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America's History: Concise Edition, Volume 1
Tenth Edition ©2021
Praised for its focus on turning points and engines of change, the Concise Edition of America’s History explains the why behind events. The tenth edition presents a greater variety of tools to engage todays students. This edition includes new part opener features to help students study cha...
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A brief text that helps students understand not just what happened in America’s history, but why
Praised for its focus on turning points and engines of change, the Concise Edition of America’s History explains the why behind events. The tenth edition presents a greater variety of tools to engage todays students. This edition includes new part opener features to help students study change and continuity in key periods, new coverage of capitalism and the economy, and an enhanced primary and secondary source program designed to develop historical thinking skills.
Available at a steep discount when packaged with the print book, the popular digital assignment options for this text bring skill building and assessment to a new and highly effective level. The greatest active learning options come in LaunchPad, Macmillan’s comprehensive and customizable learning platform, which combines an accessible, full-color e-book with LearningCurve, an adaptive and automatically graded learning tool that—when assigned—helps ensure students read the book; the complete companion reader with quizzes on each source; and many other study and assessment tools. For instructors who want the easiest and most affordable way to ensure students come to class prepared, Achieve Read & Practice pairs LearningCurve adaptive quizzing and our mobile, accessible, two-color Value Edition e-book, in one easy-to-use product.
"Americas History offers something for every student and instructor. There is a wealth of extra opportunities to read and ‘do’ history with the various sections like ‘Thinking Like a Historian.’ The text is straightforward and easy for students to understand, and it is inclusive of many points of view. I have used a lot of history textbooks in 25 years, and by far, this text is my favorite."
-- Lynne Nelson Manion, Eastern Maine Community College"I have always liked America’s History because of its engaging, readable story of people. It is also nicely presented with well-chosen images and historical voices. It is the most student friendly text that I have ever used."
-- Nancy Rosenbloom, Canisius College"This text offers a variety of ways to engage students and incorporates novel ways to engage them with primary sources to promote critical thinking."
-- Scott Seagle, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga"Im impressed with the quantity and quality of primary sources and diverse voices in this collection. I think it would save time for me because I wouldnt have to search out as many primary sources or historians interpretations. The narrative flows well."
-- Karen Auman, Brigham Young University"It provides the essentials to make the study of American History inviting and exciting."
-- James P. Beil, Luna Community College
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Table of Contents
PART 1 Transformations of North America, 1491–1700
CHAPTER 1 Colliding Worlds, 1491–1600
Why did contact among Native Americans, Europeans, and Africans cause such momentous changes?
The Native American Experience
The First Americans
American Empires
Chiefdoms and Confederacies
Patterns of Trade
Sacred Power
Western Europe: The Edge of the Old World
Hierarchy and Authority
Peasant Society
Expanding Trade Networks
Myths, Religions, and Holy Warriors
West and Central Africa: Origins of the Atlantic Slave Trade
Empires, Kingdoms, and Ministates
Trans-Saharan and Coastal Trade
The Spirit World
Exploration and Conquest
Portuguese Expansion
The African Slave Trade
Sixteenth-Century Incursions
SUMMARY
CHAPTER 1 REVIEW
America in the World Altered Landscapes
Thinking Like a Historian Colliding Cultures
CHAPTER 2 American Experiments, 1521–1700
Why did the American colonies develop the social, political, and economic institutions they did, and why were some colonial experiments more successful than others?
Spain’s Tribute Colonies
A New American World
The Columbian Exchange
The Protestant Challenge to Spain
Plantation Colonies
Brazil’s Sugar Plantations
England’s Chesapeake Colonies
The Laboratory of the Caribbean
Plantation Life
Neo-European Colonies
New France
New Netherland
The Rise of the Iroquois
New England
War and Rebellion in North America
Metacom’s War, 1675-1676
The Pueblo Revolt
Bacon’s Rebellion
SUMMARY
CHAPTER 2 REVIEW
Thinking Like a Historian Who Was Pocahontas?
