A World Contender

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8-These titles examine how the opportunities and social costs of territorial expansion and internal migration have "shaped American history." The first book explains how Manifest Destiny inspired migration to and development of the West, precipitated conflicts with Mexico and England, and drove Native Americans from their lands. The second title discusses how Jefferson's ideas about citizenship and democracy, slavery and race relations, territorial expansion, and the importance of American neutrality in European affairs influenced the era. The third book explores Theodore Roosevelt's vigorous pursuit of an overseas empire and expanded world influence, the development of American paternalism and "dollar diplomacy" in Latin America, and Wilson's foreign policies and reluctant entry into World War I. These attractive volumes have many period illustrations, maps, portraits, detailed time lines, and further reading made up of YA titles. American history is a story of opportunity and oppression, a complex mixture of idealism and self-interest. However, these titles tend to focus far more on oppression than opportunity, are short on background information, and tend toward simplistic analyses. The five titles in the "Debatable Issues in U.S. History" series (Greenwood, 2004) discuss many of the same topics and include more diverse viewpoints and better delineation of the factors that shaped the geographical and political growth of the United States.-Mary Mueller, Rolla Junior High School, MO Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.