The Oxford History of the American People
by Samuel Eliot Morison
Oxford History of the American People (Collections and Selections — 1-3)
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A political as well as social history which traces the major strands in America's history from prehistoric man to the assasination of President Kennedy. The parallel history of Canada is also briefly told.Tags
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Samuel Eliot Morison was a prolific writer specializing in military history and is to be commended for bringing forgotten or little-known parts of our history to our experience, if only by mentioning them in his books. Later editions of this book break the time periods down more, perhaps to shorten the length or maybe to add detail, but this 1000+ page volume covers everything from the Origin of Man in America to John F. Kennedy. Being so ambitious, it was bound to be superficial on some subjects. He does include over fifty songs and some wonderful illustrations, but my difficulty is more with the inaccuracies. Granted, more research and primary documents have come to light since the 1960s and even since his death in the 1970s. It may show more be the non-specific language or the floating back and forth from one period to another, for example, one sentence referring to 1626 and the next stating that the United Provinces of the Netherlands had "lately won their independence from Spain" (this would not happen for another 22 years). This book is interesting and informative about many things but should not be accepted as the last word on historical fact. Being a stickler for detail, I would treat this book more as an intersting overview and not really as non-fiction. show less
For any book of this magnitude, to get all facts straight would be a major accomplishment. Since my interest is focused on the Stone-Campbell religious heritage, I noted an error on p. 532. Antioch College was not opened by the Disciples of Christ. Morison could have pointed out that the Disciples opened Hiram College -- initially named the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute in 1850. Or he could have mentioned Bethany (Virginia, now West Va.) College (1840).
Also on p. 735, Morison mistakenly states that President James A. Garfield was "governor of Ohio." Garfield never was a governor. He was a Representative in the US House for 17 years and elected Senator in 1880.
Also on p. 735, Morison mistakenly states that President James A. Garfield was "governor of Ohio." Garfield never was a governor. He was a Representative in the US House for 17 years and elected Senator in 1880.
This is a 1000+ page volume which covers everything from the Origin of Man to John F. Kennedy so it contains a ton of information. It's not a book I would sit down and read but it's a great reference.
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Author Information
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Samuel Eliot Morison was born in Boston in 1887. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard in 1912 and began teaching history there in 1915, becoming full professor in 1925 and Jonathan Trumbull professor of American history in 1941. He served as the university's official historian and wrote a three-volume history of the institution, the Tercentennial show more History of Harvard College and University, which was completed in 1936. Between 1922 and 1925 he was Harmsworth professor of American history at Oxford. He also was an accomplished sailor who retired from the navy in 1951 as a rear admiral. In preparing for his Pulitzer Prize-winning biographies of Christopher Columbus and John Paul Jones, Admiral of the Ocean Sea (1941) and John Paul Jones: A Sailor's Biography (1952) he took himself out of the study and onto the high seas, where he traced the voyages of his subjects and "lived" their stories insofar as possible. When it came time for the U.S. Navy to select an author to write a history of its operations in World War II, Morison was the natural choice for the task. In 1942, Morison was commissioned by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to write a history of U.S. naval operations in World War II and given the rank of lieutenant commander. The 15 volumes of his History of United States Naval Operations in World War II appeared between 1947 and 1962. Although he retired from Harvard in 1955, Morison continued his research and writing. A product of the Brahmin tradition, Morison wrote about Bostonians and other New Englanders and about life in early Massachusetts. He was an "American historian" in the fullest sense of the term. He also had a keen appreciation for the larger history of the nation and world, provincial is the last word one would use to describe Morison's writing. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Oxford History of the American People
- Original title
- The Oxford History of the American People
- Original publication date
- 1965
- People/Characters
- John Adams; John Quincy Adams; James Buchanan; John C. Calhoun; Henry Clay; Jefferson Davis (show all 26); Dwight D. Eisenhower; Benjamin Franklin; George III, King of the United Kingdom; Ulysses S. Grant; Alexander Hamilton; Herbert Hoover; Andrew Jackson; Thomas Jefferson; John F. Kennedy; Robert E. Lee; Abraham Lincoln; Douglas MacArthur; James Madison; Franklin Delano Roosevelt; Theodore Roosevelt; William Henry Seward; Martin van Buren; George Washington; Daniel Webster; Woodrow Wilson
- Important places
- Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Charleston, South Carolina, USA; Hudson River, New York, USA; Mississippi River, USA; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Washington, D.C., USA
- Important events
- American Revolution (1775 | 1783); First Continental Congress; Ratification of the Constitution; Mexican-American War (1846 | 1848); American Civil War (1861 | 1865)
- Dedication
- TO MY BELOVED WIFE
PRISCILLA BARTON MORISON
WHO HAS HELPED ME TO UNDERSTAND
THE MOVING FORCES IN THE HISTORY
OF OUR NATION - First words
- History is the story of mankind, but when we try to tell the story of man in America from the beginning, the lack of data quickly brings us to a halt. There are plenty of surviving objects which antedate the coming of Europe... (show all)ans, but no written records; none, except the Maya calendar, that anyone as yet has been able to read.
Preface -- This book, in a sense, is a legacy to my countrymen after studying, teaching, and writing the history of the United States for over half a century. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)With the death of John Fitzgerald Kennedy something seemed to die in each one of us. Yet the memory of that bright, vivid personality, that great gentleman whose every act and appearance appealed to our pride and gave us fresh confidence in ourselves and our country, will live in us for a long, long time. (ends with music and words to CAMELOT)
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- Popularity
- 24,566
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (3.68)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 4
- ASINs
- 18