Publisher's Summary
This comprehensive series of 84 lectures features three award-winning historians sharing their insights into this nation's past - from the European settlement and the Revolutionary War through the Civil War, 19th-century industrialization, two world wars, and the present day.
While American history spans not much more than two centuries, it is filled with a wealth of leaders, wars, movements, inventions, and ideas - each of which contributed in its own unique way to America's transformation from 13 disparate colonies on the east coast of North America into a global superpower.
These lectures give you the opportunity to grasp the different aspects of our past that combine to make us distinctly American, and to gain the knowledge so essential to recognizing not only what makes this country such a noteworthy part of world history, but the varying degrees to which it has lived up to its ideals.
The lectures chart the five predominant themes that run throughout the chronicle of U.S. history:The American passion for freedom-including religious, political, and economic freedom.
The pursuit of education, which has been the quintessential way for Americans to invent (and reinvent) themselves.
The unquestioned faith in the value of popular government.
The willingness of Americans to experiment with and adapt to new environments and situations.
The belief that the United States is a "city on the hill," a country the likes of which the world has never seen before.
Placing familiar historical events in the context of these overarching themes will help you see American history less as a series of separate events and more as a mosaic in which everything is interconnected.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2003 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2003 The Great Courses
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Nelson C
11-02-2016
Brilliant!
This is a long course, nearly 44 hrs, but it was one of the best series of lectures I've had the privilege of enjoying. Each lecturer was fantastic and added their own unique skills in the presentation of their respective subject matter. These lectures weren't a dry retelling of historical events, they captured the feel of the time and what was going on behind the scenes. There was a lot of depth added as they looked at the cultural mindset of the various periods, as well by exploring technological advancement, economic change and much more that added that little bit extra in widening one's horizon! The course coverage was much wider than simply the history of the US, it drew connections between the development of humanity in the modern age, of which America was at the forefront. If you like history I could not recommend this series highly enough.
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Ash
19-07-2022
Outstanding
A superb and comprehensive account of American history ranging from the earliest settlers to the turn of the millennium. I especially enjoyed the expertise and 'bottled-enthusiasm' of the lecturers. This work is worthy of a 6 star rating and a special thanks is in order to the Great Courses company for assembling and delivering this body of work; job well done.
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Anonymous User
29-07-2020
EXCELLENT!!!!!
Amazing lectures that will change your perception on many subjects regarding not only the US but the world too.
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Isabella
10-07-2017
Fantastic!
This book is fantastic, incredibly interesting with the right amount of detail to be interesting but not overwhelming. The narration is great. Can't recommend this book highly enough!
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Michelle Bourke
24-04-2016
Insightful, listenable and a marathon!
This was my first intro to US history. The natural speaking and obvious experience of each professor made this extremely listenable and enjoyable. It's hard to imagine a time where I wasn't excited to learn about history when through this it was so immensely interesting.
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The History of the United States, 2nd Edition, Vols. 1-7
(The Great Courses)
by
Allen C. Guelzo
4.30 · Rating details · 90 ratings · 15 reviews
The Teaching Company Course #8500 - Printed Lecture Transcript and Course Guide only.
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Published by The Teaching Company
ISBN13
9791565857642
Edition Language
English
Series
The Great Courses
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Jan 05, 2020Riku Sayuj rated it really liked it
Shelves: history, history-america, history-colonial, ttc, great-courses, usa, history-cultural
First experiment with a great courses lecture. Used the guidebook and transcript as much as the lecture, hence adding here.
Lecture Breakdown:
Professor Guelzo (Lectures 1-36) - Colonization to mid 19th century
- Brilliant. Made me a fan of the Great Courses. Great storytelling and pacing.
Professor Gallagher (Lectures 37-48) - American Civil War era
- Bit of a let down after Prof. Guelzo. Went ahead hoping the pace picks up after the extra detailing of the civil war.
