Introduction 1
About This Book 1
Conventions Used in This Book 2
What Not to Read 3
Foolish Assumptions 3
Beyond the Book 3
Icons Used in This Book 4
Where to Go from Here 4
Part 1: Getting Started With U.S History 5
Chapter 1: America: A Short Biography 7
They Came, They Saw, They Stayed 8
Putting America on the Map 9
Struggling with Greatness 13
A Cold War and a Brave New World 15
America in the 21st Century 18
Chapter 2: Native Americans and Explorers: 14,000 BC (?)–1607 21
Coming to America 21
Exploring Early Civilizations 22
Many Tribes, Not Many People 24
De-stereotyping the Native Americans 26
Visiting by the Vikings 27
Spicing Up Life — and Other Reasons for Exploring 28
Dropping Names of Others Who Dropped By 31
The Sword, the Cross, and the Measles 33
Arriving Late for the Party 35
Chapter 3: Pilgrims’ Progress: The English Colonies, 1607–1700 39
Seeing Potential in the New World 39
Settling in Jamestown 40
Instituting Slavery 42
Colonizing: Pilgrims and Puritans 43
Bringing Religious Freedom: Dissidents, Catholics, and Quakers 47
Dealings of the Dutch 49
Coping with Native American Troubles 50
Chapter 4: You Say You Want a Revolution: 1700–1775 53
Looking at America in 1700 53
Colonizing New France 54
Fighting the First True World Wars 55
Awakening to Greater Religious Freedom 57
The French and Indian War 58
Growing like a Weed 60
Heading Toward Divorce with Britain 62
Congressing for the First Time 67
Mr Revere, Your Horse Is Ready 68
Chapter 5: Yankee Doodlin’: 1775–1783 71
In This Corner, the Brits 71
In This Corner, the Yanks 72
Mr Washington Goes to War 74
Declaring Independence 75
Cozying Up to the French 77
Undergoing Life Changes: The Loyalists and the Slaves 78
Winning a War 79
Chapter 6: Blueprints and Birth Pains: 1783–1800 85
Making the Rules 85
Dishing Up Politics, American Style 89
Raising the Dough 91
Earning Respect 92
Finding Foreign Friction 95
Part 2: Growing Pains 97
Chapter 7: “Long Tom” and One Weird War: 1800–1815 99
Jefferson Gets a Job 99
Disorder in the Court 101
Growing by Leaps and Bounds 103
Fighting Pirates, and a “Dambargo” 107
“Little Jemmy” Takes the Helm 109
Why Not Invade Canada This Year? 111
Three Strikes and the Brits Are Out 113
Calling It Even 115
Chapter 8: Pulling Together to Keep from Falling Apart: 1815–1844 117
Embracing Nationalism Sort Of 118
The Slavery Cancer Grows 121
Mud-Wrestling to the White House 125
Nullify This 128
Inventing a Better Life 131
Staking Out New Land 133
Chapter 9: War, Gold, and a Gathering Storm: 1845–1860 139
Wrenching Land from Mexico 139
Rushing for Gold 142
Coming Over and Spreading Out 145
The Beginning of the End 148
Squaring Off for a Showdown: The Lincoln–Douglas Debate 152
Chapter 10: A Most Uncivil War: 1861–1865 155
Introducing Abraham Lincoln 155
North versus South: Comparing Advantages and Action Plans 159
Freeing the Slaves 161
Reviewing the Troops, the Generals, and the Major Battles 163
Two More Reasons Why the North Won 167
Losing a Leader 169
Chapter 11: Putting the Country Back Together: 1865–1876 171
A Southern-Fried Mess: Life in the South after the Civil War 171
Piecing the Union Back Together 174
The Tailor-Made President: Andrew Johnson 177
Growing Corruption in Politics 180
Part 3: Coming of Age 185
Chapter 12: Growing Up: 1876–1898 187
Heading West in a Quest for Wealth 187
Ousting “Undesirables” 190
Cramming into Cities 194
Inventing Big Business 196
Electing a String of Forgettable Presidents 201
The Rise of Populism 202
“A Splendid Little War” 202
Chapter 13: Growing into the 20th Century: 1899–1918 205
Here Today, Guam Tomorrow: Colonizing Spain’s Lands 206
Making a Lot of Noise and Carrying a Big Stick: Roosevelt Takes Office 208
