First Son is studying American Government this year, working roughly from the new Mater Amabilis™ high school American Civics and Economics. He had already done some reading based on the previous beta plans so I was mixing and matching a bit. I have been thrilled with all the primary sources selected and scheduled in the MA plans, but I found I was having trouble putting them all in context, so I have been looking for a more narrative text telling the story of American government.
This book was mentioned in one of the linked articles early in the course. Our library had a copy. Once I'd read enough to know I liked it, I requested a copy from PaperBackSwap.com. (My copy is the third edition; I read online the only difference in the fourth edition is the new introduction.)
It's a thorough but readable account of the events, debates, speeches, and essays leading to the development of the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. It describes prominent people in both Britain and America, allowing their voices to speak out more clearly in the primary sources we were reading. The author is not afraid to share his personal opinions, but he does a decent job of revealing conflicts and blind spots of the founding fathers while still respecting and admiring the dedication they had to the founding of a new country and the substantial contributions they made to our country.
First Son will not reap the benefits of this book. He's doing the readings and narrating them adequately, if not necessarily understanding as well as he might. He's not particularly interested in government, and I don't want to add to his current load. My younger three kids will definitely read this book. First Daughter will love it!
I am hoping to pair this with an additional supporting text just on the Federalist papers. I believe First Daughter will start this course her sophomore year, so I have a year in between to solidify in my mind what I'd like to create. I really just want to add this to what is in the MA plans, but I am cognizant of the need to balance civics and government with all the other things, so there might be some adjustments on other readings to make room for it.
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