TEXT SET

Ty Reed
 STANDARDS IN WHICH THE TEXTS ARE
FOR (11 TH GRADE US HISTORY)

• VUS.7 The student will apply social science skills to understand the Civil War and
Reconstruction eras and their significance as major turning points in American
history by:
• a) describing major events and the roles of key leaders of the Civil War era, with
emphasis on Jefferson Davis, Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, and Frederick
Douglass;
• b) evaluating and explaining the significance and development of Abraham Lincoln’s
leadership and political statements, including the significance of the Emancipation
Proclamation and the principles outlined in the Gettysburg Address;
• c) evaluating and explaining the impact of the war on Americans, with emphasis on
Virginians, African Americans, the common soldier, and the home front.
 B ATTLE CRY OF FREEDOM BY JAMES
MCPHERSON

• Annotation: Battle Cry of Freedom is an in-depth survey

of the causes and events of the Civil War. McPherson
explains the political and social events that occurred
during the Civil War Era. He also won the Pulitzer
Prize for this work.
• Readability Score: 11.1 Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level
Score
• This is suitable for grades 9 and up.
 CIVIL WAR IN “AMERICA: THE STORY OF
US” BY THE HISTORY CHANNEL

• Annotation: This documentary by the History

Channel gives a very good overview of the Civil
War. It’s reenactments and graphics on the screen
help give the viewer a sense of realness to the
history. The documentary also interviews many
prominent Americans today concerning the war.
• Readability: 9.1 Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Score
• This is a documentary by the History Channel.
This will serve as my picture book.
 THE CIVIL WAR BY BRUCE CATTON

• Annotation: Catton surveys the entire Civil

War throughout this book. While it is not as
extensive of a survey as McPherson’s, it is still a
great overview of the information and gives
great insight into the reasons behind the
conflict. Catton also won the Pulitzer Prize in
History for this book.
• Readability Score: 10.3 Flesch-Kincaid Grade
Level Score
• This book is suitable for grades 9 and up.
 “THE CIVIL WAR” WEBSITE BY THE
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

• Annotation: This website is extremely

useful in that it covers many different
perspectives and events from the Civil
War. The numerous articles under the
“Stories” tab gives great information
concerning the events prior, during and
after the war. There are also many
pictures throughout the articles and the
numerous links available to click on.
• Readability: 8.7 Flesch-Kincaid Grade
Level Score
 GRANT BY RON CHERNOW

• Annotation: Chernow’s Grant is a full-scale

biography of the famed Union General. This
book gives a great overview of Grant’s
perspective of the Civil War. Chernow also
explores Grant’s role during Reconstruction
and his Presidency.
• Readability: 10.0 Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level
Score
• This book is suitable for grades 9 and up.
 THE IMPENDING CRISIS: AMERIC A BEFORE THE
CIVIL WAR 1848-1861 BY DAVID M. POTTER

• Annotation: Potter explores the political

chaos that occurred prior to the Civil War in
the United States. He goes into great detail
concerning the events, why they happened,
and their effect on the country. This book
won the Pulitzer Prize in History.
• Readability: 11.2 Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level
Score
• This book is suitable for grades 11 and up.
 THE KILLER ANGELS BY MICHAEL SHAARA

• Annotation: Shaara explains the Battle of Gettysburg

throughout the novel. The real value in this work
comes from the personal stories that are told by
soldiers from both the Union and the Confederacy,
which causes the reader to feel empathy for their
impending doom in the upcoming battle. This book
also won the Pulitzer Prize for History.
• Readability: 4.6 Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Score
• I am surprised by the low score given on this
particular book. This is an extremely informative and
important book on the Battle of Gettysburg, and I
still believe it is a valuable tool for 11th graders to
read despite this score.
 KILLING LINCOLN BY BILL O’REILLY AND
MARTIN DUGARD

• Annotation: This book explores the events

leading up to and immediately after John Wilkes
Booth assassinated Abraham Lincoln in Ford’s
Theater. O’Reilly and Dugard keep this a very
readable book for high school students by
keeping the chapters short and informative.
Killing Lincoln also explores the little-known
details concerning Lincoln’s assassination.
• Readability Score: ATOS Book Level: 8.4,
Recommended for Upper Grades (9-12)
 RIFLES FOR WATIE BY HAROLD KEITH

• Annotation: “This is a rich and sweeping novel-

rich in its panorama of history; in its details so
clear that the reader never doubts for a
moment that he is there; in its dozens of
different people, each one fully realized and
wholly recognizable. It is a story of a lesser --
known part of the Civil War, the Western
campaign, a part different in its issues and its
problems, and fought with a different savagery.
Inexorably it moves to a dramatic climax,
evoking a brilliant picture of a war and the men
of both sides who fought in it.” –Amazon Book
Description
• Readability: 910L Lexile Score which equates to
a 6th grade level.
• This novel is acceptable for middle school
classes and higher.
 APA CITATIONS

Amazon.com (n.d.). Rifles for Watie. Retrieved February 15, 2018, from https://www.amazon.com/Rifles-Watie-Harold-
Keith/dp/006447030X/ref=zg_bs_10367797011_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=JVB72NBXJQMKA2G25NX1.
Ash, J. (Director). (2010). Civil War: America--The Story of Us[Motion picture on DVD]. United States: A&E Networks.
Catton, B. (2005). The Civil War. Boston, MA: First Mariner Books.
Chernow, R. (2017). Grant. New York, NY: Penguin Press.
Keith, H. (2004). Rifles for Watie. New York: Thorndike.
McPherson, J. (1988). Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
O'Reilly, B., & Dugard, M. (2011). Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever. New York, NY: Henry Holt
and Company.
Potter, D. M. (1976). The Impending Crisis: America Before the Civil War 1848-1861. New York, NY: Harper Perennial.
Shaara, M. (2003). The Killer Angels. New York, NY: Ballantine Books.
The Civil War (U.S. National Park Service). Retrieved February 08, 2018, from https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/index.htm.