History of the United States, Vol. V: Sectional Conflict & Reconstruction

Charles Austin Beard (1874 - 1948) and Mary Ritter Beard (1876 - 1958)

Charles Beard was the most influential American historian of the early 20th century. He published hundreds of monographs, textbooks and interpretive studies in both history and political science. He graduated from DePauw University in 1898, where he met and eventually married Mary Ritter Beard, one of the founders of the first Greek-letter society for women, Kappa Alpha Theta. Many of his books were written in collaboration with his wife, whose own interests lay in feminism and the labor union movement.

In 1921, Charles and Mary Beard published their textbook: History of the United States. A contemporaneous review stated: The authors… assume enough maturity in…students to justify a topical rather than a chronological treatment. They have dealt with movements, have sketched large backgrounds, have traced causes, and have discussed the interrelation of social and economic forces and politics. All this has been directed to the large purpose of helping the student to understand American today in all its national characteristics and as part of world civilization as well…The literary style is exceptionally clear and crisp, and the whole approach…is thought producing. As a textbook or handbook for the average citizen it ranks with very best. (Summary from Wikipedia, Journal of History, and M.L. Cohen)

The book is divided into 7 parts: The Colonial Period, Conflict and Independence, Foundations of the Union and National Politics, The West and Jacksonian Democracy, Sectional Conflict and Reconstruction, National Growth and World Politics, and Progressive Democracy and the World War.

Genre(s): Early Modern

Language: English

Group: History of the United States

Section Chapter Reader Time
Play 01 THE RISE OF THE INDUSTRIAL SYSTEM Katie Gibboney
00:27:34
Play 02 THE RISE OF THE INDUSTRIAL SYSTEM (continued) -- The Industrial Revolution and National Politics Katie Gibboney
00:21:09
Play 03 THE PLANTING SYSTEM AND NATIONAL POLITICS Sibella Denton
00:15:28
Play 04 THE PLANTING SYSTEM AND NATIONAL POLITICS (continued)--Slavery in National Politics Sibella Denton
00:16:15
Play 05 THE PLANTING SYSTEM AND NATIONAL POLITICS (concluded)--The Drift of Events toward the Irrepressible Conflict Sibella Denton
00:24:32
Play 06 THE CIVIL WAR AND RECONSTRUCTION Sibella Denton
00:13:41
Play 07 THE CIVIL WAR AND RECONSTRUCTION (continued) --The War Measures of the Federal Government Sibella Denton
00:27:52
Play 08 THE CIVIL WAR AND RECONSTRUCTION (concluded) --The Results of the Civil War Sibella Denton
00:29:23