What's the Name of That Book??? discussion

I read this book in 2004, but I'm sure it was published much earlier. It was most likely a part of a series, either labelled as volumes or each book had a subtitle regarding the time frame (example: 1776 - 1850 or 1890 - 1950).

This textbook wasn't a straightforward narrative written by one author. It was a compilation of chapters (or essays) written by different authors. That is if I'm remembering it right. And some of these writing would be interesting to read again.

So here is what I remember: there was an essay on Orson Welles' broadcast of "War Of The Worlds" and the sociological reaction it had on its listeners, as well as the fallout that ensued. There was an essay on John Wayne's image and how he always struggled with the fact he couldn't serve in the military during U.S. wartime and was kept home to work as a "public figure" (there may have been mentions of Elvis Presley struggling with this limitation as well- both men wanted to serve).

Lastly, there was a detailed essay about Andrew Jackson's duel with Charles Dickinson (I believe) and how Dickinson slowly died from his injuries while Jackson decided to be a total asshole about it.

In spite of deep searches on the web, Google Books, World Cat and the Library of Congress, I haven't had much luck finding anything about this book. Its title was very generic, like "American Civilization" or "American History," something obvious like that. I believe the author (more likely editor) was male, or that there were multiple people involved in publication.

More info: the cover was black on its top half with '90s era white text and the bottom half was a gridded collage of different historical figures. There were red and blue accents to designate which book was what (most likely chronologically). The book was a heavy paperback, approximately 10" square and several hundred pages. It was not a slight book.

If anyone, ANYONE, can help me find this book and these essays... or at least point me in the right direction, get in touch!

You gave a really good description. Hopefully someone will recognize this book.

What grade level was this book geared towards?
Were there any photos/illustrations in the book?

Was it considered a textbook or perhaps just a book of historical events?

Sophomore year in college, so definitely higher education.
As far as illustrations... I don't remember very many. They were in black and white. May have had some small pictures throughout the chapters and slightly larger ones at the beginning of each essay.

laundanum at 33, I added some details to the header/topic title. You can update it by clicking the small "edit" link after the header. This only works on the full Desktop website - not the Mobile website or app. (On the Mobile website, click the "Desktop version" link at the bottom of the page.)

Thank you!

You're welcome.

American History: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About...

Opposing Viewpoints in American History Series
Example:

America: A Narrative History


Yeah, I know none of these are black on top, so they don't match your description exactly,

All of these are in the right field... but no luck yet! In the meantime I'm still looking around.

After much ado, I found them! American Experiences: Readings in American History volumes 1 & 2. Covers weren't exactly as I remembered them, but pretty damn close.

Volume I: https://bit.ly/3t12YXH

Volume II: https://bit.ly/3px5RO4

Thank you guys for your help!

Glad you found your book series, laudanum at 33. Here's the full link for the first volume - American Experiences, Volume 1 by Randy W. Roberts.