This book strives to tell the remarkable story of the history of the American people and the nation they created. Like any history, it is a product of its time and reflects the views of our past that historians have developed over recent generations. A comparable book published a generation from now will likely seem as different from this one as this seems different from textbooks published generations ago. The writing of history changes constantly-not, of course, because the past changes, but because of changes in the way historians, and the publics they serve, ask questions about the past. There are now, as there have always been, critics of changes in historical understanding; people who believe that history is simply a collection of facts and should not be subject to reinterpretation. But historians understand that facts alone are only the beginning of historical understanding, and that it is up to both the writers and readers of history to bring to the past their own questions, concerns, and knowledge.
Among the changes in this twelfth edition of American History: A Survey is a continuing effort to link our understanding of our nation's past to an understanding of the world. The United States has from its beginning been part of a global process of change, and it has become far more so in our own time. It is important, therefore, to consider some of the ways we might draw new perspectives on our own past by looking at the histories of other societies.
Our age has also been profoundly affected by an explosive growth in scientific and technological knowledge. But it is important to recall that such knowledge has played a major role in all periods of history and that understanding that role is a critical part of understanding our past. This edition continues the effort of previous editions to deepen its engagement with the history of science and technology.
The power of the environmental movement, which has developed rapidly over the last several decades, has encouraged historians to take a new interest in environmental history. That history includes, but is not restricted to, the history of the modern environmental movement itself. It also draws our attention to the ways in which human interaction with the environment has shaped American life from its earliest beginnings. This edition incorporates substantial new material on environmental history into the text. I remain very grateful to the distinguished historian William Cronon, whose excellent essays on the American environment were part of this book for several editions. Because environmental history is now more integrated into the text itself, these essays no longer appear in this book.
Despite these and other changes, which are described in detail in the section immediately following this preface, I have tried to retain in this edition what I believe has long been the principal strength of this book: a picture of the American past that connects the newer histories of society and culture of the last several decades to the more traditional histories of politics, diplomacy, and great public events. The United States is a nation of extraordinary diversity, and understanding its history requires us to examine the experiences of the many different groups and cultures that have shaped it. But the United States is also a nation, whose people share a common political system, a connection to an integrated national economy, and a familiarity with a shared and, in our time, enormously powerful popular culture. To understand the American past, therefore, it is necessary to study both the nation's enormous diversity and the powerful forces that have drawn it together and have allowed it to survive and flourish as a nation.
As always, I am grateful to many people for their help in producing this new edition. I was particularly fortunate to have the help of Kevin Murphy, Moshik Temkin, and Timothy White as I worked on this most recent revision. I also appreciate the very helpful reviews I received from a group of talented scholars and teachers:
Steven R. Boyd, The University of Texas, San Antonio; Joan Cashin, Ohio State University; Charles Orson Cook, University of Houston/St. John's School; Edward R. Crowther, Adams State College; Lane Fenrich, Northwestern University; Lorri Glover, University of Tennessee; Mathew M. Hanson, St Joseph's University; Debra Meyers, Northern Kentucky University; Marla Miller, University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Robyn Muncy, University of Maryland, College Park; Kevin Roberts, New Mexico State University; David Stebenne, Ohio State University; Jack W. Traylor, Bryan College; and Austin White, City College of San Francisco.
I am grateful as well to the many people at McGraw-Hill who have helped bring this new edition to completion: Lyn Uhl, Steve Drummond, Kristen Mellitt, Susan Trentacosti, Gino Cieslik, and Deborah Bull. My wife, Evangeline Morphos, as always, brought her own impressive critical skills to bear on this book.
Finally, I am grateful to the students, teachers, and other readers of this book who have sent me comments, criticism, and corrections. I hope they will continue to do so by writing me at 205 Low Library, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027; or by e-mail to ab65@ columbia.edu.
