Powerful KINGDOMS, beautiful sculpture, complex trade, tremendous wealth, centers for advanced learning — all are hallmarks of African civilization on the eve of the age of exploration.

Environmental History is about looking at the past as if the environment matters. American History is about looking at the past of not only the United States, but of both the American continents. This wider view is especially important when we realize that people occupied the Americas for over 15,000 years before Europeans arrived and that when the came to the Americas, Europeans focused their interest for centuries on areas that are not part of the current United States. As we get closer to the present, we will focus more on the U.S., but we’ll try to remind ourselves from time to time that we’re not the only nation in the Americas by considering how other nations have experienced and affected the environment.

The American Yawp constructs a coherent and accessible narrative from all the best of recent historical scholarship. Without losing sight of politics and power, it incorporates transnational perspectives, integrates diverse voices, recovers narratives of resistance, and explores the complex process of cultural creation. It looks for America in crowded slave cabins, bustling markets, congested tenements, and marbled halls. It navigates between maternity wards, prisons, streets, bars, and boardrooms. Whitman’s America, like ours, cut across the narrow boundaries that strangle many narratives. Balancing academic rigor with popular readability, The American Yawp offers a multi-layered, democratic alternative to the American past.

In an increasingly digital world in which pedagogical trends are de-emphasizing rote learning and professors are increasingly turning toward active-learning exercises, scholars are fleeing traditional textbooks. Yet for those that still yearn for the safe tether of a synthetic text, as either narrative backbone or occasional reference material, The American Yawp offers a free and online, collaboratively built, open American history textbook designed for college-level history courses. Unchecked by profit motives or business models, and free from for-profit educational organizations, The American Yawp is by scholars, for scholars. All contributors—experienced college-level instructors—volunteer their expertise to help democratize the American past for twenty-first century classrooms.

This version of The American Yawp, Volume I is a modified version of The American Yawp, Volume I published by Stanford University Press and edited by Joseph Locke and Ben Wright. The original textbook is licensed CC-BY-SA 4.0, and this version is licensed in the same way.

In this CSCC version, the original book was modified by the addition of focus questions and key terms for each chapter. A pop-up glossary was also added. The book format was also adapted using the Kotobee authoring platform to create a web-based eBook. Additional material is adapted from Benjamin Pugno and Dea Boster, History of Western Medicine to 1700, Autumn 2017 ed. (Columbus, OH: Columbus State Community College, 2017).

The American Yawp, Volume 1 serves as the textbook for HIST 1151 American History to 1877. To take this course for credit, register at https://www.cscc.edu/.

The eBook can be viewed directly at:

https://csbooks.org/hist1151

A set of 30 primary source readings is also available to accompany this CSCC version of The American Yawp. The primary sources may be accessed at the following link:

https://ohiolink.oercommons.org/authoring/136-hist-1151-american-history-to-1877-primary-source-

Please attribute this work in the following manner:

"The American Yawp, Vol. 1" by Dea Boster, Christianna Hurford, and Jennifer Nardone, Columbus
State Community College is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 / A derivative from the original work found at http://www.americanyawp.com/.

This textbook is divided into three sections: Africa, Asia & Americas, and Europe. It explores the history of the world from pre-historic times to 1300 C.E., paying specific attention to the interconnections (or disconnections) between peoples and regions. Students are encouraged to think beyond their experiences with western civilizations to recognize the widespread impact of historical events and trends, including how they helped shape the world today. Touching upon each world region, the readings investigate the impact of environment, economics, politics, and religion on diverse societies. Key topics are sites of change and integration such as the rise of cities, religion, technology, migration and trade, the spread of disease, gender relationships, warfare and social movements.

Covers from ancient America before 1492 to Modern America in the 21st Century. Courseware includes resources copyrighted and openly licensed by third parties under a Creative Commons license. Click "Licenses and Attributions" at the bottom of each page for copyright information and license specific to the material on that page.

