Free summaries
History - American
37 public-domain history - american books, summarised. Page 1 of 1.
Public School Education
Michael Müller
A nation’s soul is shaped in its classrooms, yet this system risks raising a generation of brilliant, unprincipled strangers to the faith of their fathers.
Democracy in America
Alexis de Tocqueville
A singular experiment in human society unfolds across a vast, untamed continent, where the age-old structures of aristocracy are discarded in favor of a bold and unpredictable equality.
The loyalists of America and their times
Egerton Ryerson
The story of the American Revolution is often told through the eyes of the victors, but a lost history remains in the voices of those who stayed loyal to the Crown and paid the price for their convictions.
"The Red Watch": With the First Canadian Division in Flanders
John Allister Currie
The soldiers of the First Canadian Division arrive in the mud of Flanders, where the romantic call of the pipes meets the harrowing reality of gas and shelling. They hold the line not for glory, but because the Empire expects nothing less than total sacrifice.
Comic History of the United States
Bill Nye
Great history is not a dusty collection of dry facts; it is a lively human story that deserves to be dressed in the finest, funniest prose.
Bradford's History of 'Plimoth Plantation': From the Original Manuscript. With a Report of the Proceedings Incident to the Return of the Manuscript to Massachusetts
William Bradford
A resolute band of exiles faces hunger, betrayal, and the vanishing of their old world, only to forge a new one through the sheer force of their communal will.
The New Nation
Frederic L. (Frederic Logan) Paxson
The American continent transformed from a collection of loosely bound states into a unified, industrial giant between the close of the Civil War and the dawn of the First World War.
Home Life in Colonial Days
Alice Morse Earle
A forgotten world of hearth-fire, homespun wool, and rugged resourcefulness reveals the daily foundations upon which a new nation was built.
The Frontier in American History
Frederick Jackson Turner
The American identity is not a static inheritance from Europe, but a volatile, ongoing creation born from the constant struggle of pushing into the wild and reclaiming the land.
Sea Power in its Relations to the War of 1812. Volume 2
A. T. (Alfred Thayer) Mahan
The ocean is a vast, indifferent chessboard where national destiny is determined not by abstract ideals, but by the cold, calculated movement of wooden ships and the control of trade.
The Journal of Negro History, Volume 4, 1919
Various
This collection of research and record-keeping serves as a vital archive, documenting the complex economic, social, and legal realities of Black life in America and beyond during a pivotal year of the early twentieth century. It functions not as a singular narrative, but as a chorus of voices and scholarly…
The Johnstown Horror!!!
James Herbert Walker
The sudden collapse of a mountain lake transforms a thriving valley into a charnel house, leaving a nation to grapple with the wreckage of thousands of lives in a single, terrifying hour.
The Critical Period of American History
John Fiske
The ink had barely dried on the peace treaty with Britain when the real struggle for America’s survival began. The young nation faced a collapse that promised to turn victory into chaos.
The Campaign of 1776 around New York and Brooklyn: Including a new and circumstantial account of the battle of Long island and the loss of New York, with a review of events to the close of the year
Henry Phelps Johnston
The American Revolution hangs by a thread as a ragtag army faces the greatest naval power in history on the streets of New York.
Complete Story of the San Francisco Horror
Trumbull White
The ground beneath the Golden Gate turns to liquid, transforming a city of prosperity into a vast, smoldering tomb as the earth heaves and the fire consumes what remains.
The Deaf: Their Position in Society and the Provision for Their Education in the United States
Harry Best
The world of the deaf is not a separate realm, but an integral part of American society, shaped by complex histories of institutional provision and the quiet, persistent struggle for individual agency.
The Prairie Traveler: A Hand-book for Overland Expeditions
Randolph B. (Randolph Barnes) Marcy
Preparation is the only hedge against catastrophe for those who seek a new life in the American West.
History of the Negro Race in America from 1619 to 1880. Vol. 2: Negroes as Slaves, as Soldiers, and as Citizens
George Washington Williams
A history of a people’s resilience, this account traces the long, arduous path from the shackles of slavery to the hard-won dignity of American citizenship and service.