Alan Brinkley
Columbia University
New York, NY The Twelfth Edition
lthough this book tells the large and complex story of the history of the United States, it has a simple purpose. It aspires to be a thorough, balanced, and versatile account of America's past that instructors and students will find accessible and appropriate no matter what approach to the past a course chooses. It includes, as it has from its first edition, a careful, scrupulous examination of American political and diplomatic history. But it is, today, at least as committed to exploring the many other areas of the American past that are of interest to scholars and students alike.
Many of today's American history textbooks emerged out of the particular interests of their authors and their commitment to bringing new kinds of history to the attention of students-social history, regional histories, cultural history, women's history. This book, by contrast, exists to provide students and instructors with a broad account of a diverse American past, one in which no single approach or theme predominates. The twelfth edition is committed to representing the many newer forms of history that have emerged over a generation and more of scholarly innovation.
Organization and Coverage American History: A Survey is organized in a way that reflects the typical United States history course. The thirty-four chapters follow the history of the United States chronologically, and the subheadings allow instructors to select portions of chapters to suit their syllabi. The text is divided into two volumes with an overlapping Chapter Fifteen that covers the "Reconstruction and the New South," providing flexibility for two-semester courses. While this organization makes it easy for instructors to use the text, it also allows for coverage of traditional topics in fresh ways.
Narrative
The book is most notable for the balance among the many elements of the past it presents and for the connections it draws among them to weave a coherent narrative. In each new edition it has expanded its scope while maintaining the clear prose and the straightforward structure that have always made it so accessible and versatile for students and instructors. Today, the traditional political narrative is woven together with newer, equally important narratives: the history of women and gender, of race and ethnicity, of economic growth and the changing character of labor, of region and religion, of popular culture and intellectual life, and of the environment and the economy. American History: A Survey is at the cutting edge of the effort to put politics into social history and to put society and culture into political history.
ONE VOICE
One distinctive feature of this book is that it represents the work of one author. Multiauthored books, of course, tend to bring together many scholars with different forms of expertise in different areas of the past. But a single author has the advantage of bringing a unified organizing conception to the book, of writing in a consistent style, and of providing greater coherence to the narrative.
GLOBALIZATION
Recently, a great deal of attention has been given to the subject of thinking about and teaching the American experience in a way that places it in a larger international and global context. To study the history of our country in isolation from the many varied international influences and other national histories is to neglect an important part of the story. This edition continues to present American history in a more international context, while preserving the distinctiveness of the nation's past. This coverage can be found within both the narrative of the text and in a new set of "America in the World" essays placing events in American history in a global context. Two new essays have been added to this edition: one on social democracy in Chapter 21, and one on the cinema in Chapter 24.
THE NATURE OF HISTORICAL SCHOLARSHIP
The book is written in clear and accessible prose, but it does not condescend to students and does not shy away from complex issues and complicated debates. The "Where Historians Disagree" essays, which have always been a popular feature of this book, suggest its commitment to helping students understand the contested quality of much of the American past. This feature encourages them to think for themselves about what different aspects of our history actually mean. Three new "Where Historians Disagree" essays have been added to this edition: "Native Americans and 'the Middle Ground'" in Chapter 2, "The Witchcraft Trials" in Chapter 3, and "The Civil Rights Movement" in Chapter 31.
CONTENT American History: A Survey continues to win praise from both instructors and students for its balanced presentation of political, cultural, and social history, its clear and accessible prose, its reliable scholarship, its versatility of use, and its excellent map and illustration program. The "Patterns of Popular Culture," "Where Historians Disagree," and "America in the World" features continue to provide exciting and informative presentations of cutting-edge scholarship. All of these strengths have been preserved and enhanced in the new twelfth edition.
