Best of
American-History

1948

Rosa Parks: My Story


Rosa Parks - 1948
    Yet there is much more to her story than this one act of defiance. In this straightforward, compelling autobiography, Rosa Parks talks candidly about the civil rights movement and her active role in it. Her dedication is inspiring; her story is unforgettable.The simplicity and candor of this courageous woman's voice makes these compelling events even more moving and dramatic.--Publishers Weekly, starred review

Crusade in Europe


Dwight D. Eisenhower - 1948
    Eisenhower was arguably the single most important military figure of World War II. For many historians, his memoirs of this eventful period of U.S. history have become the single most important record of the war. Crusade in Europe tells the complete story of the war as Eisenhower planned and lived it. Through his eyes, the enormous scope and drama of the war—strategy, battles, moments of fateful decision—become fully illuminated in all their fateful glory.Yet this is also a warm and richly human account. Ike recalls the long months of waiting, planning, and working toward victory in Europe. His personal record of the tense first hours after he had issued the order to attack—and there was no turning back—leaves no doubt of Eisenhower's travail and reveals this great man in ways that no biographer has ever surpassed.

Okinawa: The Last Battle


Roy Edgar Appleman - 1948
     The battle for the island of Okinawa would last for the next eighty-two days. Through the course of this dramatic battle over 20,000 Americans would lose their lives and over 75,000 Japanese were killed in one of the bloodiest clashes of World War Two. Okinawa: The Last Battle is a remarkably detailed account of this monumental event by four soldiers who witnessed the action first-hand. They take the reader to heart of the fight explaining the preparations for the invasion, under its codename Operation Iceberg, through to the major conflicts at the beachhead, Ie Shima, breaking through the defenses surrounding Shuri and overcoming the last-ditch counter-offenses of the Japanese. This book is essential reading for anyone interested the Pacific Theater and how the United States Marines and Army were able to overcome the Japanese in the last few months of the war. Corporal Eugene B. Sledge said of the battle: "The Japanese fought to win - it was a savage, brutal, inhumane, exhausting and dirty business." Okinawa: The Last Battle was written by U. S. Army historians who participated in the Ryukyus campaign as members of a group organized to accompany the American forces to the Ryukyus and secure at first hand the materials for a history of their operations. Maj. Roy E. Appleman was attached to the 27th Division, M/Sgt. James M. Burns and Lt. Col. Stevens accompanied the Tenth Army headquarters and Capt. Russell A. Gugeler served with the 7th Division on Okinawa. After the war many of the authors went on to become prominent military historians. Appleman passed away in 1996, Burns in 2014, Stevens in 2001 and Gugeler in 1985. Their work was first published in 1948.

Book of Black Heroes From A to Z


Wade Hudson - 1948
    Book of Black Heroes from A to Z shares with young readers the stories 54 pioneers whose courage, strength and lasting accomplishments have earned them the title "hero".Read about: Arctic explorer Matthew HensonSouth African human rights advocate Nelson Mandela Liberian President Ellen Sirleaf JohnsonPioneering Black historian Benjamin QuarlesDiscover how: Jackie Robinson integrated Major League BaseballRichard Allen went from enslavement to co-founder and Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal ChurchJean Baptiste DuSable, a Haiti-born fur trader, founded the city of ChicagoConstance Baker Motley helped James Meredith become the first black person to go to the University of MississippiFirst published in 1988 and with, more than 400,000 copies in print, Book of Black Heroes from A to Z has become a "go to" black history staple in classrooms, homes and libraries. This updated edition includes expanded biographies, quotes and factoids, a two-page narrative honoring the 150th anniversary of the enactment of the Emancipation Proclamation and several new entries including a profile of President Barack Obama, the first African American elected President of the United States.Whether their names are familiar or new, the journeys and many achievements of Book of Black Heroes honorees are truly inspiring and can help all children realize that even in the face of obstacles, they too can make important contributions to our world.

The American Political Tradition and the Men Who Made It


Richard Hofstadter - 1948
    First published in 1948, its elegance, passion, and iconoclastic erudition laid the groundwork for a totally new understanding of the American past. By writing a "kind of intellectual history of the assumptions behind American politics," Richard Hofstadter changed the way Americans understand the relationship between power and ideas in their national experience. Like only a handful of American historians before him—Frederick Jackson Turner and Charles A. Beard are examples—Hofstadter was able to articulate, in a single work, a historical vision that inspired and shaped an entire generation.

Maria: The Potter of San Ildefonso


Alice Marriott - 1948
    She lives in the pueblo of San Ildefonso, near Santa Fé, New Mexico, and although her life has been, as closely as she could make it, the normal life of a woman of her culture, her unusual qualities have set her apart and gained her fame throughout the world.Through her mastery of pottery-making, María brought economic gain to her family and her village. However, distressing problems accompanied success and fame. Liquor ultimately wrecked Julían. There was dissension within the pueblo. And there was the succession of admiring white people who invaded her home and interrupted her work. Not least, in María view, was the departure of her own children from many Pueblo customs.Inextricably woven into the story of María is the story of the pottery of the Southwestern Pueblos, a native craft that has become a national art interest, including the development of the unique black-on-black ware by Julián, the first of which is reproduced among the illustrations.Margaret Lefranc’s many accurate drawings of actual pieces of pottery provide an almost complete documentary history of the craft and show some of the finest examples of María’s art. Her skilled pen has also interpreted faithfully the spirit of María, the Pueblo Indians, and the pottery.

Wit and Wisdom


Benjamin Franklin - 1948
    64-page hardcover pocket gift book with dust jacket, 3-1/4'' wide by 5-3/8'' high.

The Roosevelt Myth


John T. Flynn - 1948
    Like other academics they tend to be overwhelmingly on the left. "Left-liberal historians worship political power, and idolize those who wield it most lavishly in the service of left-liberal causes." (Higgs) Why should it be surprising that they venerate Roosevelt and try to get a credulous public to do the same? For a rather different view, the reader can now turn to The Roosevelt Myth, which was and, after half a century, remains the major debunking of Franklin Roosevelt.

Three Ships Come Sailing


Gilchrist Waring - 1948
    Publisher: Dietz Press Author: Gilchrist Waring Format: 35 pages, paperback ISBN: 0-87517-013-7

Especially Father


Gladys Taber - 1948