Comparing Interpretations What Role Did Climate and Ecology Play in American Colonization?
PART 2 British North America and the Atlantic World, 1607–1763
CHAPTER 3 The British Atlantic World, 1607–1750
Why and how did the South Atlantic System reshape the economy, society, and culture of British North America?
Colonies to Empire, 1607–1713
Self-Governing Colonies and New Elites, 1607–1660
The Restoration Colonies and Imperial Expansion
From Mercantilism to Imperial Dominion
The Glorious Revolution in England and America
Imperial Wars and Native Peoples
Tribalization
Indian Goals
The Imperial Slave Economy
The South Atlantic System
Africa, Africans, and the Slave Trade
Slavery in the Chesapeake and South Carolina
An African American Community Emerges
The Rise of the Southern Gentry
The Northern Maritime Economy
The Urban Economy
Urban Society
The New Politics of Empire, 1713–1750
The Rise of Colonial Assemblies
Salutary Neglect
Protecting the Mercantile System
Mercantilism and the American Colonies
SUMMARY
CHAPTER 3 REVIEW
America in the World Olaudah Equiano: The Brutal "Middle Passage"
Thinking Like a Historian Servitude and Slavery
CHAPTER 4 Growth, Diversity, and Conflict, 1720–1763
Why did transatlantic travel and communication reshape Britain’s American colonies so dramatically?
New England’s Freehold Society
Farm Families: Women in the Household Economy
Farm Property: Inheritance
Freehold Society in Crisis
Diversity in the Middle Colonies
Economic Growth, Opportunity, and Conflict
Cultural Diversity
Religion and Politics
Cultural Transformations
Transportation and the Print Revolution
The Enlightenment in America
American Pietism and the Great Awakening
Religious Upheaval in the North
Social and Religious Conflict in the South
The Midcentury Challenge: War, Trade, and Social Conflict, 1750–1763
The French and Indian War
The Great War for Empire
British Industrial Growth and the Consumer Revolution
The Struggle for Land in the East
Western Rebels and Regulators
SUMMARY
CHAPTER 4 REVIEW
Thinking Like a Historian Women’s Labor
America in the World Transatlantic Migration, 1500–1760
PART 3 Revolution and Republican Culture, 1754–1800
CHAPTER 5 The Problem of Empire, 1754–1776
Why did the imperial crisis lead to war between Britain and the United States?
An Empire Transformed
The Costs of Empire
George Grenville and the Reform Impulse
An Open Challenge: The Stamp Act
The Dynamics of Rebellion, 1765–1770
Formal Protests and the Politics of the Crowd
The Ideological Roots of Resistance
Another Kind of Freedom
Parliament and Patriots Square Off Again
The Problem of the West
Parliament Wavers
The Road to Independence, 1771–1776
A Compromise Repudiated
The Continental Congress Responds
The Rising of the Countryside
Loyalists and Neutrals
Violence East and West
Lord Dunmore’s War
Armed Resistance in Massachusetts
The Second Continental Congress Organizes for War
Thomas Paine’s Common Sense
Independence Declared
SUMMARY
CHAPTER 5 REVIEW
Thinking Like a Historian Beyond the Proclamation Line
Comparing Interpretations Did British Administrators Try to Protect or Exploit Native Americans?
CHAPTER 6 Making War and Republican Governments, 1776–1789
Why did the American independence movement succeed, and what changes did it initiate in American society and government?
The Trials of War, 1776–1778
War in the North
Armies and Strategies
Victory at Saratoga
The Perils of War
Financial Crisis
Valley Forge
The Path to Victory, 1778–1783
The French Alliance
War in the South
The Patriot Advantage
Diplomatic Triumph
Creating Republican Institutions, 1776–1787
The State Constitutions: How Much Democracy?