Professor Allitt (Lectures 49-84) - Late 19th century into the 21st century
- Disappointing. Very cursory, no storytelling involved and a lot of thematic treatments that skip ahead and back ignoring the timeline structure followed till lecture 48. Expected better of Prof. Allitt. (less)
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Sep 11, 2020Andrew Smith rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Shelves: history-politics, non-fiction, courses
This 42 hour long audiobook comprises 84 half-hour lectures on the history of the United States of America from its colonial origins to the beginning of the 21st century. It’s broken into three sections, each presented by one of three award winning historians.
Section 1
Focuses on the discovery by Europeans and their subsequent settlement, how this impacted the native population and also how this mix of people created a country unique amongst other, older nations of the West and of the world. It discusses how the United States managed to assimilate many different peoples from many different places and how this eclectic group, planted along the eastern coast of North America, developed such unprecedented religious, political and economic freedoms. Finally it talks of how the natural resources found in this land enabled its inhabitants to generate an abundance of wealth and of the many confrontations that transpired as it worked out how best to use it.
Led by Professor Allen C. Guelzo it’s told as the big story it is, in a really engaging way. It’s almost like a huge fictional tale, with the history being allowed to unfold with plenty of cliffhangers and loads of dramatic events. I really enjoyed the telling of this element of the country’s history.
Section 2
This section covers the events leading up to the American Civil War, the war itself and it’s immediate aftermath.
I’d previously listed to and extended series of lectures covering this period from Professor Gary W Gallagher, who delivers the sessions here. Again, it’s set out in the style of a good story and as in the Section 1 events are covered pretty much chronologically. But I think because I’d enjoyed the extended series covering this period so much I felt a little short changed by this section.
Section 3
This time the lectures are presented by an Englishman, Professor Patrick N. Allitt. After listening to two American voices, Allitt's East Midlands twang did feel a little incongruous but I soon got used to the change.
It picks up the period from the late 19th Century and takes us through to just beyond the start of the 21st Century. This time the style is different and the lectures are diced up according to various themes, such as industrialisation, railroads, indian wars, religion etc. It does follow a rough timeline through the period and, actually, I think this way of covering the period does work well. As with previous sections, I found it both entertaining and informative.
The series is supported by a 408 page document which provides additional information and pictures, recommended supporting reading and detailed timelines. It’s a very comprehensive document.
It’s a superb series of lectures and I’d recommend it to anyone interested in the history of this vast land. Despite its length it is positioned as an ‘introduction’ to the history of America and I can see why that is: despite providing a huge amount of information I kept thinking I’d like to know more about quite a number of themes and events. More study will certainly follow. (less)
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Jan 29, 2020Michelle Halliwell rated it it was amazing
Simply the best way to consumer American history. These guys tell is in an interesting way. I was not disappointed in the least.
flag3 likes · Like · comment · see review
Oct 24, 2021James Bartel rated it it was amazing
Shelves: audio, history-travel, non-fiction
This was an excellent overview of American history. I would recommend it to anyone interested in the topic. Most content about the history of a country (especially America) cannot help but have a positive or negative spin (although it's difficult to find anyone writing about America in a positive light lately). This lecture series did a great job at finding the balance. It painted a picture of a country that, while often falling short of it's aspirations, truly did aspire in ways that make America exceptional.
The course is broken into 84 30-minute lectures, taught by 3 professors at American universities. Professor Guelzo taught the first 36 which took us from Columbus up to the first rumblings of the civil war. He was truly excellent. Professor Gallagher covered the civil war and reconstruction, and then professor Allitt took us into the early 21st century. Both of these professors were good, but not as good as Guelzo. (less)
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Jul 30, 2022Arka Sadhu rated it it was amazing
Pretty amazing book which covers most of the history albeit focusing on breadth rather than depth. I was most engrossed by the parts about pre-revolution, and just after revolution America. In particular, the stuff about Henry Clayton, John Quincy Adams, and Andrew Jackson and how the politics played out. I always had a bit of rosy picture of post-revolution America, but there were far too many variables in the equation and things were way more chaotic. Some stuff on post civil war such as Rutherford, and Bull Mose are also fascinating. (less)
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Jun 20, 2020Carol rated it did not like it
You would think that by this point in time that a book on American History would appropriately cover the dark side of this countries history, as well as major movements. The history of indigenous peoples is only glancingly referred to. There is no history of the injustices natives still experience today.
