Documents of Destiny: Growth of a New Nation (1798-1814)

Not to dissuade you, but my husband, an American history professor, fell sound asleep (loudly snoring) watching this entry from the Just the Facts series. While not terribly exciting, this program nevertheless offers a solid look at five important early American documents--the Alien and Sedition Acts, Louisiana Purchase, the Marbury v. Madison Supreme Court decision, Madison's Declaration of War, and the Treaty of Ghent that ended the War of 1812--which are discussed by four eminent scholars. However, because the academic parlance was not removed from the interviews, junior high students will be lost in the high-caliber vocabulary, as will many high school students. The program does occasionally interject voiceovers, maps, and graphics between scholarly comments, but the long interview format would work best in a college setting. Recommended for academic and public libraries, and worth considering by high schools with AP courses in American history. Aud: H, C, P. (R. Reagan)