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U.S. History and Government: Readings and Documents
Grades 10–12
Primary sources to extend topics in U.S. History (1865–Present) & Constitutional Foundations
Follow-up explanations connect content to larger historical contexts.
This collection of 122 primary source readings and documents, spanning from 1500 to the present, provides excellent preparation for Advanced Placement® or end-of course United States history and government exams. Unit introductions provide historical background and an overview of the unit content while document introductions describe the themes, time period, and persons in a document.
Excerpts include personal narratives, diary entries, songs, poems, writings about political and social rights, laws and codes, speeches and writings of United States Presidents, and important Supreme Court cases. Readings include a colonial indenture agreement, Thoreau on civil disobedience, statements on women’s rights, the hardships of the Depression, the civil rights movement, Vietnam, the war on terrorism, and more. Excerpted speeches and writings of United States presidents and selections from important Supreme Court cases document the breadth of government involvement in domestic and world affairs are also included.
Review questions focus on spurring critical thinking and thorough discussion of key concepts. Units conclude with a document-based question rooted in readings and an understanding of United States history and government.
