Presents a view of American history through the words, songs, letters, diaries, and other documents of individuals such as pilgrims, pioneers, explorers, slaves, Native Americans, politicians, and a

Offers a narrative history of African-Americans through a collection of correspondences from a variety of men and women, including slaves, politicians, civil rights activists, entertainers, and others.

Presents a collection of letters offering first-hand insights into the Civil War, the First and Second World Wars, Korea, Vietnam, the Cold War, the Persian Gulf, Somalia, and the Balkans. Features dramatic accounts of combat written immediately after ferocious battles; poignant expressions of love by homesick husbands and sweethearts; humorous anecdotes and gripes about insufferable conditions; thoughtful reflections on the nature of war; and a startling...

"Every evening for 8 years, at his request, President Obama received a binder containing ten handpicked letters from ordinary American citizens -- the unfiltered voice of a nation -- from his Office of Presidential Correspondence. He was the first to President to save constituent mail, and this is the story of how those letters affected not only the President and his policies, but also the deeply committed people who were tasked with opening the millions...

Features approximately 200 previously unpublished letters and emails, personal correspondence of US and foreign troops and civilians who have experienced major conflixcts firsthand, from the American Revolution to 9/11, Afghanistan and Iraq.

"What does a father write to his wife and young children when he's gone to war? Does he explain why he left them? How does he answer their constant questions about his return? Which of his experiences does he relate, and which does he pass over? Should he describe his feelings of separation and loneliness? These questions are as they were over 150 years ago, when David Brainard Griffin, a corporal in Company F of the 2nd Minnesota Regiment of...