America's Promise: A Concise History of the United States

America's Promise is a concise, highly readable introduction to American History. Designed to clearly explain major themes and events, it also captures the rich and often amusing character of the American people. The strong narrative emphasizes public life and how individuals constructed public structures in which they lived and worked. Including the latest scholarship in social, cultural, and political history, the work integrates the history and importance of women and minorities. To aid students in learning and reviewing, each chapter begins with a preview of the main ideas that will be discussed and ends with a conclusion that reinforces the key concepts. Rather than being simply declaratory signposts, section headings highlight main ideas and help carry along the narrative. A glossary defines main terms, and a timeline helps students keep track of events. Selected readings are also included to encourage further reading and study. Finally, carefully selected illustrations and maps portray, pinpoint, and illuminate important episodes in American history. The most concise and competitively priced book available, America's Promise is a breath of fresh air in the introductory market.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: A Big Country Chapter 2: The Plantation South, 1607–1771 Chapter 3: Religious New England, 1620–1760 Chapter 4: The Diverse Middle Colonies, 1624–1760 Chapter 5: The American Revolution, 1750–1783 Chapter 6: The New Nation, 1783–1800 Chapter 7: Thomas Jefferson's America, 1801–1829 Chapter 8: The Market Revolution, 1790–1850 Chapter 9: Evangelical Religion and Reform, 1790–1850 Chapter 10: Andrew Jackson and the West Chapter 11: The Problem of Slavery Chapter 12: Americans at Mid-century: Unbounded Optimism Chapter 13: The Sectional Crisis, 1852–1861 Chapter 14: Civil War, 1861–1865 Chapter 15: Reconstruction, 1863–1877 Appendix I: The Declaration of Independence Appendix II: The Constitution of the United States of America Appendix III: U.S. Population Characteristics Appendix IV: Population for Selected Large Cities Appendix V: Presidential Elections Appendix VI: Chronology Glossary

About the Author :
William J. Rorabaugh is professor of history at the University of Washington, Seattle. He is the author of The Alcoholic Republic: An American Tradition, The Craft Apprentice: From Franklin to the Machine Age, Berkeley at War: The 1960s and Kennedy and the Promise of the Sixties. Donald T. Critchlow is professor of history at Saint Louis University. He is the founding editor of the Journal of Policy History, and the author of a number of books, including Intended Consequences: Birth Control, Abortion, and the Federal Government and Studebaker: The Life and Death of an American Corporation. Paula Baker is associate professor of history at the Ohio State University and is the author of The Moral Framework of Public Life: Gender, Politics, and the State in Rural New York, 1870–1930, editor of Money and Politics, and co-editor of Major Problems in American History since 1945.

Review :
America’s Promise offers a well-written and insightful account of American history. Students will find it highly engaging and informative. Unlike most textbooks, the authors blend political, social, cultural, and economic history into a synthetic account of where our country came from, where it has been, and where it might be going. America's Promise is a model textbook: Concise, inexpensive, and filled with anecdotes that make it interesting to read. It is a book that students will actually purchase and read—no small accomplishment in an era of overpriced, bloated textbooks often left unused on store shelves. The authors have turned the history textbook from a 'necessary evil' into a 'positive good.' Two thumbs up. Way up!