Milestone Documents in World History

Gr 9 Up—More than a record of the past, primary documents enable an ongoing dialogue about adaptability, perspectives, and the spirit of the people they represent. This collection of 125 chronologically arranged entries, covering from 2350 BCE to CE 2000, is structured to guide readers and provide essential context leading up to the documents' issue. Each entry's lengthy preface includes a clear overview, historical context, author information, analysis, description of the intended audience, impact, and essential quotes from the selection. For example, some of the decrees in the Babylonian Code of Hammurabi are harsh—the King states that, for example, "If a child should strike his father, they shall cut off his hand"—but the introduction to the piece describes how it provided a societal code of conduct emphasizing, unusual for the time, impartial justice for the weak, oppressed, and wronged. Other entries include "Twelve Tables of Roman Law," "Magna Carta," "Nuremberg Laws," and "Osama bin Laden's Declaration of Jihad Against Americans." Large black-and-white photos in many entries add to the text. The expertly authored entries each feature a glossary and a vertical time line that is essential to the bigger picture. For example, the chronology accompanying "Northern Ireland Peace Agreement" outlines years of related discontent and violence. The entries are scholarly but accessible, and are followed up with study questions, website listings, and further-reading options. This set will be valued for its clarity and well-organized format.—Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NY