Mine Eyes Have Seen: A First-Person History of the Events That Shaped America

Our homeschooling family has used this book as a supplement in teaching American history. The first person accounts are brief and sometimes gruesome (as history is). Accounts of The Boston Massacre and The Alamo provide first person accounts without leaving out the pain of said events. The text provides several opportunities for defining and discussing word choices (i.e. expanding vocabulary) for children when we chose to read aloud. However, it's not just the horror of history that is covered in this sampling. It's events that have shaped our history - like Sojourner Truth Speaking, Wings Over Kitty Hawk, A Mickey Mouse Production and more. The accounts chosen also provide a flavor for the times: The Fireside Chat, The Age of the Atom, and Kent State are covered chronologically and sandwiched between other important historical snippets. We've always loved using first person accounts for teaching history. This resource is a great way to cover short overviews without the research. We've recommended it to several other homeschool families studying history. Note: Though we used this resource for teaching children, we have also been careful to selectively choose which accounts are suitable for each of our children.