American History in the 1800s – 1809-1861 – Free History Books

The Campaign of 1812

Rauch, Steven J.
Washington, D.C.: Center of Military History, U.S. Army 2013 Dewey Dec. 973.5

Booklet of about 50 pages, including illustrations and maps, from the U.S. Army’s Center of Military History. It provides, for general readers, a background and analysis of the campaign.

Race & Politics; “Bleeding Kansas” and the Coming of the Civil War

Rawley, James A.
Lippincott 1969 Dewey Dec. 973.6

“‘Race and Politics’ is a radical and exciting analysis of the controversies that followed the repeal of the Missouri Compromise… The question of whether the still unsettled Kansas territory should be slave or free divided the nation into hostile camps, and intensified conditions only civil war could resolve. To this familiar material, Professor Rawley brings a new insight: he clearly shows that the fundamental issue was not slavery as such, but race. The United States of the mid-nineteenth century was a growing land of proud people – and a land of racialists. There were many who considered slavery the only means of keeping the races separate and the social system intact. It is this issue that Professor Rawley investigates: whether the country, its egalitarian slogans notwithstanding, could tolerate the spread of Negroes, slave or free.” – Book jacket.

Contents: Not for the good of the Negroes — The future is pregnant with strife — A hell of a storm — Negroes are dangerous to the state — The government has been nothing but an obstruction — The territories should be kept open for free white people — Slavery, or social subordination, must be the common law — The constitution with slavery — What a mockery is all this sympathy with the Negro.

The Battle of New Orleans

Andrew Jackson and America’s First Military Victory

Remini, Robert V.
Viking 1999 Dewey Dec. 973.5

The Battle of New Orleans was the climactic battle of America’s “forgotten war” of 1812. Andrew Jackson led his ragtag corps of soldiers against 8,000 disciplined invading British regulars in a battle that delivered the British a humiliating military defeat. The victory solidified America’s independence and marked the beginning of Jackson’s rise to national prominence. Hailed as “terrifically readable” by the Chicago Sun Times, The Battle of New Orleans is popular American history at its best, bringing to life a landmark battle that helped define the character of the United States.

Contents: The war in the South — New Orleans — The invasion begins — The night attack — The artillery duel — Final preparations — The eighth of January — The final assault — “Who would not be an American?”.

The Jacksonian Era

Remini, Robert V.
Davidson 1989 Dewey Dec. 973.5

“… a fast-paced and colorful narrative of the social, cultural, and political climate that breathed life into “Jacksonian Democracy.” In his inimitable style, Remini crafts a memorable portrait of Jackson: the young hellraiser and war hero; the stern judge; the determined campaigner; and, finally, the chief executive of the people. Other leading political figures, such as Henry Clay and Daniel Webster, are paid due attention and discussions of the vital issues of the day-the Bank War, Indian removal, the states’ rights conflict, and slavery-are nicely balanced by attention to the era’s various reform, religious, and artistic movements.” -Publisher

Contents: Hero for an age — Jacksonian democracy — Indian removal — Slavery and union — Reach for perfection — End of an age.

Democracy in America vol 1

– Volume 2

– Radio Show

Tocqueville, Alexis de
1835, 1840 Dewey Dec. 973.5

Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859) was a French political thinker and historian whose travels around the U.S. in 1831-32 resulted in this book, probably the most famous and most frequently-quoted description of America by a foreign observer. In addition to the books we have a link to a 1962 NBC radio dramatization.

The Forgotten Founders: Rethinking the History of the Old West

Udall, Stewart L.
Island 2000 Dewey Dec. 973.6

Stewart Udall draws on his vast knowledge of and experience in the American West to make a compelling case that the key players in western settlement were the sturdy families who travelled great distances across forbidding terrain to establish communities there. He offers an illuminating and wide-ranging overview of western history and those who have written about it, challenging conventional wisdom on subjects ranging from Manifest Destiny to the importance of Eastern capitalists to the role of religion in westward settlement. Stewart Udall argues that the overblown and ahistorical emphasis on a “wild west” has warped our sense of the past. For the mythical Wild West, Stewart Udall substitutes a compelling description of an Old West, the West before the arrival of the railroads, which was the home place for those he calls the “wagon people,” the men and women who came, camped, settled, and stayed. He offers a portrait of the West not as a government creation or a corporate colony or a Hollywood set for feckless gold seekers and gun fighters but as primarily a land where brave and hardy people came to make a new life with their families. From Native Americans to Franciscan friars to Mormon pioneers, these were the true settlers, whose goals, according to Stewart Udall were “amity not conquest; stability, not strife; conservation, not waste; restraint, not aggression.” The Forgotten Founders offers a provocative new look at one of the most important chapters of American history, rescuing the Old West and its pioneers from the margins of history where latter-day mythmakers have dumped them.

