This collection of primary documents tells the story of the history of the United States throughout its existence, from first person perspectives of the people who lived it. Based on the text originally edited by Henry Steele Commager and Allan Nevins and revised with Stephen Ambrose, this new edition of "Witness to America" updates the collection through the present day. Including first-person essays, diaries, letters, newspaper articles, speeches, and travel journals, this is an extraordinary collection of eyewitness accounts of the major events in the American experience, including: John Adams witnesses the writing of "The Declaration of Independence"; George Washington bids farewell to his nation; Mark Twain encounters the Pony Express; Davy Crockett defends the Alamo; Abraham Lincoln delivers the Emancipation Proclamation; Henry Ford constructs a gasoline buggy; Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat; Malcolm X addresses his followers; Jack Kerouac personifies the Beat Generation; Betty Friedan reflects on the women's liberation movement; Neil Armstrong walks on the moon; Bill Gates shapes the computer revolution; the divisive 2000 Presidential election; the trauma of 9/11; the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina; and, Barack Obama's ascent to the presidency.
