A new Capstone chapter in each volume prompts students to synthesize information from a variety of sources on a single topic. Having given in-depth attention to a wide range of source types in each volume, students can now put their skills to work by analyzing a collection of different source types related to a single topic over a long time span. Volume 1 culminates in the study of nineteenth-century Fourth of July observations using speeches, illustrations, diary entries, and other primary sources. Volume 2 uses cartoons, magazine articles, song lyrics, and other primary documents to examine women, work, and family from 1950 to 2000.
Four all-new chapters provide fresh sources and emphasize underrepresented voices in American history. In Volume 1, a new chapter on Indian Removal presents articles from the Cherokee Phoenix and a new chapter on the antebellum South features excerpts from slave narratives. In Volume 2, a new chapter on early twentieth-century immigration includes a collection of Mexican folk songs and a new chapter on 1960s counter-culture presents a secondary-source description of the Columbia University student rebellion.
New checklists appear in each chapter, providing a quick-reference list of critical thinking questions for each source type. With an emphasis on author, purpose, audience, and bias, the checklists serve as helpful guidelines and reminders for students interrogating all types of historical sources, whether in the textbook or beyond.