Contents: Native peoples : the first forgotten founders — European settlers : human faces, far-flung places — Explorers and fur trappers — The religion factor in western settlement — The manifest destiny morass — California gold fever — Bootstrap capitalism in the Old West — The Wild West and the wrenching of the American chronicle — The Wild West and the settlers : contrasting visions.

Destiny and Glory

Wallace, Edward Seccomb
NY: Coward-McCann 1957 Dewey Dec. 973.6

Relates the histories of Americans in the 1850s who undertook private expeditions into various countries of Latin America to take control of areas or countries, known as “filibusters”. Two in particular are covered here: William Walker, in Nicaragua, and the female filibuster, Jane McManus Cazneau (Cora Montgomery).

Contents: The halls of Montezuma – Into Yucatan – Cuba Libre – Once more into the breach – Filibusters for flores and sorties into Sonora – Pierre Soule in a Spanish China shop – William Walker: king of the wild filibusters – The immortals – President Walker of Nicaragua – Here was Granada – The path of glory – The female of the species – The halls of Montezuma again.

Guarding the Frontier; A Study of Frontier Defense from 1815 to 1825

Wesley, Edgar Bruce
University of Minnesota 1935 Dewey Dec. 973.5

“This study is concerned with the official (Federal Government) aspects of frontier defense in the decade following the War of 1812. … Chapt. 1 clarifies the definition of a frontier by distinguishing the line of settlement…, Ch. 2 gives a view of the tribes and their attitude toward the U.S. in 1815. Ch. 3 analyzes the work of Indian agents and shows how it was related to frontier defense. Ch. 4 is a history of the factory system. Ch. 5 summarizes the condition of the fur trade in 1815 … Ch. 6 traces the development of the national military policy… Ch. 7 outlines the organization of the army … Ch. 8 to 12 deal with the application of the defense policy on the various frontiers.” -Author’s Preface.

Select British Documents of the Canadian War of 1812 vol 1

– Volume 2

– Volume 3 Part 1

Wood, William, ed.
Toronto: Champlain Society 1920-1926 Dewey Dec. 973.5

William Charles Henry Wood (1864-1947) was a Canadian historian, soldier, scout leader and naturalist. He wrote several books on Canadian history.
Volume 1 begins with a 132-page Introduction that narrates the war. The documents are then presented in groups, as shown below. Volume 3, Part 2, which contains miscellaneous documents and an index to the set, was not found online.

Volume 1
1. Preparation. 1801-1812
2. Brock. 1812

Volume 2
3. Operations in the West: Frenchtown; and in the East: Ogdensburg. Winter of 1813
4. Operations in the West: The Maumee, Fort Meigs and Fort Stephenson, 1813
5. Operations on Lake Ontario, Spring of 1813
6. Operations on the Frontiers, Summer of 1813
7. Operations in the Lake Erie Region, 1813
8. Operations on the Montreal Frontier, 1813. Miscellaneous
9. Operations on the Niagara Frontier, December 1813

Volume 3, Part 1
10. Operations on the Frontiers, 1814
11. British Counter-Invasion of the United States, 1814
12. The End of the War, 1814-1815.

