A supplemental textbook for middle and high school students, Hoosiers and the American Story provides intimate views of individuals and places in Indiana set within themes from American history. During the frontier days when Americans battled with and exiled native peoples from the East, Indiana was on the leading edge of America’s westward expansion. As waves of immigrants swept across the Appalachians and eastern waterways, Indiana became established as both a crossroads and as a vital part of Middle America. Indiana’s stories illuminate the history of American agriculture, wars, industrialization, ethnic conflicts, technological improvements, political battles, transportation networks, economic shifts, social welfare initiatives, and more. In so doing, they elucidate large national issues so that students can relate personally to the ideas and events that comprise American history. At the same time, the stories shed light on what it means to be a Hoosier, today and in the past.

Ancestry is traced to Hans Gerberich (1613-1681) of Altfled bei Marktheidenfeld, Germany. Two grandsons, Hans and Michael, immigrated to Pennsylvania in 1751. Hans had married Christine Schuch in 1727. Descendants lived in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Ohio, New York, Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, California and elsewhere.