This third edition of The United States: A Brief Narrative History remains a basic, readable, and highly affordable core text for the introductory survey of United States history. While not intended as the only resource for students enrolled in such courses, it remains the most concise U.S. survey on the market—its length, approach, and price encouraging the use of supplementary readings, novels, research projects, and primary documents (many of which are available on the Internet) all for a price that falls well below the list price of a traditional survey text.
In addition to taking the engaging narrative all the way up through the second decade of the twenty-first century, the new edition features new maps. Loyal users will appreciate that fact that the book retains its cultural literacy approach, its lively narrative style, and highly effective highlighting of the names, terms, and concepts common to an educated person’s understanding of American history. Finally, its appendices comprise a useful, annotated text of The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and a list of U.S. Presidents.
Table of Contents:
Preface xi
Introduction
American’s First Nations 1
Philip Weeks
Chapter Review 13
Chapter 1 Discovery, Exploration, and Colonization 15
Chapter Review 23
Chapter 2 Revolution and Independence 25
Chapter Review 32
Chapter 3 The Young Republic 35
Chapter Review 45
Chapter 4 Jefferson and the Democratic Republic 47
Chapter Review 56
Chapter 5 The Age of Jackson 57
Chapter Review 66
Chapter 6 The West (Pre-Civil War) 68
Chapter Review 72
Chapter 7 Sectional Conflict 73
Chapter Review 80
Chapter 8 Civil War and Reconstruction 82
Chapter Review 89
Chapter 9 The West (Post-Civil War) 91
Chapter Review 96
Chapter 10 The Gilded Age and Imperial America 97
Chapter Review 109
Chapter 11 Populism, Progressivism, and the Great War 111
Chapter Review 123
Chapter 12 Boom, Bust, and the New Deal 125
Chapter Review 135
Chapter 13 World War II and the Origins of the Cold War 137
Chapter Review 152
Chapter 14 Postwar America: The Fifties and Sixties 154
Chapter Review 167
Chapter 15 Retrenchment: The Seventies and Eighties 169
Chapter Review 179
Chapter 16 Cold War Ends, War on Terror Begins 181
Chapter Review 195
Appendix A The Declaration of Independence 197
Appendix B The Constitution of the United States 202
Appendix C Presidents of the United States of America 227
Index 231
Maps:
The First Thirteen States, 1779 34
Growth of the U.S. to 1853 67
Secession, 1861 81
North African and European Campaigns 141
U.S. Offensive against Japan 145
Cold War Europe 149
The Middle East 183
The United States (front endpaper)
The World (back endpaper)
About the Author :
Link Hullar is from Decatur, Alabama, and received his B.A. and M.A. in History from the University of Alabama—Birmingham. He is the author of a dozen western novels and more than one hundred articles and stories. In addition to writing books and articles, Links a songwriter and co-writer/co-producer of a televised special on the Three Stooges. In a career that has spanned more than thirty-five years, Link has taught history in middle schools, community colleges four-year institutions, and in graduate programs. In addition, Link is a priest in the Episcopal Church. He has been married for over thirty-five years to Sharon, and they have two adult children. All currently reside in Spring, Texas.
Scott A. Nelson was born in California and raised in the Texas Panhandle. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Houston and two degrees from North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas). He has taught history and government for thirty-one years at various schools, colleges, and universities in Texas. Scott has published one previous book, The Discourses of Algernon Sidney (1993), and a wide v variety of articles in the Houston Law Review, and The Texas Observer, the Houston Chronicle, and Texas Monthly, among others. He works for the Texas Community College Teachers Association and teaches history at Texas Woman’s University. He lives in Denton, Texas, with his wife, Jane.
Review :
Praise for a previous edition:
"This 'bite sized' approach to American history is as informed and informative as it is engaging and articulate. The United States: A Brief Narrative History is recommended for both school and community library collections, and an ideal read for immigrants new to the country and any others who are seeking a sound, easily absorbed grounding in the basics of American history." (Wisconsin Bookwatch, August, 2006)
