by Fritz Hirschfeld (1997)
No history of racism in America can be considered complete without taking into account the role that George Washington - the principal founding father - played in helping to mold the racist cast of the new nation. Because General Washington - the universally acknowledged hero of the Revolutionary War - in the postwar period uniquely combined the moral authority, personal prestige, and political power to influence significantly the course and the outcome of the slavery debate, his opinions on the subject of slaves and slavery are of crucial importance to understanding how racism succeeded in becoming an integral and official part of the national fabric during its formative stages. Relying primarily on Washington's own words - his correspondence, diaries, and other written records - supplemented by letters, comments, and eyewitness reports of family members, friends, employees, aides, correspondents, colleagues, and visitors to Mount Vernon, together with contemporary newspaper clippings and official documents pertaining to Washington's relationships with African Americans, Fritz Hirschfeld traces Washington's transition from a conventional slaveholder to a lukewarm abolitionist.
Richard B. Morris, James Woodress
Uses excerpts from letters, diaries, novels, poetry, press reports, documents, and other contemporary sources to portray the events in Europe and the United States before, during, and after World War I.
Sanford Wexler
Uses speeches, articles, and other writings of those involved to trace the history of the civil rights movement in the United States, primarily from 1954 to 1965.
Dee Brown
Detailed accounts of the 14 most important battles fought in the West, including the Battle of Wilson's Creek and the Battle of Westport.
Adriane Ruggiero
Presents the history of the United States's involvement in World War I through excerpts taken from letters, newspaper articles, speeches and songs dating from the period.