Defining Moments

History Resources for Today’s Students

American history can be taught as a series of “defining moments”—events that have transformed the political, cultural, and social landscape of the nation and its people. The Defining Moments series provides authoritative accounts of these crucial events in American history. Vivid narratives bring the past to life, while biographical profiles furnish a close look at the players associated with the event. Additionally, each volume includes a wide cross-section of historic and illuminating primary documents to stimulate students’ thinking on the subject.

A One-Stop Resource
Defining Moments meets the demand from teachers, librarians, and students for quality information on formative historical events in U.S. history. Each volume presents an authoritative account of a major moment, providing a one-stop resource for student research. Each volume in the Defining Moments series is divided into three main sections:

The Narrative Overview section provides a detailed, factual account of the event or era’s progression, including the background information that shaped the moment in U.S. history. The narrative also explores its lasting impact on America’s political and cultural landscape.

The Biographies section provides biographical background on the event or era’s leading figures, those that were in pivotal, decision-making roles. Each biography concludes with a list of sources for further information on the profiled individual.

The Primary Sources section collects the most crucial documents of the event and time, including excerpts from official documents, papers and resolutions, speeches, letters, memoirs, editorials, and other important works.

“Great for teens assigned to research specific topics in American history. They provide valuable information while remaining readable. Teens can also use the authors’ source material if more sources are needed for an assignment … Purchase these for libraries in need of nonfiction for young adults. You will not be disappointed with these additions to your collection.”

—VOYA: Voice of Youth Advocates, Aug ‘15

“High-school students will likely find this, and others in the Defining Moments series, a boon for writing the dreaded historical-research paper. Rather than identifying and poring over sources for their research, readers can find here a one-stop shop: ideas for related topics; vetted, in-depth, well-documented, and interestingly written descriptions of the subject; biographies of important related people; full-text primary source documents; relevant places and terms; a chronology; and more. In short, a wonderful place to begin.”

—Booklist, Dec ’13

“The books are very informative and thoroughly cover the topics—not just the “moment” of the title, but events that lead to and from that moment. The narrative section is full of “see also” references to direct readers to the biographies or primary sources. … Students may think they have an understanding of these moments, but these volumes will help them delve into the subject more thoroughly to gain a deeper understanding. … A great resource for teachers and students alike.

—VOYA: Voice of Youth Advocates, June ‘16

“Each book in the Defining Moments series focuses upon a relevant moment in American history, providing details of the culture surrounding the event and the history of the era. … The book layout is helpful to students with a narrative portion explaining the conditions leading up to the pivotal moment in history, the event itself, and the aftermath. … Significant research and details make this series an outstanding resource for students.”

—VOYA: Voice of Youth Advocates, June ’13

“The Defining Moments series is designed to serve as a one-stop resource for the defining moments in American history. Designed by librarians and educators, these books are well researched, usefully organized, and highly readable for audiences in middle school and up. The Spanish-American War is no exception.”

—American Reference Books Annual, 2012

“Written for middle and high school students, this series is also suitable for college libraries serving students of U.S. history with a rudimentary knowledge of the English language. Simple language and the judicious use of white space make this book easy to read, while notes and references indicate a high level of scholarship throughout.”

—Library Journal, June ’09

“The Defining Moments series will appeal to readers who are well beyond its storytelling style generally aimed at middle and high school students because of its selection of primary texts not often reproduced in other histories.”

—American Reference Books Annual, 2009

“Bottom line: This and all the other books in the series are rich resources that lay readers and students alike will find useful as starting points for exploring events that have shaped American history.”

—Library Journal, July ’07

“Books in the series are meticulously researched and very well organized, making them excellent sources for research.”

—VOYA: Voice of Youth Advocates, Dec ‘05

Standard Features in Defining Moments

  • Library Binding, 7 1/4 x 9 1/4
  • 240 Pages
  • 30-40 Photographs and Other Illustrations
  • Narrative Overview section—provides a detailed, factual account of the “defining moment”
  • Biographies section—presents valuable biographical background on leading figures associated with the event
  • Primary Sources section—collects a wide variety of pertinent primary source materials from the era
  • Research Topics—proposes a list of topics suitable for conducting historical research and writing reports, a valuable starting point for student research
  • Source Attribution—contains references for primary sources and other quoted material that guide users to other historical research resources
  • Glossary of Important People, Places, and Terms—gives brief definitions for the many terms used in the book
  • Chronology—highlights the related events in chronological order, along with “see” references that direct the reader to pages in the narrative with additional information
  • Sources for Further Study—provides annotated citations for selected sources that are most useful to students
  • Bibliography—lists books, periodicals, web sites, and videos consulted in preparing the volume
  • Subject Index—includes people, places, organizations, events, and other topics
  • List price $60 per volume
  • School and library price $54 per volume

Research Topics in Defining Moments

Each volume in the Defining Moments series covers a wide range of topics that students can use as starting points for further research. A sampling of potential research topics for Defining Moments: The September 11 Terrorist Attacksis below:

  • Ways in which Israel’s relationship with its Arab neighbors contributed to the rise of radical Islamic movements in the Middle East.
  • Social and political factors that enabled Osama bin Laden to build his al-Qaeda terrorist network into an organization with cells operating around the world.
  • The importance of Ayman al-Zawahiri and other Islamic radicals in pushing terrorist activities that directly contradicted teachings of the Koran.
  • Key points in the development of the September 11 terrorist plot.
  • Counterterrorism policies of the Clinton and Bush administrations.
  • Reasons why the United States failed to uncover and derail the plot before it could be carried out, with special emphasis on failures within the FBI and CIA.
  • Challenges that the 9/11 Commission confronted in its investigation of the September 11 attacks and America’s failure to stop them.
  • Ways in which America’s clashes with Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in 1991 and 2003 have influenced the trajectory of U.S. counterterrorism efforts.
  • Impact of 9/11 on Americans’ attitudes about their country and the wider world.