Synopses & Reviews
Completed shortly before Ambrose's untimely death,
To America is a very personal look at our nation's history through the eyes of one of the twentieth century's most influential historians.
Ambrose roams the country's history, praising the men and women who made it exceptional. He considers Jefferson and Washington, who were progressive thinkers (while living a contradiction as slaveholders), and celebrates Lincoln and Roosevelt. He recounts Andrew Jackson's stunning defeat of a superior British force in the battle of New Orleans with a ragtag army in the War of 1812. He brings to life Lewis and Clark's grueling journey across the wilderness and the building of the railroad that joined the nation coast to coast. Taking swings at political correctness, as well as his own early biases, Ambrose grapples with the country's historic sins of racism; its ill treatment of Native Americans; and its tragic errors such as the war in Vietnam, which he ardently opposed. He contrasts the modern presidencies of Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon, and Johnson. He considers women's and civil rights, immigration, philanthropy, and nation building. Most powerfully, in this final volume, Ambrose offers an accolade to the historian's mighty calling.
Review
The Knoxville News-Sentinel An excellent read...a must for history fans....To America is a love letter to the nation.
Review
Jeff Guinn Fort Worth Star-Telegram Stunning....Stephen Ambrose should be assigned a special, honored place among modern historians....All of us who write or read history are in his debt.
Review
Chicago Sun-Times An exciting classroom lecture by a well-beloved teacher.
Review
Ken Burns Stephen Ambrose is that rare breed: an historian with true passion for his subjects.
About the Author
Dr. Stephen Ambrose was a renowned historian and acclaimed author of more than 30 books. Among his
New York Times best-sellers are:
Nothing Like It in the World, Citizen Soldiers, Band of Brothers, D-Day - June 6, 1944, and
Undaunted Courage.
He was not only a great author, but also a captivating speaker, with the unique ability to provide insight into the future by employing his profound knowledge of the past. His stories demonstrate how leaders use trust, friendship and shared experiences to work together and thrive during conflict and change. His philosophy about keeping an audience engaged is put best in his own words:
As I sit at my computer, or stand at the podium, I think of myself as sitting around the campfire after a day on the trail, telling stories that I hope will have the members of the audience, or the readers, leaning forward just a bit, wanting to know what happens next.
Dr. Ambrose was a retired Boyd Professor of History at the University of New Orleans. He was the Director Emeritus of the Eisenhower Center in New Orleans, and the founder of the National D-Day Museum. He was also a contributing editor for the Quarterly Journal of Military History, a member of the board of directors for American Rivers, and a member of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Council Board.
His talents have not gone unnoticed by the film industry. Dr. Ambrose was the historical consultant for Steven Spielberg's movie Saving Private Ryan. Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks purchased the film rights to his books Citizen Soldiers and Band of Brothers to make the 13-hour HBO mini-series Band of Brothers.
He has also participated in numerous national television programs, including ones for the History Channel and National Geographic.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents Preface: Storytelling
One: The Founding Fathers
Two: The Battle of New Orleans
Three: The Indian Country
Four: The Transcontinental Railroad
Five: Grant and Reconstruction
Six: Theodore Roosevelt and the Beginning of the American Century
Seven: Democracy, Eisenhower, and the War in Europe
Eight: The War in the Pacific
Nine: The Legacy of World War II
Ten: Vietnam
Eleven: Writing in and About America
Twelve: War Stories: Crazy Horse and Custer and Pegasus Bridge
Thirteen: Writing About Nixon
Fourteen: Writing About Men in Action, 1992-2001
Fifteen: The National D-Day Museum
Sixteen: American Racism
Seventeen: Women's Rights and Immigration
Eighteen: The United States and Nation Building
Nineteen: Nothing Like It in the World
Acknowledgments Index Copyright © 2002 by Ambrose and Ambrose, Inc.