America: Reconstruction (America, Great Crises In Our History Told by its Makers)

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The reconstruction era following the Civil War, and the history of the Union up
to 1890, is covered by this volume, which gives you a profound and fascinating
basis on which to form your opinions. It opens with the post-war reflections of
Generals Robert E Lee and Ulysses S Grant. Buffalo Bill Cody describes buffalo
hunting, and there are contemporary accounts of the financial crisis of 1869,
the great Chicago fire of 1871, and the panic of 1873. You’ll read reports of
great technological advances: the laying of the first successful Atlantic cable,
the first transcontinental railroad, the coming of the telephone, Edison's
invention of the electric light. In politics, writers of the time comment on the
impeachment of President Johnson, the election of President Grant, the 14th and
15th amendments, the Alaska Purchase, the Ku-Klux Klan, 'carpet-bag' government,
the McKinley Tariff Bill – and some bitterly-fought Presidential contests and a
Presidential assassination.

Introduction To The Series

"After you've heard two eyewitness accounts of an auto accident, you begin to
worry about history." This observation, attributed to the comedian Henny
Youngman, summarizes the dilemma you face when you want to find out what really
happened in the past. When you read a history book, the "facts" are actually the
author's own interpretation, often colored by a conscious or unconscious wish to
have you share a particular point of view. You're one step
removed from the original source material.

That's why the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States compiled this 12-
volume collection of writings of people who actually witnessed the key events in
American history - the actual actors in the events or contemporary observers of
them. Past historians have spent decades locating, studying and consulting vast
amounts of material such as this. This meticulously chosen selection brings you
the essence of history as originally recorded by those who participated in it.

You'll be reading mostly eye-witness accounts, by people contemporary with the
events they describe, including many significant historical figures themselves.
So you can make your own assessments, draw your own conclusions and gain an
understanding of past events undistorted by the prejudices, assumptions and
selectivity of professional historians. In some instances where there aren't
reliable or easily accessible eye-witness accounts, the compilers have chosen
extracts from objective, authoritative historians of past generations such as
Francis Parkman whose judgements have stood the test of time. Through these
accounts, your knowledge of American history will be immeasurably greater, your
understanding of the key events in the building of the nation immensely
increased.

Founded in 1899, the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States is a
nonprofit organization dedicated to foster camaderie among United States
veterans of overseas conflicts, from the Spanish-American War to Iraq and
Afghanistan, and to ensure that they receive due respect and entitlements for
the sacrifices they and their loved ones have made on behalf of the nation. With
this mission, the VFW has a natural desire to encourage a broad understanding
and appreciation of American history, and this essential collection of
historical documents makes a huge contribution to that aim.