What does Miley Cyrus have in common with Sacagawea? How could Steve Jobs have helped Eisenhower? What does the moon landing have to do with the Hilton sisters? In less time than it takes to recite the preamble to the Constitution, most Americans can spout off all their U.S. history knowledge. (Hint: it starts with “In 1492” and ends with “sailed the ocean blue.”) That’s because most history books are as interesting as the phone book—and have the same number of pages. The average Joe (the guy who TiVo’d John Adams on HBO but won’t make Colonial Williamsburg his next vacation spot) needs a witty and edgy history book—and he has it, with with this guide. Hysterical authors—and self-described slackers—Don Stewart and John Pfeifer give readers the bare minimum on important events such as: The Civil War (the war that pitted brother vs. brother—about the bruthas) The expedition of Lewis and Clark (the ultimate road trip) The Boston Tea Party (not much of a party unless that tea was from Long Island) The assassination of JFK (one vacation that ended particularly badly) Combining current pop culture references and accessible historical information, this satirical book catches readers up on what they slept through in History 101.

Bring history to life for students in grades 5 and up using Understanding the U.S. Constitution! This 114-page book includes text, questions, activities, and trial tests that explore the three branches of government, the Articles, and the Amendments. The book also includes a Constitution test and answer keys.

It's hard to imagine that Douglas County's breathtaking vistas--now occupied by expanding suburbs and quiet, open spaces--were once the home to dinosaur herds and, later on, nomadic Indian tribes. The nation's second gold rush brought those seeking great fortunes to central Colorado, but it was the untapped potential of the area and a dream of taming the land that appealed most to early settlers of Douglas County. Pioneers like General Bela Hughes and John D. Perry (whose agreement led to the railroad connection across Kansas to Denver) and Martin Henry Goddard (who, along with his wife, Nellie, ran the Rhode Island Hotel) were among the first of many settlers to establish roots here. Join the Castle Rock Writers for a journey through the history of this land and the diverse legacy left behind by those who made it their home.

How is local history thought about? How should it be approached? Through brief, succinct notes and essay-length entries, the Encyclopedia of Local History presents ideas to consider, sources to use, historical fields and trends to explore. It also provides commentary on a number of subjects, including the everyday topics that most local historians encounter. A handy reference tool that no public historian's desk should be without!

Short, daily warm-ups cover the U.S. Constitution as well as our government and how it functions. Five warm-ups per reproducible page. Includes answer keys and suggestions for use.

Examine the causes, circumstances, and effects of westward expansion in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries through the eyes of pioneers and explorers.

Most Americans familiar with General John J. “Black Jack” Pershing know him as the commander of American Expeditionary Forces in Europe during the latter days of World War I. But Pershing was in his late fifties by then. Pershing’s military career began in 1886, with his graduation from West Point and his first assignments in the American West as a horsebound cavalry officer during the final days of Apache resistance in the Southwest, where Arizona and New Mexico still represented a frontier of blue-clad soldiers, Native Americans, cowboys, rustlers, and miners. But the Southwest was just the beginning of Pershing’s West. He would see assignments over the years in the Dakotas, during the Ghost Dance uprising and the battle of Wounded Knee; a posting at Montana’s Fort Assiniboine; and, following his years in Asia, a return to the West with a posting at the Presidio in San Francisco and a prolonged assignment on the Mexican-American border in El Paso, which led to his command of the Punitive Expedition, tasked with riding deep into Northern Mexico to capture the pistolero Pancho Villa. During those thirty years from West Point to the Western Front, Pershing had a colorful and varied military career, including action during the Spanish-American War and lengthy service in the Philippines. Both were new versions of the American frontier abroad, even as the frontier days of the American West were closing. All of Pershing’s experiences in the American West prepared him for his ultimate assignment as the top American commander during the Great War. If the American frontier and, more broadly, the American West provided a cauldron in which Americans tested themselves during the nineteenth century, they did the same for John Pershing. His story was a historical Western.