How do you teach United States history in your secular homeschool? Do you have any particular American history resources that you keep coming back to?
Studying history with my students is always an adventure for me, because my own school experiences with this subject simply fell flat. I am learning alongside them and continually challenging old perspectives.
One thing I always try to impart to my children is the relationship between understanding history and current events. To this extent, we try to stay up-to-date with news reporting {politics, people, science, etc.} by utilizing online and print resources. We subscribe to a weekly news magazine for young people, and the older two follow a few reputable news sources, including BBC World News, online.
The bulk of this post, however, will focus on written resources concerning events, documents, people, and ideas of our collective American past.
This post includes several great American history resources we have used over the years. I am currently teaching students from upper elementary to early high school and so most of our choices will reflect that range.
However, I will add in a few titles geared toward early elementary that we have enjoyed. I have also included a few we intend to try in the coming months, because admittedly these book posts help to organize my own planning as well.
Obviously this is just a small subset of what is available. I share our own homeschool favorites not because I feel we have found the “best” options, but instead to spark ideas for fellow secular homeschoolers and to offer suggestions for kindred book lovers. With so many choices it can be difficult to narrow down selections, especially when starting out.
As I emphasized when I wrote about Teaching Multiple Grade Levels Together, always aim to choose excellent resources regardless of reading level. Sometimes your book choices won’t be a perfect fit for each grade you are teaching, and that’s okay.
Older students will still benefit from reading “younger” titles. Many books written for middle and high school audiences can be broken down into understandable snippets for upper elementary.
In addition, you might find that some texts simply don’t work well as a read aloud, but perhaps they might be something you would like to add to an older student’s independent reading. We have found that many times in the past when we thought a book “wasn’t working” it simply was not a good fit for our current book rotation style.
Before We Get Started
As we dive into this collection of resources, a reminder: studying history is an uncomfortable venture. Uncomfortable, but necessary if we want to do better.
I do not actually have all of these books in front of me as I compose this post. I am working from reading lists and notes and memory. Some we have not read cover to cover since the Agents were much younger. It is possible something listed here would not be a good fit if I came across it today.
There may be cringeworthy elements to some texts that—I am embarrassed to admit—I may have blocked out at the time {e.g., whitewashing of details to make a certain section more palatable} but overall we found value in these books at the time we discovered them. I ask that you evaluate their merit by whatever criteria you deem appropriate.
Our past is messy, and we should approach it with our minds open to the possibility that many of our strongly held beliefs may be cracked. History is such a complex subject, filled with nuance, and learning to discern which voices deserve amplification and which would benefit from a more critical review is a skill most will spend a lifetime developing.
Note: I have linked each of the titles below to its Goodreads page so you can check out more information and see what titles would be a good fit for your secular homeschool.
History Encyclopedias
These comprehensive texts make excellent spine books. Sometimes it’s nice to have one main book you can work through at a comfortable pace in chronological order. It also helps to keep you on target when tempted to follow one too many rabbit holes.
Certainly, you don’t have to choose a spine book for American history {or any subject}. But, if you like the idea of a “core text” to keep things on track, we recommend any of these.
American History: A Visual Encyclopedia
Children’s Encyclopedia of American History
Encyclopedia of American Indian History and Culture
United States Encyclopedia: America’s People, Places, and Event
Great Series for Younger Students
While most of these books target elementary to early middle school, as with all of our suggestions they can be adaptable to all ages. These books will cover the basics: historical documents, the original colonies, famous places, presidents, and more.
I have learned to never underestimate a picture book or a simplified re-telling of events. Even teens and tweens can appreciate these titles and be sparked by what they read.
Basher Books
The Basher books have long been favorites around here. The first one is fairly new and we haven’t even tried it yet, but it is definitely on our To Read list.
Civics
States and Capitals
U.S. Presidents
American Documents
This series from National Geographic introduces students to some of the key writings in United States history. The text is aimed at late elementary to early middle school readers, but can easily be adapted.
The Constitution
The Bill of Rights
The Declaration of Independence
The Emancipation Proclamation
The Mayflower Compact
Introducing Primary Documents
These Smithsonian books include a few titles very similar to the American Documents series, but written for a slightly younger audience.
The Declaration of Independence
The Liberty Bell
The Pledge of Allegiance
The Star-Spangled Banner
The Statue of Liberty
The U.S. Capitol
The U.S. Constitution
The U.S. Flag
The White House
Exploring the 13 Colonies
Another series from Smithsonian, these books take a closer look at each of the original colonies. They are simply written, with lots of illustrations, but also include a timeline, glossary, and plenty of source notes.
Connecticut
Delaware
Georgia
Maryland
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Virginia
America in Words and Song
These books examine some of the well-known texts and song lyrics associated with American history. They present the “story behind the words” in a simplified way.
America the Beautiful
I Have a Dream
The Constitution
The Declaration of Independence
The Pledge of Allegiance
The Star-Spangled Banner
American Places: From Vision To Reality
This collection of short, informative books provides a great virtual tour of some of America’s most famous landmarks.