The Secession Conventions of the South

Wooster, Ralph A.
Princeton University 1962 Dewey Dec. 973.6

In the spring and summer months of 1861, after the election of Abraham Lincoln, the legislatures of 11 of the 15 slave states called special conventions to decide what the state should do in the crisis. The legislatures in the other four states didn’t call conventions, but met for the same purpose. “Seldom in American history have representative bodies played roles of equal importance to these 11 conventions and 4 legislatures. Composed in many instances of the very elite of southern society, these gatherings assumed and wielded tremendous power. Not only did they in many instances destroy allegiance to the old government and create allegiance to a new, but they also performed such other functions as amending the existing state constitutions and preparing for the military defense of the states.” – Introduction

Contents: South Carolina – Mississippi – Alabama – Florida – Georgia – Louisiana – Texas – Virginia – Arkansas – Tennessee – North Carolina – Kentucky – Missouri – Maryland and Delaware – Conclusions.

Vintage Books on US History 1809-1861

VINTAGE BOOKS – American History 1809-1861

The Rise of American Nationality 1811-1819 (American Nation, Vol. 13)

Babcock, Kendric Charles
1906

Deals mainly with the War of 1812 and its results. Includes a bibliography and maps.

Contents: 1. The Reign of Faction (1809-1811) 2. Problems of the Southwest and Northwest (1810-1812) 3. French Duplicity and English Stubbornness (1810-1812) 4. New Elements in Control (1811-1812) 5. The Declaration of War (1812) 6. On to Canada (1809-1812) (1812-1814) 7. The Naval War (1812-1814) 8. The Southwest and the Centre (1813-1815) 9. New England and the War (1811-1815) 10. Peace Negotiations (1813-1815) 11. The Results of the War (1815) 12. Party Divisions and Personalities (1815-1819) 13. War Finance and the Second Bank (1816) 14. The Tariff (1815-1818) 15. Westward Migration and Internal Improvements (1815-1819) 16. Negotiations with England (1815-1818) 17. Relations with Spain (1815-1821) 18. The Great Decisions of the Supreme Court (1816-1824) 19. Critical Essay on Authorities.


Our First War in Mexico

Bishop, Farnham
1916

A popular narrative history of the causes and events of the war between the United States and Mexico, 1846-48.

Contents: 1. Texas and the Kingdom of New Spain 2. The Mexican War of Independence 3. Migration of Americans to Texas 4. “Remember the Alamo!” 5. Mediation and Annexation 6. Causes of the War 7. Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma 8. The Conquest of California 9. Monterey and Buena Vista 10. New Mexico and Chihuahua 11. Vera Cruz and Cerro Gordo 12. From Puebla to Churubusco 13. The Fall of the City of Mexico 14. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo 15. The Results of the War. American History in the 1800s. US War of 1812.


The Party Battles of the Jackson Period

Bowers, Claude G.
1922

“Brilliant, impartial and fascinating record of a stormy time, with sharply etched pen portraits of its leaders and a vivid picture of Washington society in the ’30’s. Bibliography. NY State Library
“With keen-sighted scholarship and in facile style he has achieved a volume of admirable historical quality, worthy to rank with the finest modern presentations of men and events, and falling into the class of Charnwood’s Lincoln, Beveridge’s Marshall, and Whitlock’s Belgium because of its monumental study and progressive psychology.” W. G. McAdoo in International Book Review. American History in the 1800s. US War of 1812.


Mr. Buchanan’s Administration on the Eve of the Rebellion

Buchanan, James (President)
NY: Appleton 1866 Dewey Dec. 973.6

“The following historical narrative of the events preceding the late rebellion was prepared soon after its outbreak, substantially in its present form…. The narrative will prove that the original and conspiring causes of all our future troubles are to be found in the long, active, and persistent hostility of the Northern Abolitionists, both in and out of Congress, against Southern slavery, until the final triumph of their cause in the election of President Lincoln; and on the other hand, the corresponding antagonism and violence with which the advocates of slavery resisted these efforts, and vindicated its preservation and extension up till the period of secession… ” -Author’s Preface.


The Middle Period, 1817-1858

Burgess, John W.
NY: Scribner’s Sons 1909

Portrays the struggle between the national and states-rights theories, tracing their growth from the Missouri Compromise.


Causes of the Civil War 1859-1861 (American Nation, Vol. 19)

Chadwick, French Ensor
1906

“The author presents the full significance of the John Brown raid, pictures the attitude of Buchanan and his unsuccessful attempts at compromise, discusses the status of the federal forts, pays tribute to the high minded attitude of Lincoln and closes with the fall of Sumter.” Book Review Digest.


