Product Description

The Access to History series is the most popular and trusted series for AS and A level history students. The new editions combine all the strengths of this well-loved series with a new design and features that allow all students access to the content and study skills needed to achieve exam success.

This is the fourth edition of 'The American Civil War and its Origins 1848–65', which has been revised and extended to fully cover the 2008 AS and A level specifications for OCR and Edexcel. The book begins by focusing on the westward expansion in America and the problems this caused. It then goes on to look at the rise of the Republican Party and the 1860 presidential election. The causes of the Civil War are traced, as well as the major conflicts during the War, and the conclusion is extended to look both at the Union victory, and the reconstruction period that followed.

Throughout the book key dates, terms and issues are highlighted, and historical interpretations of key debates are outlined. Summary diagrams are included to consolidate knowledge and understanding of the period, and exam-style questions and tips written by examiners for each examination board provide the opportunity to develop exam skills.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #151796 in Books
• Published on: 2008-06-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

About the Author
Alan Farmer is a successful author of History texts.

Customer Reviews

Simplistic
This book is really designed for A-level students of lower ability. It is frankly too basic. The language is deliberately dumbed down. The book limits itself to a simple synopsis of the period. It does no more than mention the really significant issues of the American Civil War. You will find absolutely no decent analysis in questions such as the secession movement as a planters' conspiracy, the significance of the Emancipation Proclamation or how significant the moral question of slavery was in the outbreak of hostilities.

The book explains words such as 'conscription' and 'inflation' in the margins! It is so basic it almost patronises. It posseses no line of argument and does not conclude anything whatsoever - nothing more than a timeline with a few insipid paragraphs of discussion.

Really only useful for a desperate cramming session the night before an exam.

A much better starting book for students and general readers that is both analytical and accessible is Adam I. P. Smith's The American Civil War.

I'm sure the author is a good historian but he has been constrained by the the task given to him

Brilliant
This book is absolutely brilliant for anyone who wants to know more about the American civil war and the people who are involved with the civil war. I would reccomend this book with 100% confidence!