Jean Kinney Williams

Most people if asked about Benjamin Harrison will either say that he was the man elected in between the non-consecutive terms of Grover Cleveland or that he was the grandson of William Henry Harrison, the 9th President and in this short biography that's about it. He appears to have been elected on name recognition and his war record rather than anything he stood for or had done.

After reading about a man with political courage as Grover Cleveland, it is hard to realize that the nation switched to this man who seemed to have no mental fortitude at all. No wonder they switched back at their first opportunity.… (meer)

Jean Kinney Williams's Jefferson Davis: President of the Confederate States of America shares a light history of the life of the former leader of the Confederate South. The work provides a mostly unfamiliar perspective of Davis's upbringing, personal life, and role as a political leader in the U.S. and Confederate governments. For young readers, this work provides insight to some causes of the Civil War and how the heroes of the Revolutionary War and culture of the South shaped the Davis's view of the nation.

The work provides for simple language which would allow for a better interpretation of perspectives to the war. The glossary introduces readers to common Civil War terminology, and the additional resources allow for the teaching of southern the perspective of the Civil War. History educators will enjoy this simple work and how it provides for differentiation among many social studies fields.… (meer)