American Slavery and Colour

Chambers, William
London: Chambers 1857

William Chambers (1800-1883) was a Scottish publisher and politician who, with his brother Robert, published books in Edinburgh and London and also published the periodical “Chambers Edinburgh Journal”, which began in 1832. William Chambers travelled in American in 1854 and wrote in the Preface of this 1857 volume that, “The sight of a few slave sales has a wonderful effect in awakening the feelings on the subject of slavery. The thing is seen to be an undeniable reality – no mere invention of a novelist. … For three years, I have been haunted by recollections of that saddening scene, and taken a gradually deepening interest in American Slavery.”
Chambers wrote substantial articles on American slavery for each of several 1857 issues of “Chambers Edinburgh Journal”, educating his British readers on the heated propaganda war taking place there as well as related political events such as the 1850 Missouri Compromise. He then published a collection of those articles in this volume.


Campaigns of the War of 1812-15, against Great Britain, sketched and criticized; with brief biographies of the American engineers

Cullum, George W.
NY: Miller 1879

“This work does not profess to give a minute history of the War of 1812-1815, by the U.S. against Great Britain; but the sketches of the campaigns are sufficiently detailed for an intelligent understanding of their military features, and to indicate their tactical and strategical errors. Each campaign is illustrated with a good skeleton map of its theatre of operations and with outline plans of its principal battles, sieges, etc.” – Author’s Preface.


The Half Century, or, A History of the Changes that have taken place and events that have transpired, chiefly in the United States, between 1800 and 1850

Davis, Emerson, D.D.
Boston: Tappan & Whittemore 1851

“It seemed to me that I should perform a good service to my countrymen if I should post up the books and present a condensed view of those events which, at the time, excited the most general interest, and of those changes which have taken place in our social condition…. few men have time enough to spare from their daily occupation to keep themselves fully informed of all that is doing in all the departments of literature and science, of arts and manufactures, and of politics and religion …” -Author’s Preface.


History of Missouri Compromise and Slavery in American Politics …

A true history of the Missouri Compromise and its repeal, and of African slavery as a factor in American politics

Dixon, Mrs. Archibald (Susan B. Dixon)
Cincinnati: Clarke 1903

See our Sailing PDF books


Westward Extension 1841-1850 (American Nation, Vol. 17)

Garrison, George Pierce
1906

Within the period covered in this book “…are such hotly contested questions as the responsibility for the breach between Tyler and the Whigs; the real boundaries of Texas under Spanish and Mexican rule; the progress of negotiation for the annexation of Texas; …discussion of the Slidell Mission of 1845; the responsibility for the Mexican War; and the origin of the Wilmot Proviso.” -Editor’s Intro.


History of the Rebellion; its Authors and Causes – Reasons for American Civil War

Giddings, Joshua R.
NY: Follet, Foster 1864

The author, Joshua Reed Giddings (1795-1864), was an American attorney, politician and a prominent opponent of slavery. He represented Ohio in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1838–59. He was at first a member of the Whig Party and was later a Republican, helping found the party. This book is based largely on his own experience in Congress in the years leading up to the Civil War.


A Review of the Political Conflict in America, from the Commencement of the Anti-slavery Agitation to the Close of Southern Reconstruction …

comprising also a résumé of the career of Thaddeus Stevens: being a survey of the struggle of parties which destroyed the republic and virtually monarchized its government

Harris, Alexander
NY: Pollock 1876

“He [the author] claims, as a free citizen, the right to present the reasons, which ever induced him to condemn the war against the South and its prosecution. He has presented these openly and fearlessly; records for all time his conviction, that the war was wholly unwarranted by the Federal Constitution; and he believes the time will come when the majority of the American people will be fully convinced that coercion was an unwise policy, adopted to preserve republican government. Not only unwise, will they come to see it to have been, but wholly suicidal to the institutions it was meant to preserve.” – Author’s Preface.


Slavery and Abolition 1831-1841 (American Nation, Vol. 16)

Hart, Albert Bushnell
1906

“The book has the double purpose of describing the conditions of slavery and the state of mind of those interested for it or against it, and at the same time of recording the events which mark the anti-slavery agitation.” – Author’s Preface.


