Shaping of America, 1783–1815: Primary Sources (one volume) tells how the United States was forged into a politically and economically independent nation in the words of the people who lived and shaped it. Eighteen excerpted documents provide a wide range of perspectives on this period of history. Included are speeches of Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson; treaties with Britain and with various Native American tribes; legislation related to land, such as the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance; documents associated with the Louisiana Purchase; an everyday diary by midwife Martha Ballard, which provides an actual record of the role women played in their communities during the formative years of the nation; and letters between black social activist Benjamin Banneker and Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson about slavery. Approximately sixty black-and-white illustrations and maps help illustrate the material. Shaping of America, 1783–1815: Primary...