The History of the United States, 2nd Edition

By: The Great Courses, Allen C. Guelzo, Gary W. Gallagher, Patrick N. Allitt

Narrated by: Allen C. Guelzo, Gary W. Gallagher, Patrick N. Allitt

Length: 43 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

This comprehensive series of 84 lectures features three award-winning historians sharing their insights into this nation's past - from the European settlement and the Revolutionary War through the Civil War, 19th-century industrialization, two world wars, and the present day.

While American history spans not much more than two centuries, it is filled with a wealth of leaders, wars, movements, inventions, and ideas - each of which contributed in its own unique way to America's transformation from 13 disparate colonies on the east coast of North America into a global superpower.

These lectures give you the opportunity to grasp the different aspects of our past that combine to make us distinctly American, and to gain the knowledge so essential to recognizing not only what makes this country such a noteworthy part of world history, but the varying degrees to which it has lived up to its ideals.

The lectures chart the five predominant themes that run throughout the chronicle of U.S. history:

• The American passion for freedom-including religious, political, and economic freedom.
• The pursuit of education, which has been the quintessential way for Americans to invent (and reinvent) themselves.
• The unquestioned faith in the value of popular government.
• The willingness of Americans to experiment with and adapt to new environments and situations.
• The belief that the United States is a "city on the hill," a country the likes of which the world has never seen before.

Placing familiar historical events in the context of these overarching themes will help you see American history less as a series of separate events and more as a mosaic in which everything is interconnected.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2003 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2003 The Great Courses

This team made American History more vivid than a Tom Clancy novel

Never once did I feel lectured to, rather the subject matter was presented in such a real and vivid way that it felt more like reading a Tom Clancy novel. If I had these scholars in high school or college I would have majored in History instead of engineering. Characters in American History were brought to life with quotes. Novels were used as references of timely issues. Absolutely compelling story telling and it is our history. The story of us.

What an incredible journey

I loved this course and will be relistening to it fit years. The narrators were excellent.

Another great title by the great courses

Good evening

I really hope you all are well and enjoying ourselves tonight. I thoroughly enjoyed this course by the great courses I do not mean to brag, but I know I am a history buff. However, this was the greatest US American synopsis of history I could ever have read in my life.

Additionally, I would highly recommend this book if you need a refresher course in US history. These scholar experts explained it so well.
Now, is it lengthy Yes, but it is a worthwhile read.

I said before and I will say it again. I wish more people enjoyed history much as I do it’s so invigorating and so interesting. I cannot believe we’ve only scratched the surface of the planet, we call Earth. When we have been on earth for 21 centuries and we still don’t know everything there is to know about the planet. We call earth anyway good night guys I will talk to you later bye.

Excellent overview of American History! Not too much bias.

I didn't like the remark that Bob Dole was one of the "dumbest" candidates of the 1996 election. Maybe think of a different way to express what you were thinking as to not put someone down.

Great History Lesson

I got this to help myself refresh on US History so that I could test out of a college course. The lecturers are all engaging and knowledgeable, and I definitely learned more than I expected.

Thanks to this book I almost scored perfect on my test.

Must Listen for History Lovers

Where does The History of the United States, 2nd Edition rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It's quite long, but definitely worth it. If you love history, this is a great listen.

What did you like best about this story?

I love learning about American History. This was presented in a slightly different way that was very enjoyable.

Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

n/a

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, I just enjoyed learning.

Great way to learn the arc of US history!

A fantastic story and a great primer for anyone looking to learn he brought swath of United States history short period of time.there's also enough depth in the telling to keep more knowledgeable experts interest.

Informative yet uncritical

This was a very enlightening course and I feel substantially more informed about American history after going through it. It is lengthy and well organized leading you through an overview of American history in an easily accessible way. While I did in general enjoy this lecture series and feel like it was a worthwhile investment I did grow progressively more frustrated with the simplistic and overly positive representation of many elements of American history. One could easily leave this course without sufficient critical distance to standard narratives of American history. Specifically the very lacking treatment of the contributions of black Americans and other minorities and the narrative of American exceptionalism were enormously frustrating in the long run. Nonetheless, a worthy aquaintance if you want an overview of American history.

Pretty darn good until the end.

I feel that the last five or six chapters really lacked the insight, depth and objectivity of the chapters that proceeded.

I also feel like that some political bias has crept into parts of the final chapters. Especially when it comes to the discussion and comparisons between Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan.

I think it would have been better just stopped shortly after the Vietnam era and leave some of the more contemporary history out of this course.

A Grand Journey

What did you love best about The History of the United States, 2nd Edition?

This course did a fantastic job of delving below the surface and explaining both the causes and the ramifications of the events of United States history. You don't just learn the what, but the how and the why. Also, the professors were very talented and knowledgeable.

What did you like best about this story?

It was fascinating to see a step by step journey to the modern world and see how the things we're all familiar with really came to be. It also gave a very human touch to history and didn't feel cold and distant, which too many history courses do.

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

All of the lecturers were great, but the Professor Guelzo was my favorite. He knew had to instill the proper weight into the events and was a master at building suspense. He made history into a grand tale and told it magnificently.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Just a pleasant enjoyment of learning.

Any additional comments?

I would definitely recommend anyone interested in the subject matter to pick this up. It is a great primer on United States history.