The Great Republic
By the Master Historians — the story of America, told by those who told it best

The Story of America, Told in Half-Hours

Four volumes of American history, written by the master historians of the nineteenth century and arranged here as 599 short readings — from the legends before Columbus to the dawn of the twentieth century. Start at the beginning and click “next” through the whole story, or drop in anywhere along the timeline.

599 readings · 141 chapters · 8 eras · 465,787 words
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◆ A Cabinet of Curiosities ◆

The Witness Box

Eyewitness American history at its strangest — the oddest true moments from the master historians, each one linking to the reading it comes from.

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The Timeline

Before 1492

The Period before Columbus

4 chapters · 13 readings
1492–1682

The Era of Discovery

20 chapters · 76 readings
1660–1761

Progress of the Colonies

17 chapters · 68 readings
1763–1815

The Threshold of the Revolution

41 chapters · 173 readings
1817–1846

The Progress of National Development

6 chapters · 31 readings
1858–1876

The Era of Civil War

20 chapters · 95 readings
1897–1899

The War with Spain

24 chapters · 86 readings
1898–1901

The New Century Opens

9 chapters · 57 readings

The Historian’s Parlor

Ask the HistorianAny question you like — the master historians always answer with a story. Which Era?The pages have come loose from the binding. File ten readings where they belong. Today’s Half-HourThe daily assignment from the half-hour series — a new one every morning. Strange ChaptersSieges broken by rumor, midnight river burials, vanished colonies — six readings where history outdoes invention. Surprise MeOpen the four volumes at random — 599 places to land.
Rights & ReuseThe complete text of The Great Republic (1902) is in the public domain in the United States — like all works published before 1928 — and is free to read, download, quote, teach from, and reuse. This digital edition (its transcription, restored images, and site design) is © 2026 PhotoOpAI, and any editorial commentary we add is clearly marked as ours; the underlying public-domain text carries no such restriction.