I am planning on taking the US history SAT in a couple months. I have a good background in US History, but i was wondering what the best ways to learn American history are? What are the best Pod-casts, books, documentaries, textbooks etc.
I have America the last best hope by William Bennet that i am reading right now and it seems to be a very thorough history book. Is this a good option, or is there something better?
I really do appreciate all replies! Thanks!
The title and body of this post are kind of two different questions.
If you're studying to learn American history just to learn it, books are the cornerstone of any self-directed program of study. We have an entire list of suggested bibliography on US history here.
What you seem to be asking is more 'how do I study for the SAT'. While superficially tests like the SAT are intended to measure your familiarity with a given subject, like history, you have to keep in mind that those making the test may not have the same priorities/focus as the professional historians we use as basic sources. In other words, if you're just trying to do well for the test, I'd suggest you use study guides, practice exams, etc., oriented to what the test is actually going to ask. The test itself is important for your future and you can bet that your classmates will also be studying based on what the test typically looks for.
Here is an example of what I mean. Daniel Walker Howe's excruciatingly awesome What God Hath Wrought about the history of the US between 1815-1848 is an amazing book. However, if you have a short amount of time to study it is likely too specific to be able to justify reading it from cover to cover. In addition, Howe is more interested in society, culture, and economics, than he is politics (from my reading, at least). So if the SAT hammers you on the specific dates of political events while the author you read for that period focuses on entirely different parts of history... You're gonna have a bad time of it when the hour of truth arrives.
These two ideas, studying for pleasure and studying to do well on the test, aren't necessarily opposed to one another. I would suggest you speak to your school's staff, who have a vested interest in you doing well, to see which authors are usually recommended to study for the exam. You can then compare their list with our list to see which books overlap.
If you're interested in authors on specific subjects or periods, regardless of their relevance to the SAT, let me know.
Good luck!