This Teachers' Guide to Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story
A wonderfully written, sweeping narrative history of the United States that will help Americans discover the land they call home.
Guide for Teachers using Land of Hope in the classroom
This Guide accompanies the original Land of Hope for High School and College age students
This Teacher's Guide to Wilfred McClay's
Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story will be an invaluable supplemental resource for teachers who use
Land of Hope as a textbook for courses in U.S. history. Prepared by Dr. McClay in collaboration with Dr. John McBride, a master teacher with more than thirty years of secondary and collegiate teaching experience, it is an exceptionally rich and useful tool for classroom instructors. Each chapter of
Land of Hope receives a five-part treatment: a short summation of the chapter's contents, questions and answers about the chapter, short objective tests suitable for quizzes and exams, a primary-source document for class analysis, and questions and answers to accompany the document. In addition, there are special units to assist teachers in helping students to understand the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the origins of the two-party system.
Praise for Land of Hope:
"At a time of severe partisanship that has infected many accounts of our nation's past, this brilliant new history, Land of Hope, written in lucid and often lyrical prose, is much needed. It is accurate, honest, and free of the unhistorical condescension so often paid to the people of America's past. This generous but not uncritical story of our nation's history ought to be read by every American. It explains and justifies the right kind of patriotism."
- Gordon S. Wood, author of Friends Divided: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson
"Those who are acquainted with Wilfred McClay's writing will not be surprised that Land of Hope, his latest book, is a lucid and engaging account of the 'great American story.' McClay is a charming storyteller-and a first-rate scholar and appreciator of America's political and cultural development."
- Michael Barone, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, senior political analyst at the Washington Examiner, and coauthor of The Almanac of American Politics
"We've long needed a readable text that truly tells the American story, neither hiding the serious injustices in our history nor soft-pedaling our nation's extraordinary achievements. Such a text cannot be a mere compilation of facts, and it certainly could not be written by someone lacking a deep understanding and appreciation of America's constitutional ideals and institutions. Bringing his impressive skills as a political theorist, historian, and writer to bear, Wilfred McClay has supplied the need."
- Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence, Princeton University
"In a time when America seems pulled in opposite directions, Wilfred McClay has written a necessary book-the most balanced, nuanced history of the United States I have read in the past fifty years."
- Daniel Henninger, deputy editor, editorial page, The Wall Street Journal
"Too many recent historians have tried to rewrite America's history as a tale of squalor and exploitation. Wilfred McClay tells it like it is: as a story of hope."
- Glenn Harlan Reynolds, Beauchamp Brogan Distinguished Professor of Law, University of Tennessee
"No one has told the story of America with greater balance or better prose than Wilfred McClay. Land of Hope is a history book that you will not be able to put down. From the moment that 'natives' first crossed here over the Bering Strait, to the founding of America's great experiment in republican government, to the horror and triumph of the Civil War, and to the stirring election of Barack Obama, McClay's account will capture your attention while offering an unforgettable education."
- James W. Ceaser, Professor of Politics, University of Virginia
"I wish Land of Hope had been there when I was teaching U.S. history. It is history as literature-broad, detailed, compassionate-and it can help anyone who wants to know where we came from and how we got here. Professor McClay has made a welcome gift to the history of our country."
- Will Fitzhugh, Founder, The Concord Review