Integrated throughout the twelfth edition is additional information about women in American history. Highlights include:
Expanded material about women entering the workforce and its social effects (Chapter 17)
Expanded sections about the growing popularity of literature and formation of book clubs by women (Chaper 18)
More on lynching, particularly the role played by southern women in opposing lynching (Chapter 21)
New material on the "Women's Bureau," an agency dedicated to protecting the interests of women in the workforce (Chapter 23)
New material on legislation passed in response to woman suffrage, including the Shepard Towner Maternity and Infancy Act and the 1922 Cable Act (Chapter 23)
Material from "The American Environment" essays has been integrated into the main text narrative
New "Patterns of Popular Culture" essay on Louisa May Alcott (Chapter 17)
Judicious edits throughout to tighten the narrative
Other revisions to the twelfth edition include the integration of "The American Environment" essays into the main text narrative, to present environmental history in context, expanded material on the effect of European colonists on America in Chapter 2, additional information about the growth of cities in Chapter 18, and new material on the role of the same-sex marriage issue in the 2004 elections in Chapter 32. As always, the book gives particular attention to the very recent past, including new material on President George W. Bush's efforts to restructure the social security system; the state of the U.S. economy through 2005; the "digital divide"; the ongoing war on terror, including the War in Iraq and the debate over the treatment of terrorism suspects; and a new conclusion focusing on America in the first years of the twenty-first century.
PEDAGOGICAL FEATURES
The telling of a good story is only part of the task facing those who teach American history. Instructors also have to engage students in the enterprise of learning and the more actively engaged they are, the more they learn. Pedagogical tools within a textbook have become an important complement to the narrative, aiding students in participating actively in the learning process.
American History: A Survey has always provided students with clear, accessible, and useful pedagogical support. The twelfth edition continues this tradition by retaining the strong features of past editions, refining and updating these features, and adding several new ones.
Chapter Introductions and Conclusions
Each chapter opens with an introduction that sets the stage for understanding the material to follow. For the twelfth edition, introductions have been expanded to present a more comprehensive overview of the chapter. Chapters then end with conclusions that highlight key themes. These features preserve the engaging narrative style, while helping students focus on the main points in the chapter.
Timelines
One of the most commonly voiced frustrations for instructors is that students lack a sense of chronology. Each chapter of this book contains a timeline focusing on significant events covered within the chapter narrative. These timelines have been placed at the beginning of each chapter and include events that correspond to many of the chapter subtitles, as well as other events mentioned throughout the narrative.
Clear Headings and Marginal Notes
Clear thematic titles and precise headings guide students through the chapter. Marginal notes also highlight key terms and concepts contained within the narrative.
For Further Reference Sections
The bibliographies that conclude each chapter have been updated to provide students and instructors with assistance in accessing additional resources, including books, films, and materials on the book's companion Online Learning Center.
Integrated Map Program
Because a sense of geography is essential to the study of history, the text includes a wealth of full-color maps. New to the twelfth edition are a map of West Africa (Chapter 1), a map of the Caribbean islands in the seventeenth century (Chapter 2), and a map of the Election of 2004 (Chapter 34). Every map features a caption that discusses the map content in detail and poses thought questions. In addition, many maps in the book have a Web icon that links them to interactive versions on the Online Learning Center.
SUPPLEMENTSFor the Instructor
Instructor's Resource CD-ROM
This CD-ROM organizes a diverse range of instructor's tools in one place. It features an electronic Instructor's Manual, featuring chapter summaries, themes and objectives for the instructor's use, suggestions for classroom discussion, and more. A computerized test bank is also included, offering questions of varying types and levels of difficulty. McGraw-Hill's EZ Test is a flexible and easy-to-use electronic testing program. The program allows instructors to create tests from book-specific items. It accommodates a wide range of question types and instructors may add their own questions. Multiple versions of the test can be created and any test can be exported for use with course management systems such as WebCT, BlackBoard or PageOut. EZ Test Online is a new service and gives you a place to easily administer your EZ Test created exams and quizzes online. The program is available for Windows and Macintosh environments. Instructors can also use the Instructor's Resource CD-ROM to illustrate classroom lectures and discussions with text-specific PowerPoint presentations, or integrate images from a gallery of maps and photographs into their own presentations.
