School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-The American Civil War was a defining moment in this country's history. Seidman explores events leading up to it, the conflict itself, and Reconstruction through the eyes of people who lived through them. Divided into eight chapters, the volume utilizes primary sources including letters, diaries, newspaper articles, cartoons, and photographs. A short introduction prefaces the documents that tell the story of the fighting. Richly illustrated with informative, detailed captions and sidebars that often quote Civil War personalities, this is an exceptional addition to any library. Classroom teachers will make use of it not only for the documents but also as a tool to teach where history comes from. Voices from the past help students find answers to the myriad questions of why Americans would fight and kill fellow Americans.-Patricia Ann Owens, Wabash Valley College, Mt. Carmel, IL Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Horn Book (Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2001)

With increasing demand for primary sources in today's curriculum, this book is right on target with its contents drawn from letters, diaries, photos, and newspaper and magazine articles, among others. Seidman's comments precede each original source and place it in context; an introduction on interpreting documents is useful. The number and variety of documents make this a valuable resource for students and teachers. Bib., ind.

ALA Booklist (Fri Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2000)

Seidman's documents bookend the Civil War with the territorial expansion that preceded the conflict and with the Reconstruction that followed it. In this structure the documents, under the guidance of Seidman's linking narrative, all make a powerful impression of immediacy about ordinary people's experience of, and condemnation or defense of, slavery. In the sections of the war proper, Seidman continues the emphasis on the ordinary person's experience, whether a soldier or a contraband slave creating pressures on civil and military authorities. The course of actual military events thereby shrinks to secondary status, with relatively few documents presented about battles, campaigns, and leaders (Gettysburg is an exception). Such is Seidman's interpretive decision, and it's a respectable one in the historiography of the war--among others that could have been made--yet making decisions makes historical research interesting.