The Abolition Crusade and its Consequences

Herbert, Hilary Abner
NY: Scribner’s Sons 1912

“The author is undertaking to write a connected story of events that happened, most of them, in his lifetime, and as to many of the most important of which he has vivid recollections… The subject divides itself naturally into four historic periods: 1. The anti-slavery crusade, 1831 to 1860; 2. Secession and four years of war, 1861 to 1865; 3. Reconstruction under the Lincoln-Johnson plan, with the overthrow by Congress of that plan and the rule of the negro and carpet-bagger, from 1865 to 1876; 4. Restoration of self-government in the South, and the results that have followed. The greater part of the book is devoted to the first period – 1831 to 1860, the period of causation.” – Author’s Preface.


American Naval Battles: Being a Complete History of the Battles Fought by the Navy of the United States

From its establishment in 1794 to the present time; including the wars with France and Tripoli, the late war with Great Britain, and with Algiers; with an account of the attack on Baltimore, and of the Battle of New Orleans.

Kimball, Horace
Boston: Gaylord 1840


From Jefferson to Lincoln (Home University Library of Modern Knowledge)

MacDonald, William
1913

“An admirably condensed yet readable survey of United States history from 1815 to 1860, ‘restricted chiefly to the exposition of three lines of development, namely, constitutional growth, the rise and progress of political parties and slavery.’ Short bibliography.” NY State Library.


Jacksonian Democracy 1829-1837 (American Nation, Vol. 15)

MacDonald, William
1906

“The aggressive personality of Andrew Jackson is made to dominate the solution of the great questions of national policy paramount during the years 1829-37. The study reveals the president and man, and shows the evolution of the political principles upon which a new democratic party was founded” Book Review Digest.


Sea Power in its Relations to the War of 1812 vol 1

– Volume 2

Mahan, Alfred T., Captain
1905

Scholarly history of the naval operations of the War of 1812. Contains a valuable discussion of the causes of the war. Illustrations and outline maps.


Diplomatic Relations of Texas and the United States, 1839-1843

Marshall, Thomas Maitland
Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association April 1912

A 25-page article from a historical journal. Texas was an independent Republic from 1836, when it gained independence from Mexico, until 1845 when it was annexed by the United States. This paper covers a period of active diplomacy between Texas and the U.S., including discussions around joining the U.S.


Men and Measures of Half a Century: Sketches and Comments

McCulloch, Hugh
NY: Scribner 1888 Dewey Dec. 973.5

The author was the Secretary of the Treasury during the administrations of Lincoln, Johnson and Arthur. He wrote in his introduction that this memoir were written for friends and family. It contains many observations on colleagues and other public persons who he knew from the 1830s to the 1880s, and also addresses issues of political and economic policy with which he was involved.


The Reign of Andrew Jackson: a Chronicle of the Frontier in Politics

Ogg, Frederic Austin
New Haven, CT: Yale University 1919 Dewey Dec. 973.5

Vol. 20 in the series ‘Chronicles of America’.

Contents: Jackson the frontiersman – The Creek War and the victory of New Orleans – The “conquest” of Florida – Death of “King Caucus” – Democratic triumph – The “Reign” begins – The Webster-Hayne debate – Tariff and nullification – War on the United States Bank – Removal of the southern Indians – Jacksonian succession.


Historical Sketches of the United States, from the Peace of 1815 to 1830

Perkins, Samuel
NY: Converse 1830

The object of the author was ” … to give a correct and connected account, 1st. Of the military and naval transactions, embracing the Algerine war; the measures taken to suppress piracy; and the Seminole war: 2d. Of the proceedings of congress and the executive relating to important subjects of general policy: 3d. Of judicial decisions on constitutional questions: 4th. Of diplomatic discussions: 5th. Of the affairs of Europe, and the republics of Southern America, so far as they affect their relations with this country.” -Author’s Preface.


Selected Articles on the Monroe Doctrine

Phelps, Edith M., comp.
H. W. Wilson 1915

In the first decades of the 20th century publisher H.W. Wilson produced many volumes in its Debaters’ Handbook Series on social and political issues that were under discussion at the time. Each book contains the full text of selected articles and documents representing opposing views on the issue, along with a substantial bibliography of books and articles.