Colonial Williamsburg
Grand Central Terminal
One World Trade Center: The Freedom Tower
The Empire State Building
The Golden Gate Bridge
The Hoover Dam
The Statue of Liberty
The White House
Getting To Know the U.S. Presidents
Author Mike Venezia devotes one book to each president, from Washington through George W. Bush. {Not sure if books about more recent presidents are forthcoming.} They are written for early elementary {and can be a bit silly, honestly} but my older students still enjoy them. A chronological list can be found here:
Getting To Know the U.S. Presidents
Who Was . . .?
Aimed at middle to upper elementary students—but still loved by my tween and teen—these books explore a wide variety of people, events, and places. The links here will take you to a list of all the books in each subcategory {not all are U.S.-exclusive}.
Who Was/Is . . .?
What Was/Is . . . ?
Where Was/Is . . . ?
Two specific selections we recommend:
What Is the Declaration of Independence?
What Is the Constitution?
You Wouldn’t Want To . . .
This series covers not only historical events and people, but also scientific advancements and inventions. As with the Who Was books, not all focus solely on American history.
You Wouldn’t Want To . . .
A Kid’s Guide to American History
Kathleen Krull ‘s books {not just this series, but all of them} have been consistent go-to reads around here for years. These particular titles {they are all over 200 pages} provide an excellent and accessible review for upper elementary and middle school students.
American Revolution
America’s First Ladies
America’s Bill of Rights
Picture Book Biography Series
For younger students, this picture book collection by David A. Adler provides a simple introduction to several well-known makers of history {mostly U.S. specific, but not all}.
A Picture Book of . . .
Weird But True
If your kids are as into random, obscure facts as mine, they will love these trivia-filled texts.
USA: 300 Fascinating Facts About the Fifty States
U.S. Presidents
Women Who Broke the Rules
Brief biographical sketches outlining the accomplishments of select female historical figures.
Coretta Scott King
Dolley Madison
Judy Blume
Mary Todd Lincoln
Sacajawea
Sonia Sotomayor
In-Depth Reading for Older Students
Some of these we have read together as a group; others my older two {currently 9th grade and 7th grade} have read independently. Note that for some two versions of the book exist: the original and an adapted version. {FWIW we tend to read the abridged versions in our own secular homeschool.}
A Different Mirror
This book looks at American history through a multicultural lens. It approaches the stories we think we know from the viewpoint of the people most personally affected by them.
A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America
A Different Mirror for Young People
A People’s History of the United States
Howard Zinn’s book highlights American history from the point of view of traditionally marginalized groups. It begins with the arrival of Christopher Columbus and continues through the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
A People’s History of the United States
A Young People’s History of the United States
Do All Indians Live in Tipis?
Published by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, this question-and-answer format book is extremely interesting and covers a wide variety of frequently asked questions.
Lies My Teacher Told Me
This book will make you question every time you have thought, but I always learned it that way.
Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong
Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything American History Textbooks Get Wrong
How the States Got Their Shapes
We enjoyed the video version of How the States Got Their Shapes hosted by Brian Unger better than the books, but I have included them here so you can evaluate for yourself.
How the States Got Their Shapes
How the States Got Their Shapes, Too: The People Behind the Borderlines
ReVisioning American History
This series is new to us, but we are interested in trying these two titles specifically.
An Indigenous People’s History of the United States
A Queer History of the United States for Young People
What Unites Us
Dan Rather is an absolute national treasure. I have personally read this title more than once and highly recommend.
What Unites Us: Reflections on Patriotism
American Immigration
This book is new to us, but appears very promising so far. I appreciate that the author presents a wide variety of immigrant stories, and doesn’t attempt to sanitize the negative aspects for the reader’s comfort.
American Immigration: Our History, Our Stories
More American History Resources We Love
Additional {random} books we have enjoyed in our secular homeschooling. These didn’t really fall into another category, but we love them too much to leave them out. Both Senior Agents are working through the Everything You Need To Ace book currently. We re-read 1620 and 1621 every November.
Everything You Need To Ace American History in One Big Fat Notebook
Remember the Ladies: 100 Great American Women
Lives of the Presidents: Fame, Shame {and What the Neighbors Thought}
Mayflower 1620: A New Look at a Pilgrim Voyage
1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving
A Child’s Introduction to African American History
Don’t Forget Historical Fiction
Never underestimate the emotional investment in fictional characters to spark an interest in learning history. Of these, the American Girl books have definitely been the most read at our house.
The American Girl Collection books provide a more detailed look at life in the United States during each time period covered in the books. The Dear America and My Name Is America series are very similar, with one featuring girl main characters and the other featuring boy main characters.
I Survived {not all U.S.-focused}
American Girl
The American Girls Collection
Dear America
My Name Is America
Something Just for Fun
We are huge fans of including puzzles, crosswords, coloring, and other “fun” written work in our curriculum. Following is a small sample of some workbooks we have used or intend to use in near future.
{Note that the coloring books link to their Amazon pages, as I could not find a precise link on Goodreads.}
I highly encourage you to head down the rabbit hole of “history coloring books” . . . if you think, there cannot possibly be a coloring book about that, I assure you, there likely is.
The 50 States of America Coloring Book
Flags of the 50 States of America Coloring Book
United States Coloring Book
U.S. History Puzzles
U.S. History Puzzles Book 2
U.S. History Puzzles Book 3
Which of these American history resources have you used in your homeschool? What others would you recommend?
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