Online Catalog Product Details

		American Nation, The
		Primary Sources Edited and with an Introduction by Bruce P. Frohnen
		Table of Contents Publication Date: April 2009 8.5 x 11. 616 pages. Introduction, alphabetical table of contents, alphabetical list of authors, list of illustrations, note on the text, index.

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The American Nation: Primary Sources resumes the narrative begun in its companion volume, The American Republic which covered the first eight decades of U.S. history, ending at the onset of the Civil War. The American Nation continues the story through America’s entrance into World War II.

The American Nation makes available, in one volume, many of the most crucial documents necessary for understanding the variety of policies and viewpoints driving American public life during an important, substantive part of American history. The primary sources in The American Nation are relevant to the Civil War, Reconstruction, the rise of a national capitalist system and culture, the waves of reform-minded thought and policy that moved the nation toward formation of the national administrative and welfare states, and America’s emergence as a major power on the world stage. This period was a watershed in the history of the nation—the time of establishing and consolidating national power and laying the foundations of a national government committed to promoting the material well-being of Americans. It was an era that witnessed the development of the nation-state and the establishment of the New Deal regime, which set the stage for the radical social movements of the 1960s and beyond.

For decades debates have raged concerning the nature and impact of post–Civil War Reconstruction, as well as the major popular legal and ideological movements shaping the United States during the period up to World War II. This critical era encompassed the rise of mass-market corporatism and America’s entry into world politics. Recent social history has uncovered a great deal of information regarding the daily lives of Americans during this era. Of equal importance is an in-depth study of the public documents critical for an understanding of the effects of public acts and pronouncements on Americans. This volume will allow students and readers to readily engage, without interpretation, the original historical documents that have shaped the history of American public life.

Some of the primary documents include the Emancipation Proclamation, the Freedmen’s Bureau Bill, the Sherman Antitrust Act, and the Monroe Doctrine. Some of the authors featured include Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Jefferson Davis, Robert LaFollette, Eugene Debs, Jane Addams, William Graham Sumner, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Booker T. Washington, among many others.

Bruce P. Frohnen is Visiting Associate Professor of Law at Ohio Northern University College of Law. He holds a J.D. from the Emory University School of Law and a Ph.D. in Government from Cornell University.

Additional Testimonials

America is always changing, and has been since its inception over two hundred years ago.The American Nation: Primary Sources covers the march of American history through original documents from the post-colonial era, to military documents during the civil war, to World War II documents, and much more. A reference packed cover to cover with letters between politicians, military leaders, and others, The American Nation offers a unique view of American history that is uniquely unbiased as it is the documents and little else. A must for any enthusiast of American history, The American Nation is a top pick.

The Midwest Book Review
June 2009
 
This collection of public documents that have influenced American history from the Civil War to early days of World War II is presented to students and scholars who want to discuss and research popular, legal and ideological movements through this period of history. Editor Frohnen (law, Ohio Northern U. College of Law) has designed this volume as a follow-up to The American Republic: Primary Sources, covering the laws, addresses, legal cases, amendments and other documents from The Civil War, Reconstruction and the Progressive Era. Noteworthy documents in this volume include the Civil Rights Act of 1866, the Gettysburg Address, the Pendleton Act and the eight constitutional amendments passed during this era.

Reference & Research Book News
August 2009

When compared with other nation-states, America today may seem at first glance to be an icon of stability. But it is not an accurate reflection of America today – or at any given point in its political history. Knowledgeably compiled and deftly edited by Bruce P. Frohnen (Visiting Associate Professor of Law, Ohio Northern University College of Law), The American Nation: Primary Sources is a compilation of seminal documents providing insight and context for the diversity of policies and perspectives that shaped and engaged American public life and conflicts from the American Civil War to America’s entrance into World War II. This was a period of time that saw the rise of mass-market corporatism, American engagement as a world power, and the establishment of those political and economic conditions that would give rise to the most successful middle-class the world had ever seen. Of special note is Professor Frohnen’s in-depth study of these public documents and their effects on the public acts and governmental pronouncements that influenced the daily lives of the American public and the course of the country itself. The American Nation is a very highly recommended addition to personal, school, and community library American History and Political Science reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

The Midwest Book Review
July 2009