About This Book

One State. Four Centuries. One Hundred Stories.

Experience the Pennsylvania saga, told by those who lived it.

Pennsylvania is the story of America. From early indigenous societies through technological revolutions, the commonwealth has witnessed heroism, heartache, and the pursuit of happiness. This rich, multigenerational tapestry is woven together with compelling memories ranging from the 1688 Germantown petition against slavery to the 2002 Quecreek Mine rescue and beyond. Many of these tales have been forgotten in archives, tattered newspapers, and obscure memoirs.

Pennsylvania: An Eyewitness History changes that. With mindful selection and sharp interpretation, historian Jared Frederick presents a revealing “snapshot history” of the Keystone State that spans four centuries. Readers will discover one hundred primary sources showcasing Pennsylvania’s transformative past. Drawn from personal reminiscences, historic newspapers, and digital libraries, these documents speak across time and space. The people, places, and products that defined Pennsylvania come alive in this highly accessible anthology.

Covering every range of human drama, the selected works explore early lifestyles, political struggle, industrial labor, environmental change, civil rights, warfare, sports, and popular culture. Ideal for classrooms, scholars, and history enthusiasts, this volume resurrects voices of bygone eras to reveal the timelessness of shared human experience. With years of teaching state history as his guide, Jared Frederick reminds us of what binds past, present, and future.

Jared Frederick’s many books include Dispatches of D-Day, Hang Tough, and Fierce Valor, and Into the Cold Blue. He has appeared on PBS, C-SPAN, and Turner Classic Movies. A former park ranger at Gettysburg and an Emmy nominee, Frederick is the host of YouTube’s Reel History and is a history professor at Penn State Altoona.