Las Animas - Bent County Library District

"This is not the republic of my imagination," Charles Dickens noted ruefully of his 1842 visit to the United States. His American Notes forms a stinging reproof of the country's embrace of slavery, its corrupt press and woeful sanitary conditions, and its citizens' offensive manners. Written with the author's customary observational powers and incisive wit, this volume offers a fascinating glimpse of 19th-century America. Dickens was not entirely...

In 1832, three years before Alexis de Tocqueville published Democracy in America, the English novelist Frances Trollope released Domestic Manners of the Americans, an eye-opening record of her travels in the young republic. Expecting a utopia of "justice and liberty for all," she is shocked to discover the contradictions at the heart of the American character. Funny and fearless, Trollope's biting critique became an international sensation. Yet, as...

When the pressures of early 1800s westward expansion and debt threaten to destroy everything he's built, a troubled Revolutionary War veteran embarks on an audacious plan involving setting one of his male slaves as his breeding sire.

Discusses the increasingly interesting conveyances, appliances, furniture, utensils, farm equipment, etc. during the first 100 years of the American republic, as the steam engine became more and more essential to transportation and industry.

Takes readers on a journey back in time in order to experience life during the Civil War, describing clothing, accommodations, foods, local customs, transportation, a few notable personalities, and more.

Have you ever wondered what life was like for individuals and families living through the Civil War? Learn about what their days consisted of, what they ate and wore, and more!

Presents recipes used during the American Civil War, intertwining history and cuisine for insights into the lives of soldiers on the battlefield and their loved ones at home.

Provides information about the day-to-day lives of soldiers, civilians, and slaves during the Civil War years.

Recreates the first days of our nationhood through the lives of a Massachusetts merchant, a Delaware yeoman farmer, etc.