America's History

The text that explains it all. America's History is known for its explanatory power, and this edition builds on that strength. The authors have reorganized and revised the narrative to clarify causes, connections, and consequences, and to reinforce the why of U.S. history — such as why decisions made about slavery after independence affected the nation dividing into "free" and "slave" states in the mid-nineteenth century. Clear, compelling writing that harnesses narrative history to historical argument further encourages student learning.

Balanced coverage, with a global perspective. The first U.S. survey text to integrate social, economic, and cultural with political and diplomatic history, America's History focuses not only on the diversity of peoples who became American but also on the institutions that forged a common national identity. America's History pioneered its placement of the American experience in a global context. In keeping with their wide-angle, inclusive view of the American past, the authors consistently reveal the interactions between America and the wider world that helped shape the United States.

A unique narrative structure built to engage and inform. Constructed with student comprehension in mind, America's History organizes its narrative into six parts, each of which begins at a crucial turning point in U.S. history, such as the American Revolution or the Cold War, and explores the dynamic forces—the "engines of change"—that shaped each period. Two-page part openers pair a thematic timeline that visually depicts the period's key developments with an essay that explains their causes and connections.

Extensive art program. The text's highly regarded art program features over 400 pictures, all contemporaneous with the period under discussion and most in full color, with substantive captions that actively engage students with the image and encourage them to analyze artwork as primary sources. One-third of the pictures are new to this edition, selected to reflect changes in the text and to underscore chapter themes.

A wealth of special features that appeal to students and offer fresh perspectives. The rich array of special features in America's History do far more than engage the student and extend the narrative: they combine for a trove of teaching and learning opportunities.

Each chapter includes two American Voices — excerpts from letters, diaries, autobiographies, and public testimony that convey the experience of ordinary Americans in their own words. Exciting new selections include "Red Jacket: A Seneca Chief's Understanding of Religion" and "Susana Archuleta: A Chicana Youth Gets New Deal Work." In keeping with the text's global focus, Voices from Abroad similarly offers firsthand testimony by foreign visitors and observers in every chapter. Over 25 percent of these primary-source documents are new to this edition, including "Louis Antoine de Bougainville: 'The Defense of Canada,'" and "Fei Xiaotong: 'America's Crisis of Faith.'" American Lives provides in every chapter an incisive biography of an influential, representative American figure of the time, with examples ranging from Robert Pearle to Bill Gates. Twelve New Technology essays consider the impact on American history of major technological advances ranging from the cultivation of corn to the biotech revolution.

Strong, class-tested pedagogy. Every chapter begins with an outline followed by a thematic introduction. Each chapter concludes with a chapter summary paired with a timeline. A new glossary defines key concepts related to discussion in the text. Suggested References, now united at the back of the book and expanded to include Web sites, are annotated for students and divided into sections corresponding to the chapters.