The atrocities of slave life are given only cursory coverage but there was plenty of time for unnecessary anecdotes about military life.
The civil rights movement is barely a footnote, as is the feminist movement, and the internment of Japanese Americans. The history of contemporary American Presidents is suspiciously slanted with praise for Reagan and “successful” wars under both Bush administrations. The history of the Gore Bush election and voting irregularities is only referred to as a recount. There certainly isn’t information on the wars in the Middle East, growing economic disparity, the changes in voting laws and election contribution changes that you would expect in a history of our democracy. Any reasonable history must include a history of its people and not just the history of it’s military, it’s battles and the machinations of power.
The book closes with “reflections” where some of the glaring omissions are suddenly mentioned without context or background. Shame on Great Courses for putting this out. (less)
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Aug 21, 2019Dolly Sauza rated it really liked it
This was easy to like because I’m a big fan of American history. Most of this was common knowledge but history is a fun subject when you’re interested in reflecting and analyzing on how we got to our current situation.
I really enjoyed the lecturers. Not only were their insights and evaluations interesting, but they read with enthusiasm.
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Jul 11, 2022Obadiah Dalrymple rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
It's hard to rate this as a book. It really is a long course. The breadth of it is impressive. It is covered by three readers. The first reader was phenomenal. His was my favorite approach to history. It felt chronological but he presented it like a story so the pieces fit together nicely and you feel like you get the big picture afterwards. He was dynamic.
The second reader had less dynamic and less story-like, but he was a more traditional historian. Individuals who like dates and facts and what seemed to be a little more depth would prefer the second section and reader, covering the Civil War.
The third read was yet another style which I sometimes appreciated and sometimes didn't. He was more of a commentator than a historian. He still gave the major events and key influences, but he also came to what felt like conclusions. His was more political. Interestingly, I found myself in eager agreement with him sometimes, and in sharp disagreement at others, and even what can only be described as inspired by him at the end. So I didn't feel like he was politically biased to one American party, but was instead very pragmatic. Because of that, some listeners would prefer him.
All three readers had their own unique style, but each still did a great job of covering the key events. I recommend this to any American, just to get a big picture look at the development of our society - from explorers finding the new world to the twin towers, it is a rich and diverse history. America does not live up to her own ideals, but as the final reader argued, by comparison, she is the most economically rich, militarily powerful, ethnically open and assimilating, poverty eradicating, innovative, and charitable country this world has ever seen. She doesn't live up to her own ideals, but there is nothing to compare to her. (less)
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Apr 21, 2021Fred Astair rated it it was amazing
I'm in the middle of my second time listening to this truly Great Course. I'm glad I never had a History teacher like this in school, otherwise I might have majored in History instead of Engineering. This would be better titled as the Story of the United States because the facts are told as an enticing story with lots of references to the times including anecdotes, quotes, backgrounds and even suggested reading on different topics for those who want to know more. (less)
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Jan 16, 2022Diana Shaffner rated it it was amazing
Shelves: history
What a fantastic lecture series! The Material presented is very interesting spanning from the first moments of Europeans arriving in North America almost to our present times. Of course despite the enormous amount of material presented the whole course can only deliver a basic introduction to US history. Nonetheless, the course is well worth checking out.
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Nov 19, 2021David rated it it was amazing
Shelves: 2021
Pretty great. This was a solid study of American history from various angles. The individual lectures were self contained, but left me wanting to follow onto the next. It made watching Hamilton afterward even more rewarding. :)
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May 24, 2021Kopratic rated it really liked it
Comprehensive yet still leaves room to be even more specific about the topics discussed if you wanted to. Around the early 20th century (excluding WW2), I did feel like things suddenly went at a really fast pace compared to the early centuries. Though it's understood why (less)
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Oct 13, 2021Aaron rated it really liked it
Interesting overview of history of United States
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May 18, 2022Dane Kowalick rated it really liked it
Good stuff. One could say, great stuff.
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May 16, 2020AttackGirl rated it it was amazing
Shelves: 2021
Well told, fun exciting, and intriguing whether we agree with the details or not it’s still a great course.