Women Seek a Public Voice
The War’s Losers: Loyalists, Native Americans, and Slaves
The Articles of Confederation
Shays’s Rebellion
The Constitution of 1787
The Rise of a Nationalist Faction
The Philadelphia Convention
The People Debate Ratification
SUMMARY
CHAPTER 6 REVIEW
Thinking Like a Historian The Black Soldier’s Dilemma
Comparing Interpretations What did the Framers Intend When They Drafted The Constitution?
CHAPTER 7 Hammering Out a Federal Republic, 1787–1820
Why did the United States survive the challenges of the first three decades to become a viable, growing, independent republic?
The Political Crisis of the 1790s
The Federalists Implement the Constitution
Hamilton’s Financial Program
Jefferson’s Agrarian Vision
The French Revolution Divides Americans
The Rise of Political Parties
A Republican Empire Is Born
Sham Treaties and Indian Lands
Migration and the Changing Farm Economy
The Jefferson Presidency
Jefferson and the West
The War of 1812 and the Transformation of Politics
Conflict in the Atlantic and the West
The War of 1812
The Federalist Legacy
SUMMARY
CHAPTER 7 REVIEW
Thinking Like a Historian The Social Life of Alcohol
America in the World The Haitian Revolution and the Problem of Race
PART 4 Overlapping Revolutions, 1800–1848
CHAPTER 8 Economic Transformations, 1800–1848
Why and how did the economic transformations of the first half of the nineteenth century reshape northern and southern society and culture?
Foundations of a New Economic Order
Credit and Banking
Transportation and the Market Revolution
The Cotton Complex: Northern Industry and Southern Agriculture
The American Industrial Revolution
Origins of the Cotton South
The Cotton Boom and Slavery
Technological Innovation and Labor
The Spread of Innovation
Wageworkers and the Labor Movement
The Growth of Cities and Towns
New Social Classes and Cultures
Inequality in the South
The Northern Business Elite
The Middle Class
Urban Workers and the Poor
SUMMARY
CHAPTER 8 REVIEW
Thinking Like a Historian The Entrepreneur and the Community
Comparing Interpretations Did the Market Revolution Expand Opportunities for Women?
CHAPTER 9 A Democratic Revolution, 1800–1848
Why did Andrew Jackson’s election mark a turning point in American politics?
The Rise of Popular Politics
The Decline of the Notables and the Rise of Parties
Racial Exclusion and Republican Motherhood
The Missouri Crisis, 1819–1821
The Election of 1824
The Last Notable President: John Quincy Adams
"The Democracy" and the Election of 1828
Jackson in Power, 1829–1837
Jackson’s Agenda: Rotation and Decentralization
The Tariff and Nullification
The Bank War
Indian Removal
Jackson’s Impact
Class, Culture, and the Second Party System
The Whig Worldview
Labor Politics and the Depression of 1837–1843
"Tippecanoe and Tyler Too!"
SUMMARY
CHAPTER 9 REVIEW
COMPARING INTERPRETATIONS Was Indian Removal Humanitarian or Racist?
Thinking Like a Historian Becoming Literate: Public Education and Democracy
CHAPTER 10 Religion, Reform, and Culture, 1820–1848
Why did new intellectual, religious, and social movements emerge in the early nineteenth century, and how did they change American society?
Spiritual Awakenings
The Second Great Awakening and Reform
Transcendentalism
Utopian Communities and New Religious Movements
Urban Cultures and Conflicts
Sex in the City
Urban Entertainments
Popular Fiction and the Penny Press
African Americans and the Struggle for Freedom
Free Black Communities, South and North
The Rise of Abolitionism
The Women’s Rights Movement
Origins of the Women’s Rights Movement
From Antislavery to Women’s Rights
SUMMARY
CHAPTER 10 REVIEW
Thinking Like a Historian Dance and Social Identity in Antebellum America
America in the World Women’s Rights in France and the United States, 1851
CHAPTER 11 Imperial Ambitions, 1820–1848
Why did the ideology of Manifest Destiny unite Americans and shape United States politics?
