Through the use of stories—of the nation and its people—and with emphasis on the fact that American history has never been the preserve of any particular region, this book weaves together the complex interaction of social, political and historical forces that have shaped the United States and from which “the American people” have evolved. It integrates traditional turning points and watershed events with the stories of the country's many diverse communities. This volume covers: A Continent of Villages, to 1500; When Worlds Collide, 1492 - 1590; Planting Colonies in North America, 1588-1701; Slavery and Empire, 1441-1770; The Cultures of Colonial North America, 1700-1780; From Empire to Independence, 1750-1776; The Creation of the United States, 1776-1786; The United States of North America, 1787-1800; An Agrarian Republic, 1790-1824; The Growth of Democracy, 1824-1840; The South and Slavery, 1790s-1850s; Industry and the North, 1790s-1840s; Coming to Terms with the New Age, 1820s-1850s; The Territorial Expansion of the United States, 1830s-1850s; The Coming Crisis, the 1850s; The Civil War, 1861-1865; and Reconstruction, 1863- 1877; Conquest and Survival in the Trans-Mississippi West, 1860-1900; The Incorporation of America, 1865-1900; Commonwealth and Empire, 1870-1900; Urban America and the Progressive Era, 1900-1917; World War I, 1914-1920; The Twenties, 1920-1929; The Great Depression and the New Deal, 1929-1940; World War II, 1941-1945; The Cold War, 1945-1952; America at Mid-century, 1952-1963; The Civil Rights Movement, 1945-1966; War at Home, War Abroad, 1965-1974; The Overextended Society, 1974-1980; The Conservative Ascendancy, since 1980. For Americans with a passion for history and their country.