Most of the books mentioned in these guides are likely to be freely available online. Search by title; first at the Internet Archive (archive.org), then at HathiTrust.org. Referenced magazine articles may also be available online at the same sites, with HathiTrust the preferred site for magazines.


The United States and Mexico 1821-1848

– Volume 2

Rives, George Lockhart
1913

A study of the relations between the two countries.


The Naval War of 1812, or, the History of the Last War with Great Britain vol 1

to which is appended an account of the Battle of New Orleans

– Volume 2

Roosevelt, Theodore
1900

Roosevelt completed this scholarly study in 1882, just two years after graduating from Harvard. He wrote much of it while he was a law student at Columbia University. According to Roosevelt’s profile in Wikipedia, the book was a best seller, and continues to be an important study of that naval war.


Parties and Slavery 1850-1859 (American Nation, Vol. 18)

Smith, Theodore Clarke
1906

“The aim of the volume is ‘to bring out the contrast between the old parties and their aims and the new and imperious issues. ‘ The efforts to prevent the crisis which resulted in the Civil war, and the rival habits of thought which made it inevitable are clearly shown, the effects of the struggle upon parties, legislation and the courts as well as the social and economic changes brought about by railroad development and the growth of cotton are carefully detailed.” Book Review Digest.


Texas and the Mexican War; A Chronicle of the Winning of the Southwest

Stephenson, Nathaniel W.
New Haven: Yale University 1921

Vol. 24 in the series ‘The Chronicles of America’.

Contents: The Empresarios – The turning point – The incompatibles – Texas secedes – Recognition – The Mexican shadow – England as a peacemaker – The International crisis of 1844 – An adventure in Imperialism – “The Hero of Buena Vista” – The stroke from the east – The pivotal action – The conquered peace.


The Growth of the Nation, 1809 to 1837, from the Beginning of Madison’s Administration to that of Van Buren

Stevenson, Richard Taylor
Philadelphia: Barrie 1905

Contents: The legacy of Jefferson – James Madison-Diplomacy – Declaration of war – Preparations for war – Middle period of the war – Last year of the war – Internal improvement to 1820 – Monroe and the “era of good feelings” – The Struggle between nationalism and particularism under Adams – Andrew Jackson-The man – Jackson’s first term – Nullification-the bank – Abolitionism – Jackson’s second term – Material progress – America-its idealism.


Rise of the New West 1819-1829 (American Nation, Vol. 14)

Turner, Frederick Jackson
1906

“Professor Turner takes up the west as an integral part of the Union, with a self-consciousness as lively as that of the east or south, with its own aims and prejudices’. . . The panic of 1819, the Missouri compromise, The Monroe doctrine in particular and the tariff disputes, internal improvements and foreign trade relations in general are fully treated.” Book Review Digest. Contains maps and bibliography. – Standard Catalog 1929.


History of the Invasion and Capture of Washington, and the Events which Preceded and Followed

Williams, John S.
NY: Harper 1857

American troops at the Battle of Bladensburg, during the War of 1812, had been blamed afterward for not preventing British troops from occupying Washington, D.C. The author undertook this study, making use of a large trove of available sources, in the hope that it could be shown that those American soldiers were in fact blameless.


Division and Reunion, 1829-1889

Wilson, Woodrow
NY: Longmans, Green 1893

President Wilson was an academic historian before he became a University administrator and then a politician. This was a volume he contributed to the series ‘Epochs of American History’. “It is not so much a compact narrative as a rapid synopsis – as rapid as possible – of the larger features of public affairs in the crowded space of sixty years that stretches from the election of Andrew Jackson to the end of the first century of the Constitution.” – Author’s Preface.


The War With the United States: A Chronicle of 1812

Wood, William
Toronto: Glasgow, Brook 1915 Dewey Dec. 973.5

This is Vol 14 in the ‘Chronicles of Canada’ series, for the education of Canadian students.

Contents: 1. Opposing Claims 2. Opposing Forces 3. 1812: Off to the Front 4. 1812: Brock at Detroit and Queenston Heights 5. 1813: The Beaver Dams, Lake Erie, and Chateauguay 6. 1814: Lundy’s Lane, Plattsburg, and the Great Blockade Bibliographical Note.

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