The issue of slavery had divided the nation for decades, but problems came to a head after the election of Abraham Lincoln as president in 1860. Fearing that Lincoln would attempt to abolish slavery, the legislatures of 11 southern states voted to withdraw from the United States and create a new nation, the Confederate States of America. This would result in four bloody years of Civil War in which more than 600,000 Americans were killed. The Confederacy adopted several flags between 1861 a...

Some of the most important documents in American history were composed and debated within the Pennsylvania State House, now known as Independence Hall. In 1776, the Second Continental Congress voted to approve the Declaration of Independence, which said that the American colonies would no longer be subject to the British rule. In 1787, Independence Hall hosted discussions for a new Constitution, which even today remains the foundation of government for the United States. The Liberty Bell, ...

The Ottoman and Qajar Empires in the Age of Reform examines the two major Muslim influences on the region, discussing the effect of incursions by European powers and the internal reforms undertaken by Ottoman and Qajar leaders in response during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Most young people report that they believe in God, yet recent surveys by the Gallup Organization have shown that fewer than half of all teenagers in the United States regularly attend church. Is organized religion losing its influence on young people? How many teenagers think about careers in the clergy? This volume examines the influence of religion and values on young people today.

Statistics show that 3,200 couples file for divorce every day in the United States, which clearly has an impact on the strength of families. Young people feel the painthe Gallup Organization has found that 75 percent of teenagers between 13 and 17 believe divorce is too easy to get. This volume examines the influences parents and families play in the lives of young people in the United States.

On July 8, 1776, the bell in the steeple of the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia began to ring, letting the citizens know that an important announcement was about to take place. It was the reading of the Declaration of Independence, a statement by representatives of the 13 American colonies that they would no longer be subject to the rule of the British king. Since then, the Liberty Bell, with its famous crack, has been a symbol of American freedom and patriotism.

Experts say that in recent years there has been an epidemic of cheating among young people in the United States. Cheating is more than just students sneaking the answers to school tests; broadly defined, it is breaking the rules to get ahead. Examples of cheating today range from illegally downloading music from the internet, which cheats the artists out of royalties, to using performance-enhancing drugs to gain an athletic advantage. This book explores the ways teens cheat, examines their...

Many young adults dream of getting a good education and finding a job they love. Teenagers recognize that higher education is an important key to finding a fulfilling job, although many young people are worried both about the rising cost of higher education and their future job possibilities given the current economic situation. This volume examines the choices that teens make when it comes to education and finding a career.

No issue seems to divide Americans as much as race. Nearly five decades after the adoption of federal civil rights laws, Americans are still wrestling with such issues as interracial marriage and affirmative action. Statistics show that teenagers are just as unsure of where they stand on such issues as adults. The role of race in the lives of young people is explored in this book.

It is said that the inspiration for the character of Uncle Sam was a man named Sam Wilson, who provided food for the U.S. Army during the War of 1812. By the 1830s, the figure of Uncle Sam had become a personified image of America, commonly used by newspaper and magazine cartoonists to represent the U.S. government's decisions and policies. Perhaps the best-known image of Uncle Sam was created in 1917, during the First World War—a stern, white-haired man wearing star-spangled clothing, enc...

Suicide is the third-leading cause of death among adolescents in the United States; in a recent study by the Gallup Youth Survey, 47 percent of teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 said they know someone who has tried to take their own lives. This volume examines the cause of teenage suicide and explores such issues as teens and guns as well as suicide rates among minorities.

Most young people in the United States today are willing to give something back to their communities. A recent report showed that each year an estimated 13 million teenagers donate more than 2.4 billion hours of their time to charitable causes, and the Gallup Youth Survey has found that roughly one-third of all teens participate in volunteer work. This volume examines the opportunities young people have for volunteering, and explores the issue of school-mandated community service.