Course ePortfolio

This open textbook produced by the University Press of North Georgia (UPNG) examines U.S. History from before European contact through Reconstruction, while focusing on the people and their history. It provides a strong emphasis on critical thinking about US History by providing several key features in each chapter.

• Learning Objectives at the beginning of each chapter help students to understand what they will learn in each chapter. 

• Before You Move On sections at the end of each main section are designed to encourage students to reflect on important concepts and test their knowledge as they read.

• Critical Thinking Exercises that ask the student to deeply explore chapter content

• Key Terms and a Chronology of events

Learn how Sarah Mergel, PhD uses this open textbook in U.S. History at Dalton State College

Learn how Brent Riffel, PhD uses this open textbook in U.S. History at College of the Canyons

Sage American History authored by Henry Sage is designed as an open educational resource for college and high school teachers and students. Course modules focus on the main events and characters of the American past and are not written as an objective text, but rather a detailed description of historic events as interpreted by a teaching historian who has been delivering classroom lectures for over 40 years. Thus, you will find opinions, conclusions, anecdotes, comparisons and other such components designed to challenge the imagination and enhance knowledge.

Each module comprises a summary, readings, documents, and external links or a bibliography.  The summaries are based on the writings of distinguished historians as well as original document sources. The external links and bibliographies provide additional resources for those who want to delve further into topics. 

The University of Houston and other partners have created an interactive, multimedia history of the United States spanning the pre-colonial era to the present and specifically for the use of secondary and post-secondary students and teachers.   Organized along a timeline, it features active learning explorations to give students the opportunity to do history by conducting research, analyzing primary sources, and drawing their own conclusions. It provides teachers with handouts, lesson plans, quizzes, and other tools for classroom usage.  Materials may not be copied or modified for publication elsewhere.

The word history comes from the Greek word historía which means to learn or know by inquiry. In the pieces that follow, we encourage you to probe, dispute, dig deeper — inquire. History is not static. It is fluid. It changes and grows and becomes richer and more complex when any individual interacts with it. Knowledge of history is empowering. An event is but the furthest ripple of an ever-expanding wave that may have started eddying outward hundreds of years ago. One who sees history is able to harness the power of the wave through the entire journey. Finally, the best history has at its foundation a story. A printer challenges a King and so is laid the foundation of the first amendment; a New Jersey miner finds gold in California and sets off a torrent of movement westward; a woman going home from work does not relinquish her seat and a Civil Rights movement explodes. These stories all help to ask the question, What is an American? You will help to answer that question.

Still Casting Shadows: A Shared Mosaic of U.S. History breaks with tradition by presenting a holistic (rather than a white-centric and politician-dominated) portrayal of American History. It begins with the arrival of the “Puritans” at Plymouth, Massachusetts, and follows the descendants of two Mayflower passengers, John Howland and Elizabeth (Tilley) Howland, forward to the present day. Along the way, events as wide-ranging as colonial-era Indian battles, the defense of Little Round Top at Gettysburg during the Civil War, a devastating ambush in Vietnam, and a heroic deed by a California Highway Patrol officer are examined from the personal perspective of those on the scene. Much more than simply a volume of family history, “Still Casting Shadows” is a concise outline of American history. As such, it includes hundreds of short chapters that cover upwards of a thousand events of national import. Each chapter begins with striking quotations that illuminate the events being discussed.

This textbook is based on the College Entrance Examination Board test in Advanced Placement United States History. The test is a standard on the subject, covering what most students in the United States study in high school and college, so we treat it as the best reference. The text was reorganized and edited in November 2008 to be closer to the content and organization the college board requires. The content was carefully chosen for significance and interest. We welcome reader feedback and suggestions for improvement.

No matter where you land on the teaching spectrum, the aim of the Open Course is opening the door to using and improving the best of free and open materials in creative, collaborative, and innovative ways. Think of this course as a springboard of peer-reviewed, open content already aligned with outcomes and assessments and delivered with flexibility and accessibility in mind to meet the unique needs of you and your learners. This Instructor Module is designed to assist you in teaching this course for success. Working your way through the pages, you will gain an understanding of OER, attribution, e-Teaching, platform leveraging, and more.

U.S. History covers the breadth of the chronological history of the United States and also provides the necessary depth to ensure the course is manageable for instructors and students alike. U.S. History is designed to meet the scope and sequence requirements of most courses. The authors introduce key forces and major developments that together form the American experience, with particular attention paid to considering issues of race, class, and gender. The text provides a balanced approach to U.S. history, considering the people, events, and ideas that have shaped the United States from both the top down (politics, economics, diplomacy) and bottom up (eyewitness accounts, lived experience).