The Land and the People [antikvár]

Preface In most readers an attempt is made to provide the student with materials that are as light and entertaining as possible. Such readers generally concentrate on fictional materials alone. Naturally, there is a need for readers of this type in the average curriculum. On the other hand, there are also class situations where reading material of a more serious nature is required. Either students in these classes do not like fiction, or they simply prefer reading materials of a more practical kind. Such students wish to learn something at the same time they practice reading. The present group of four readers, while offering selections that are interesting and readable, tries to tell something about the story of the United States in organized form. The articles cover, in general, the history of the United States, its geography, and its important people. There are also occasional articles that deal directly with certain phases of American life and culture. For the purposes of this book, the term America refers to North America, and the term Americans refers to North Americans. To be more exact, Book I, The Land and the People, deals with the geography of the United States, particularly as it relates to the territorial growth and expansion of the country from earliest times to the present day. Book II, People and History, tells the story of certain famous Americans as revealed through the historical events that helped