The Primary Source Investigator American History iPod Instructor's Presentation Tool
The PSiPod contains over 250 speeches and musical selections organized chronologically and into topical play lists. These can be imported into any compatible music management program, organized into new play lists, and amplified on any standard speaker. In addition to the Audio Collection, the American History iPod also contains an Historical Image Collection of over 350 images organized chronologically and into topical albums. These can be imported into any compatible photo management program, organized into new slide shows, and displayed on any projector or television. Music can be played along with slide shows for a complete multi-media experience. Please contact your local McGraw-Hill Sales representative for more information. Adoption requirements apply.
Instructor's Manual for Advanced Placement Teachers
This specially focused manual for AP teachers includes free response questions; key terms, concepts, and names; document-based questions, creative extensions, and other resources for every chapter of the book.
Overhead Transparency Acetates
This comprehensive package of 150 transparencies, most of them full-color, is designed to support the text's unique integrated art program.
U.S. History Video and CD-ROM Library
Contact your local sales representative for a complete listing of the many videos and CD-ROMs available from the Films for the Humanities American History catalog. Adoption requirements apply.
Instructor's Online Learning Center www.mhhe.com/brinkley12
At the homepage to the text-specific Web site, instructors will find a series of online tools to meet a wide range of classroom needs. The Instructor's Manual and most PowerPoint presentations can be downloaded by instructors, but are password-protected to prevent tampering. Instructors can also create Web-based homework assignments or classroom activities by linking to the Student Online Learning Center, and can create an interactive course syllabus using McGraw-Hill's PageOut (www.mhhe.com/pageout).
Readers
McGraw-Hill publishes a number of readers that complement American History. These can be sold with our texts with a price break for students. Please visit www.mhhe.com or contact your local McGraw-Hill representative for more information on these titles.
After the Fact: The Art of Historical Detection, 5/e, Davidson and Lytle The American Record, 5/e, Graebner and Richards Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, Corbett and Naugle American Portraits: Biographies in United States History, 2/e, Weisner and Hartford Annual Editions: American History, 18/e, Maddox Taking Sides: American History, 11/e, Madaras and SoRelle For the Student
Primary Source Investigator CD-ROM
Packaged free with every copy of the book, the Primary Source Investigator CD-ROM includes hundreds of sources to explore, including images, short documentary movies, interactive maps, photographs, and much more. Each source has tools accompanying it that teach students to examine a source the way a historian would. PSI also tutors student on how to write a paper based on their work with the sources. Find more information about the CD-ROM where it is packaged in your book.
Student Study Guide with Map Exercises
Available in two volumes, the Study Guide helps students to process and master important concepts covered in the text. For each chapter, it offers valuable pedagogical tools such as chapter summaries and reviews, chapter outlines, learning objectives, short answer and essay questions, and mapping exercises.
U.S. History Map Atlas
This is a valuable collection of more than fifty clear and colorful historical maps covering all major periods in American history. It is available for packaging with the textbook. Please contact your local sales representative for more information.
After the Fact Interactive CD-ROM-The Visible and Invisible Worlds of Salem After the Fact Interactive CD-ROM-Who Freed the Slaves? After the Fact Interactive CD-ROM-USDA Government Inspected After the Fact Interactive CD-ROM-From Rosie to Lucy After the Fact Interactive helps students practice the art of historical detection on real historical controversies. Rich, visually appealing modules on the Salem witch trials, the freeing of the slaves, the passage of the Meat Inspection Act of 1906, and the changing roles of women after World War II introduce them to three basic steps taken by practicing historians: Ask, Research, and Argue; provide them with numerous rich original sources to examine, including video, audio, and images; and guide them in constructing an argument based on their research.
Student Online Learning Center www.mhhe.com/brinkley12
At the homepage to the text-specific Web site, students can work with an interactive study guide, including online essay questions, timelines, mapping exercises, and a variety of objective questions to guide them through the text material. Links to related Web sites and Internet exercises make the student Online Learning Center a great place to begin Web-based research.
To obtain an instructor login for this Online Learning Center, ask your local sales representative.
If you're an instructor thinking about adopting this textbook, request a free copy for review.
2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education