American History: A Very Short Introduction

by Paul S. Boyer

Overview

This volume in Oxford's A Very Short Introduction series offers a concise, readable narrative of the vast span of American history, from the earliest human migrations to the early twenty-first century when the United States loomed as a global power and comprised a complex multi-cultural society of more than 300 million people. The narrative is organized around major interpretive themes, with facts and dates introduced as needed to illustrate these themes. The emphasis throughout is on clarity and accessibility to the interested non-specialist.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199911653
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	08/16/2012
Series:	Very Short Introductions
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	308,039
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Paul S. Boyer was Merle Curti Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A leading authority on American history, his writings span the social origins of the Salem witchcraft outbreak to the cultural impact of the atomic bomb and the political implications of Bible prophecy belief in contemporary America. A history textbook author and editor of reference works, including The Oxford Companion to United States History, he published in many general-interest periodicals. He also appeared on PBS, BBC, the History Channel, and the Discovery Channel, and lectured at some 100 colleges and universities in the United States, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Scandinavia, and Switzerland.

Table of Contents

List of illustrations
Preface
Chapter 1: Beginnings: Prehistory to 1763
Chapter 2: 1763-1789: Revolution, constitution, a new nation
Chapter 3: 1789-1850: The promise and perils of nationhood
Chapter 4: 1850-1865: Slavery and civil war
Chapter 5: 1866-1899: Industrialization and its consequences
Chapter 6: 1900-1920: Reform and war
Chapter 7: 1920-1945: From conflict to global power
Chapter 8: 1945-1968: Affluence and social unrest
Chapter 9: To the present
References
Further reading
Index

Editorial Reviews

"Paul Boyer, a scholar's scholar and a teacher's teacher, has here encompassed the entirety of American history in an account that testifies on every page to his lifetime of deep and thoughtful learning, and to his remarkable powers of synthesis, concision, balance, and trenchantly lucid writing."—David M. Kennedy, author of Freedom From Fear: The American People in Depression and War, 1929-1945

From the Publisher