The Legacy and Legend of Sacagawea

Gr 4–7—This series chronicles the people, places, and events that turned 13 colonies along the Atlantic seaboard into a vast independent nation that stretched for 3,000 miles from coast to coast. The titles demonstrate that expansion meant more than land acquisition. It meant politicking, war, trade deals, and more. That "more" is the rub. Some information is presented multiple times. The adventures of Lewis and Clark are described in Thomas Jefferson, Sacagawea, and Lewis and Clark. There is so much material that the series lacks focus. The volume about the War of 1812 contains several pages about Francis Scott Key and his writing of "The Star-Spangled Banner." Also in that title is a full-page illustration of the Battle of Waterloo. Coverage of the forced removal of American Indians from their lands is scattershot, consisting as it does of a sentence here and there. Thomas Jefferson is a puzzling addition. Details about Jefferson's childhood, education, and family and his plantation Monticello are noteworthy but have little or nothing to do with expanding the nation.