
Then you could study coal mining and steel industry...those robber barons of Pittsburgh.... 
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MaryM
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| Posted: Jan 18 2006 at 3:45am | IP Logged
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I've been at a loss for particular books that would fit this category for a high schooler - most I can think of are for much younger. One topic that does fall in this time period that is of great interest to both my older boys is the "Age of Fighting Sail" or just generally the age of sail. It definitely starts earlier but continues to about 1830 so fits the time frame. Other than Four Years Before the Mast, specific titles are escaping me. Anything on "Old Ironsides" and War of 1812 (especially pirate Lafitte and the battle of Orleans) was always popular.
-Old Ironsides poem by Oliver Wendell Holmes
The National Archives has some plans for studying history with original documents. In the time frame you are looking at these two sounded interesting:
Anti-Railroad Propoganda Poster: The Growth of Regionalism 1800-1860
The Amistad Case
The Guadalupe Hidalgo Treaty (Mexican American War)
Teaching with Historic Places website of the National Park Service has some topics under their Federal/National time period which might be of interest.
Chatham Hill has games that go along with historic periods. It’s a fun way to learn history. In this era they have ones about the Erie Canal, War of 1812/Age of Sailing Warships, & Whaling
Stephen Meader wrote lots of historical fiction. My boys really enjoyed the WWII books. He has many that fall in the time frame you are looking at. They are for a bit younger readers but could be good family read alouds. Bethlehem Books has reprinted 4 of his sailing related books in Cleared for Action! Four Tales of the Sea.
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Dawn
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We'll be covering this era soon too, but my children are younger so I'm not sure if these titles will be of interest to your son.
We plan to read Holling's Tree in the Trail (as a family read-aloud) and my 10 yo son will also read Tucket's Travels: Francis Tucket's Adventures in the West, 1847-1849 by Gary Paulson.
I know the Holling books well, but am not familiar with Paulson, so I need to look it over first (anyone know this one?). It does looks like an exciting tale -- the Oregon Trail, the Pawnees, mountain men, and the war with Mexico. I got this from the back cover! 
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Mary G
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| Posted: Jan 18 2006 at 5:48am | IP Logged
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Thanks for all the suggestions folks -- I've got him reading Twain's Life on the Mississippi and he seems to be enjoying it.
We do have some of the old American Heritage books about mountain men, Western expansion, and Indians. They're pretty fun to use. (And since we do head out to that big square state known as Colorado every year, he has a pretty good idea about the area).
Thanks y'all!
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MaryG
3 boys (22, 12, 8)2 girls (20, 11)
my website that combines my schooling, hand-knits work, writing and everything else in one spot!
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4Real Forums : Across Time and Place
Topic: Era between L&C and Civil War
