American History: A Very Short Introduction

This brief history of America will span the earliest migrations to the present, reflecting Paul S. Boyer''s interests in social, intellectual, and cultural history, including popular culture and religion. It will reflect his personal view of American history, in which a sense of paradox and irony loom large. While noting positive achievements¿political, economic, social, and cultural¿he will also discuss the United States''s failures to live up to its oft-statedideals; although America has figured in the world''s imagination (and its own self-image) as a "land of opportunity" offering "liberty and justice for all," the reality has often fallen short.For example, the establishment of the North American colonies had very different meanings for colonists from the British Isles and Europe, for Native peoples, and for enslaved Africans brought against their will. The late nineteenth century saw not only impressive industrial expansion and the creation of vast fortunes but also appalling con