|
|
American History Reading List
1830 - 1850
The Alamo & Davy Crockett, Western Expansion, the Industrial Revolution
The Alamo & Davy Crockett are major themes in the 1830's. Topics expand in the 1840's to include western expansion, immigration, the Industrial Revolution, and pioneer life. This period is also the appropriate time for the Junior High or High School student to read Tom Sawyer. The older student would get a great picture of industrialization, child labor, and the hardships of the workers from the historical fiction, Lyddie. Be sure to read the description & cautionary notes below for this title.
A Gathering of Days : A New England Girl's Journal, 1830-32 by Joan W. Blos. Charles Scribner's Sons, 1979. UE+
Newbery Medal. Gives a glimpse of life on an early American farm in New Hampshire.
A Line in the Sand: The Alamo Diary of Lucinda Lawrence, Gonzales, Texas, 1836 (Dear America) by Sherry Garland. Scholastic, 1998. UE+
The life of a "Texian" girl is affected by Texas' struggle with Santa Ana. The story behind the Alamo. Caution: One sentence describing out-of-control soldiers ravaging the town says they "molest[ed] the women." This is the extent of the description.
Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall, illus. Barbara Cooney K-E
Caldecott Medal. Daily life throughout an entire year of a New England farmer and his family.
A Picture Book of Davy Crockett (Picture Book Biography) by David A. Adler; illus. John & Alexandra Wallner. Holiday House, 1996. E
Well illustrated; can be read in one sitting. Alludes to the tall tales of Davy Crockett, so be sure to read a few at the same time! (see 1800s -- Tall Tales)
Samuel Morse and the Telegraph (Graphic Library: Inventions and Discovery series) by David Seidman, illus. David Seidman, Rod Whigham, Charles Barnett III. Capstone Press, 2007. E-UE
Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie: The Oregon Trail Diary of Hattie Campbell, 1847 (Dear America) by Kristiana Gregory.
Not yet reviewed.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. JH+
Fictional adventures of a young boy, based on life in the deep South in the 1840's. Sequel is Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Attack in the Rye Grass (Trailblazers Series) by Dave & Neta Jackson. UE-JH
Christian historical fiction. Marcus & Narcissa Whitman, Oregon Territory pioneers.
If You Traveled West in a Covered Wagon by Ellen Levine, illus. Elroy Freem. Scholastic, 1986. E-UE
Describes the journey on the Oregon Trail by asking questions and giving answers.
Katie's Wish by Barbara Shook Hazen, illus. Emily Arnold McCully. Dial Books, 2002. K-E
Caldecott Medal. The Irish potato famine sends a girl from her native land to America.
The Legend of Jimmy Spoon (Great Episode series) by Kristiana Gregory. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1990. UE+
Jimmy thinks he is riding with Indians for a few days, but ends up adopted by the chief's family far away from home. Good adventure story, good ending, and excellent resource on Indian (Shoshoni) culture.
Lyddie by Katherine Paterson. Lodestar Books, 1991. JH+
Lyddie finds work in the mills in Lowell, Mass., to get out of desperate circumstances. Excellent look at New England's mills and the need for labor reform! Caution: a respected unmarried character makes immoral choices and becomes pregnant, but she does reap negative consequences. Also, Lyddie repels a supervisor's unwelcome advances.
Moccasin Trail 
by Eloise Jarvis McGraw. Scholastic, 1952. UE-JH
Jim had lived with Indians for years, and finds it difficult to readjust to his own family's ways. He helps them travel to Oregon, but will he stay? Good adventure story, and a favorite book for boys.
A Pioneer Sampler : The Daily Life of a Pioneer Family in 1840 by Barbara Greenwood, illus. Heather Collins. Houghton Mifflin, 1994. UE
Stories, explanations, and craft/activity suggestions are intermingled to cover virtually every aspect of pioneer life. Illustrated throughout. Good book!
Walking the Road to Freedom: A Story About Sojourner Truth (Carolrhoda Creative Minds Book) by Jeri Ferris, illus. Peter E. Hanson. E-UE
Westward To Home: Joshua's Oregon Trail Diary by Patricia Hermes. Scholastic 2001. E-UE
The Wild West (See Through History) by Tim Wood. Viking Press, 1996. UE-JH
Explains westward expansion from the late 1700's to 1800's with colorful illustrations, one major topic per two-page spread.
|
|
