Trout Library Blog

The Trout Library has a significant collection of books on American history, which are located on the second floor primarily in the Rotunda. For July, to mark the month in which the country's independence is celebrated, we have created a display featuring a number of these books. It can be found on the slatwall just inside the Library entrance. Understanding history provides us with a fuller context of where we are now and where we might be going in the future. Therefore, we invite everybody to come look at our book display. Check out a book or two and enrich your knowledge of this important topic!

The following are some of my recommendations from the display:

 

1776 by David McCullough

Call Number: 973.3 .M478 2005

Tells the stirring story of the year of our nation's birth, 1776, interweaving, on both sides of the Atlantic, the actions and decisions that led Great Britain to undertake a war against her rebellious colonial subjects and that placed America's survival in the hands of George Washington. Presents the story of Americans in the ranks, men of every shape, size, and color, farmers, schoolteachers, shoemakers, no-accounts, and mere boys turned soldiers as well as the story of the King's men such as the British commander, William Howe, and his highly disciplined redcoats.

 

 

Liberty!: The American Revolution by Thomas Fleming

Call Number: 973.3 .F597 1997

This book is new to the collection. It brings to life one of the most important and compelling stories in our country's history: the struggle for independence and the birth of the American nation. The gripping narrative captures the high drama of the revolutionary years and the unyielding courage and political genius of the men and women who imagined a new set of political possibilities for mankind -- laying the foundation for the identity and character of the American people in the process. The book is illustrated with more than 200 full-color paintings and photographs.

 

 

Miracle at Philadelphia by Catherine D. Bowen

Call Number: 342.7302 .B7866

A history of the Federal Convention in Philadelphia that resulted in the Constitution of the United States.

 

 

 

 

 

The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels by Jon Meacham

Call Number: 973 .M479 2018

Helps us understand the present moment in American politics and life by looking back at critical times in our history when hope overcame division and fear. Explores contentious periods and how presidents and citizens came together to defeat the forces of anger, intolerance, and extremism, bringing vividly to life turning points in American history. -- including the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the birth of the Lost Cause; the backlash against immigrants in the First World War and the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s; the fight for women's rights; the demagoguery of Huey Long and Father Coughlin and the isolationist work of America First in the years before World War II; the anti-Communist witch-hunts led by Senator Joseph McCarthy; and Lyndon Johnson's crusade against Jim Crow.

 

What Unites Us: Reflections on Patriotism by Dan Rather; Elliot Kirschner

Call Number: 323.650973 .R234 2017

The renowned journalist reflects on what it means to be an American, reminding us of the principles upon which the United States was founded and looking at the freedoms that define us, the values that have transformed us, the institutions that sustain us, and the traits that helped form our young country. Traces where we have been in order help us chart a way forward and heal our bitter divisions.

 

 

Remember that if you have questions about these resources or any others, please don’t hesitate to ask us. You may visit the Library during the hours posted on the Library's homepage, email us at library@harcum.edu, use our chat service, or call us at 610-526-6085.