This textbook introduces aspects of the history of Canada since Confederation. “Canada” in this context includes Newfoundland and all the other parts that come to be aggregated into the Dominion after 1867. Much of this text follows thematic lines. Each chapter moves chronologically but with alternative narratives in mind. What Aboriginal accounts must we place in the foreground? Which structures (economic or social) determine the range of choices available to human agents of history? What environmental questions need to be raised to gain a more complete understanding of choices made in the past and their ramifications? Each chapter is comprised of several sections and some of those are further divided. In many instances you will encounter original material that has been contributed by other university historians from across Canada who are leaders in their respective fields. They provide a diversity of voices on the subject of the nation’s history and, thus, an opportunity to experience some of the complexities of understanding and approaching the past. Canadian History: Post-Confederation includes Learning Objectives and Key Points in most chapter sections, intended to help identify issues of over-arching importance. Recent interviews with historians from across Canada have been captured in video clips that are embedded throughout the web version of the book. At the end of each chapter, the Summary section includes additional features: Key Terms, Short Answer Exercises, and Suggested Readings. The key terms are bolded in the text, and collected in a Glossary in the appendix.

Canadian History: Pre-Confederation is a survey text that introduces undergraduate students to important themes in North American history to 1867. It provides room for Aboriginal and European agendas and narratives, explores the connections between the territory that coalesces into the shape of modern Canada and the larger continent and world in which it operates, and engages with emergent issues in the field. The material is pursued in a largely chronological manner to the early 19th century, at which point social, economic, and political change are dissected. Canadian History: Pre-Confederation provides, as well, a reconnaissance of historical methodology and debates in the field, exercises for students, Key Terms and a Glossary, and section-by-section Key Points. Although this text can be modified, expanded, reduced, and reorganized to suit the needs of the instructor, it is organized so as to support learning, to broaden (and sometimes provoke) debate, and to engage students in thinking like historians. Written and reviewed by subject experts drawn from colleges and universities, this is the first open textbook on the topic of Canadian history.

This collection uses primary sources to explore the creation of the US Constitution. Digital Public Library of America Primary Source Sets are designed to help students develop their critical thinking skills and draw diverse material from libraries, archives, and museums across the United States. Each set includes an overview, ten to fifteen primary sources, links to related resources, and a teaching guide. These sets were created and reviewed by the teachers on the DPLA's Education Advisory Committee.

This collection uses primary sources to explore the Equal Rights Amendment. Digital Public Library of America Primary Source Sets are designed to help students develop their critical thinking skills and draw diverse material from libraries, archives, and museums across the United States. Each set includes an overview, ten to fifteen primary sources, links to related resources, and a teaching guide. These sets were created and reviewed by the teachers on the DPLA's Education Advisory Committee.

This course examines ancient Greek religion and considers its role in the contexts of Greek culture and thought. Literary and material sources, such as epic, drama, architecture, sculpture, and vase painting will be examined in order to establish the nature and function of religion in Greek society. Topics include the gods/goddesses, heroes, cult, magic, curses, initiation rites, athletic competition, local mythic traditions, religious festivals, oracles, and healing sanctuaries.

The Pressbooks textbook is open access and is organized by chapters that correspond to the module topics on the Blackboard course page (so, Module 1 on Blackboard = Chapter 1 in Pressbooks, etc.). Each chapter includes links to the readings and/or other media. Please make sure that you keep up with the chapter assignments so that you are prepared before taking the module tests. The module assignments will include material from the two textbooks (this one and V. Warrior’s Greek Religion), so it is essential that you complete all of the textbook assignments. Also, make sure to familiarize yourself with the course Blackboard page. There you will find the syllabus, modules, discussion topics, instructions, and other important information. You may read through the Pressbooks textbook at your leisure, however, the module topics in Blackboard will also include links to the assigned Pressbooks readings (see Modules > Module 1, etc.).

A second set of primary source readings to accompany The American Yawp Volume 1 textbook.