ABSTRACT

The new edition of this classic text for courses on recent U.S. history covers the story of contemporary America from World War II into the second decade of the twenty-first century with new coverage of the Obama presidency and the 2012 elections. Written by three highly respected scholars, the book seamlessly blends political, social, cultural, intellectual, and economic themes into an authoritative and readable account of our increasingly complex national story. The seventh edition retains its affordability and conciseness while continuing to add the most recent scholarship. Each chapter contains a special feature section devoted to cultural topics including the arts and architecture, sports and recreation, technology and education. Enhancing the students' learning experience is the addition of web links to each of these features to provide complementary visual study tools.

An American Century instructor site provides instructors who adopt the book with high interest features--illustrations, photos, maps, quizzes, an elaboration of key themes in the book, PowerPoint presentations, and lecture launchers on topics including the "Military-Industrial Complex" Speech by Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Tet Offensive, and the prospects for a Second American Century. In addition, students have free access to a multimedia primary source archive of materials carefully selected to support the themes of each chapter.

chapter Chapter Nine|22 pages

1941–1947

War and Peace

chapter Chapter Ten|27 pages

1941–1947

One World Into Two

chapter Chapter Eleven|28 pages

1947–1952

The America of the Cold War

chapter Chapter Twelve|24 pages

1952–1957

Eisenhower and the American Consensus

chapter Chapter Thirteen|24 pages

1957–1963

New Frontiers at Home and Abroad

chapter Chapter Fourteen|27 pages

1963–1968

The Great Society and Vietnam

chapter Chapter Fifteen|26 pages

1969–1975

The Imperial Presidency and Watergate

chapter Chapter Sixteen|27 pages

1976–1984

New Directions

chapter Chapter Seventeen|29 pages

1985–1992

The End of the Cold War

chapter Chapter Eighteen|28 pages

1993–2000

The Road to the Twenty-First Century

chapter Chapter Nineteen|29 pages

9/11

Causes and Consequences

chapter Chapter Twenty|32 pages

2007–2012

Obama—“America is a Place Where All Things Are Possible” (Sometimes)