Presenting American history through poetry, Lee Bennett Hopkins offers a unique perspective on each part of the American experience. Filled with wit, color, knowledge, and truth, these selections offer rich detail about the lives and events that have shaped our nation.

Each poet lends a particular voice and vision to the subject. From the founding of this nation, through the Great Depression and the wars we've fought, to the issues of today, these poems echo the emotions of our triumphs and defeats.

Here are all the varied people who make up America -- the different races and their various ways of facing life. Their brave spirit speaks loudly in the special language of poetry. It opens our eyes to see in a new way that which we already knew.

Lee Bennett Hopkins, a renowned anthologist, has chosen with care a collection of poetry, some that readers know and some that they will come to know. Peter M. Fiore's magnificent paintings complement the poetry, offering a human portrait of us as we were and as we are today.