The Journal of Negro History, Volume 6, 1921
Various
Scholars and witnesses reconstruct a hidden history, challenging the distortions of their era to provide a rigorous, evidence-based account of the African American experience across centuries and continents.
Impressions of America During the Years 1833, 1834 and 1835. Volume 2 (of 2)
Tyrone Power
A traveler’s keen eye captures the rhythm of a young, restless nation, mapping the vast landscapes and social currents of a continent finding its own defiant voice.
Colleges in America
John Marshall Barker
Higher education in America, once a fragile experiment, has become the bedrock of national progress and moral leadership. This exploration traces how a scattered network of colonial schools blossomed into the vast, influential university system of the nineteenth century.
They Who Knock at Our Gates: A Complete Gospel of Immigration
Mary Antin
The light of the Statue of Liberty still burns, yet some fear the shadows of those who seek her flame. This is a call to return to the original promise of a nation built on universal ideals.
The University of Michigan
Wilfred Byron Shaw
A bold dream of frontier education, rooted in the wilderness of a young state, grew into a powerhouse of American academic life through the sheer, persistent optimism of its founders.
The Choctaw Freedmen and the Story of Oak Hill Industrial Academy
Robert Elliott Flickinger
In the quiet corners of the Red River Valley, a dedicated band of teachers and students transformed a humble log cabin into a beacon of hope for a forgotten people.
Impressions of America During the Years 1833, 1834 and 1835. Volume 1 (of 2)
Tyrone Power
A celebrated actor traverses the volatile landscape of the young United States, capturing the spirit of a burgeoning nation with the sharp wit and keen eye of a professional storyteller.
Union and Democracy
Allen Johnson
The United States began not as a nation, but as a fragmented collection of thirteen states struggling to find a common identity. This account traces the turbulent, transformative decades that turned a loose confederation into a cohesive republic.
The Book of the National Parks
Robert Sterling Yard
The American landscape is a vast, living manuscript, with every mountain peak and canyon floor serving as a syllable in the story of the continent’s dramatic making.
The Journal of Negro History, Volume 5, 1920
Various
A single volume moves from schoolrooms and courtrooms to maroon communities, border crossings, and Reconstruction politics. Its voice is part archive, part argument, and never lets the records sit still.
A New Guide for Emigrants to the West
John Mason Peck
HOOK A detailed, practical guide to the vast Mississippi River Valley and Northwest territories in the early 19th century, blending geography, history, climate, and social life to prepare emigrants for life in the American West.
A Portrait of Old George Town
Grace Dunlop Peter
Step into the layered past of a once-independent town where history, architecture, and personal stories intertwine to reveal the soul of a community absorbed by a growing capital.
Sea Power in its Relations to the War of 1812. Volume 1
A. T. (Alfred Thayer) Mahan
A detailed exploration of how naval power shaped the War of 1812, revealing the strategic interplay between maritime strength, diplomacy, and national identity in early American history.
The Naval History of the United States. Volume 2
Willis J. (Willis John) Abbot
Naval warfare shapes a young nation’s destiny through fierce battles, daring voyages, and the evolution of American maritime power from the War of 1812 to the Spanish-American War.
Red-Tape and Pigeon-Hole Generals: As Seen From the Ranks During a Campaign in the Army of the Potomac
Henry Morford
A soldier who has seen the war from the ranks keeps running into the same enemy behind the enemy: delay, vanity, and men who confuse paperwork with command.
Old Fort Snelling, 1819-1858
Marcus Lee Hansen
A remote military outpost on the Upper Mississippi quietly shaped the fate of a vast frontier, bridging cultures, conflicts, and the relentless push of American expansion.
How the Flag Became Old Glory
Scott, Emma Look, Mrs.
A flag’s journey from a simple banner to a cherished national symbol unfolds through battles, sacrifices, and the stories of those who bore it with pride and conviction.
Democracy in America
Alexis de Tocqueville
A profound exploration of how equality shapes the political, social, and moral fabric of a nation, revealing the unique character and challenges of democratic society.
The Gulf and Inland Waters: The Navy in the Civil War. Volume 3
A. T. (Alfred Thayer) Mahan
A detailed chronicle of naval warfare on America’s inland waters during the Civil War, revealing how control of rivers shaped the conflict’s outcome.