Our Pioneers and Patriots begins with a review of Viking exploration and continues through the history of the United States to the time of President Roosevelt and the New Deal. The text is direct and factual, focusing on key people and events. Read straight through, this book would bore most children; however, when read a page or two at a time the presentation style is interesting and easily understood. Fr. Furlong has a unique way of digesting complex information into a few short sentences. These sentences are written in a conversational tone that would appeal to most young students. For example...
"The Boston Tea Party made the British very angry. The owners lost their tea and the government lost its tax. Worst of all the affair was an act of defiance. An act of defiance is a refusal to obey an order or command. King George III would not overlook that. The people of Boston must be taught to obey. The port of Boston was therefore declared closed." p. 201
Each of the twelve units is broken into unnumbered chapters and subsections making for many natural stopping points if reading time must be limited to just five or ten minutes a day. Each chapter is preceded with a brief "Read to Learn" section that sets the tone for the upcoming material and alerts the reader to key points to be remembered. Following each chapter is a Study Summary that includes a listing of key people, events and dates. An activity section provides mapping activities and other projects. These projects are meaningful and would bring depth to the student's study of the chapter material. The study test provides an easy means for evaluation.
This book provides the important factual information needed for Junior High students, but it does not provide enough material for critical thinking or integration needed by that age group. As a Junior High textbook it should be supplemented with research assignments, biographies and journal articles or historical fiction.
In comparison to From Sea To Shining Sea, also reviewed on this page, Our Pioneers and Patriots is more succinct, but it does not tell the story of United States history as well as From Sea to Shining Sea. While the latter paints the larger picture of our history in a way that is captivating to students, Our Pioneers and Patriots is better used to bring to life isolated events and people. This text is suitable for Grades 4-6, and may be used in conjunction with other resources for Grades 7-8.