The Expanding South
Planters, Small Freeholders, and Poor Freemen
The Settlement of Texas
The Politics of Democracy
The World of Enslaved African Americans
Forging Families and Communities
Working Lives
Contesting the Boundaries of Slavery
Manifest Destiny, North and South
The Push to the Pacific
The Plains Indians
The Fateful Election of 1844
The U.S.-Mexico War, 1846–1848
The Mexican North
Polk’s Expansionist Program
American Military Successes
SUMMARY
CHAPTER 11 REVIEW
Thinking Like a Historian Claiming the Oregon Country
America in the World Financing War
PART 5 Consolidating a Continental Union, 1844–1877
CHAPTER 12 Sectional Conflict and Crisis, 1844–1861
Why did the new Republican Party arise, and what events led to Democratic division and southern secession?
Consequences of the U.S.-Mexico War, 1844–1850
"Free Soil" in Politics
California Gold and Racial Warfare
1850: Crisis and Compromise
An Emerging Political Crisis, 1850–1858
The Abolitionist Movement Grows
Pierce and Expansion
Immigrants and Know-Nothings
The West and the Fate of the Union
Abraham Lincoln and the Republican Triumph, 1858–1860
Lincoln’s Political Career
The Union Under Siege
The Election of 1860
Secession Winter, 1860–1861
SUMMARY
CHAPTER 12 REVIEW
Comparing Interpretations Did Slavery Have a Future in the West?
Thinking Like a Historian The Irish in America
CHAPTER 13 Bloody Ground: The Civil War, 1861–1865
Why and how did the Union win the Civil War?
War Begins, 1861–1862
Early Expectations
Campaigns East and West
Antietam and Its Consequences
Toward "Hard War," 1863
Politics North and South
The Impact of Emancipation
Citizens and the Work of War
Vicksburg and Gettysburg
The Road to Union Victory, 1864–1865
Grant and Sherman Take Command
The Election of 1864 and Sherman’s March
The Confederacy Collapses
The World the War Made
SUMMARY
CHAPTER 13 REVIEW
Comparing Interpretations How Divided Was the Confederate Public?
Thinking Like a Historian Military Deaths — and Lives Saved — During the Civil War
CHAPTER 14 Reconstruction, 1865–1877
Why did freedpeople, Republican policymakers, and ex-Confederates all end up dissatisfied with Reconstruction or with its aftermath? To what degree did each group succeed in fulfilling its goals?
The Struggle for National Reconstruction
Presidential Approaches: From Lincoln to Johnson
Congress Versus the President
Radical Reconstruction
Women’s Rights Denied
The Meaning of Freedom
The Quest for Land
Republican Governments in the South
Building Black Communities
The Undoing of Reconstruction
The Republicans Unravel
Counterrevolution in the South
Reconstruction Rolled Back
The Political Crisis of 1877
Lasting Legacies
SUMMARY
CHAPTER 14 REVIEW
America in the World Labor Laws After Emancipation: Haiti and the United States
Thinking Like a Historian The South’s "Lost Cause"
Authors
Rebecca Edwards
Rebecca Edwards is Eloise Ellery Professor of History at Vassar College, where she teaches courses on nineteenth-century politics, the Civil War, the frontier West, and women, gender, and sexuality. She is the author of, among other publications, Angels in the Machinery: Gender in American Party Politics from the Civil War to the Progressive Era; New Spirits: Americans in the “Gilded Age,” 1865–1905; and the essay “Women's and Gender History” in The New American History. She is currently working on a book about the role of childbearing in the expansion of America's nineteenth-century empire.
Eric Hinderaker
Robert O. Self
James Henretta
James A. Henretta  is Professor Emeritus of American History at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he taught Early American History and Legal History. His publications include “Salutary Neglect”: Colonial Administration under the Duke of Newcastle; Evolution and Revolution: American Society, 1600–1820; and The Origins of American Capitalism. His most recent publication is a long article, “Magistrates, Lawyers, Legislators: The Three Legal Systems of Early America,” in The Cambridge History of American Law.
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