Progressing toward Political and Social Reform 210
Contracting Labor Pains 212
Transporting America 214
Suffering for Suffrage 215
Leaving the South: African Americans Migrate to Northern Cities 217
The War to End All Chapters 218
Chapter 14: Gin, Jazz, and Lucky Lindy: 1919–1929 221
Wilson Goes Out of His League for Peace 222
Restricting Immigration and Challenging the Natives 223
Darwin versus God 225
Warren, Cal, and Herbert: Republicans in the White House 226
Good Times (or Were They?) 228
Ain’t We Got Fun? 231
Drying Out America: Prohibition Begins 234
Changing Morals 235
An Age of Heroes 236
Chapter 15: Uncle Sam’s Depressed: 1930–1940 239
The Great Depression: Causes and Consequences 239
FDR: Making Alphabet Soup 243
Shoving Aside Racial Minorities 248
Keeping Women at Home — or Work 249
Developing Organized Labor 250
Critics, Crooks, and Crime Fighters 251
Chapter 16: The World at War: 1941–1945 255
Trying to Avoid War — Again 255
Gearing Up for War 259
Dealing with the War in Europe 264
Dealing with the War in the Pacific 268
Dropping the Bomb 270
Part 4: America in Adulthood 273
Chapter 17: TV, Elvis, and Reds under the Bed: 1946–1960 275
A Cold War and a Hot “Police Action” 275
Finding Commies under the Bed 280
Having It All 283
Moving, Slowly, to the Front of the Bus 288
Chapter 18: Camelot to Watergate: 1961–1974 291
Electing an Icon 291
Sending Troops to Vietnam 294
Increasing Pressure in ’Nam and Escalating Fears at Home 296
Continuing the Fight for Civil Rights 298
Entering a Generation in Revolt 302
Weirdness in the White House 304
Chapter 19: Hold the Malaise, or, Ayatollah So: 1975–1992 307
Wearing Nixon’s Shoes 307
Good Intentions, Bad Results 309
There’s a First Time for Everything 312
Warming Up after the Cold War 317
Chapter 20: No Sex, Please, I’m the President: 1993–1999 323
Bill, Newt, and Monica 323
Homegrown Terrorism 327
Making Ourselves Sick 330
A World of Change 332
Part 5: Facing the New Millennium 335
Chapter 21: Terror Comes Home; America Goes to War(s) 337
Whew! A Squeaker: Bush and Gore, 2000 337
A Nation Stunned 340
That Damn Saddam 344
Meanwhile, in the Rest of the World 347
Winds and Losses 348
Chapter 22: Recessions Can Be Really Depressing 351
Ouch! The Economy Stubs Its Toe 352
Brother, Can You Spare a Job? 355
“We’re from the Government; We’re Here to Help ” 357
Unspreading the Wealth 361
Chapter 23: Reforming Healthcare Is No Tea Party 365
The Great Presidential Race of 2008 365
Going to a Tea Party 368
Lurching Toward Healthcare 371
Reelecting Obama in 2012 375
Meanwhile, Back at the Budget 377
Chapter 24: America Disagrees with Itself 379
Trumped 379
With Friends Like These 383
Guns, Drugs, and #MeToo 387
Weathering the Weather 390
Chapter 25: This New America 393
The Techno Revolution 393
Surfing the “Silver Tsunami” 401
Stirring the Melting Pot 402
Redefining the American Family 405
Part 6: The Part of Tens 407
Chapter 26: Ten Innovations That Made It Easier to Be Lazy 409
The Escalator (1896) 409
Sliced Bread (1928) 410
Pizza Delivery (~1945) 410
Drive-Through Restaurants (1948) 411
TV Remote Controls (1950) 411
Pop-Top Cans (1963) 411
Microwave Ovens (1967) 412
Microwave Popcorn (1983) 412
Global Positioning System (1989) 413
Amazon (1995) 413
Chapter 27: Ten U.S Presidents Who Were, Well, Average 415
Bill Clinton 415
William McKinley 416
Grover Cleveland 416
John Quincy Adams 416
George H W Bush 417
William Howard Taft 417
Martin Van Buren 417
Rutherford B Hayes 418
Gerald Ford 418
Jimmy Carter 419
Part 7: The Appendixes 421
Appendix A: The Bill of Rights: Amendments 1–10 of the Constitution 423
Appendix B: The Declaration of Independence 425
Index 429
