Making America: A History of the United States, Volume II: Since 1865

by Carol Berkin, Christopher Miller, Robert W. Cherny, et al.

Book Overview

Shaped with a clear political chronology, MAKING AMERICA reflects the variety of individual experiences and cultures that comprise American society. The authors' goal is to spark readers' curiosity and invite them to explore and �do� history rather than simply read about it. The book conveys the surprising twists and turns as well as the individual and collective tales of success and failure that are the real story of the American past...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1285194810
• ISBN13: 9781285194813
• Release Date: January 2014
• Publisher: Cengage Learning
• Length: 576 Pages
• Weight: 2.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 8.4" x 10.8"

Customer Reviews

A Good Intro Book

This text was used in my American History class. The brief edition is compact and only includes the details needed, it isn't overly cumbersome and doesn't contain too much information that might scare off some students. It does not leave out too much although there are a few things that perhaps could have been more detailed or included. As long as your instructor is using supplemental materials this book is good for a general overview of American history. It is not written with the bias of some history books nor does it gloss over the unpleasantness of parts of America's past.

Making history, vol. 2...

'Making America: A History of the United States' is a wonderful introduction to American history, written in broad strokes that goes from the earliest days of European discovery, including an overview of the Native American histories, through to modern times. This second volume traces the time of the aftermath of the American Civil War to the present day, including the present Bush presidency. The final settlement of the West, expansion throughout the hemisphere, and finally expansion into a global power economically and militarily. The first chapter in this book is a repeat of the last chapter of the first volume, to set the stage for looking at America in a post-Civil War context. Readers who have both volumes will not need to read this twice, but it is a very intelligent choice to repeat the material for those who take courses out of sequence or read volumes separately. From the aftermath of the Civil War and Reconstruction, the authors trace the development of America, largely isolated from the rest of the world diplomatically and militarily, into a largely introspective industrial power, which was nonetheless a magnet for immigration from all over the world, providing the people-power needed to fuel the engines of growth across the continent. Railroads and the big business barons feature in this part of the history. As the West was settled, the continuing issue of the Native Americans, and how they were mistreated by the federal government, is laid out along with the political and economic upheavals occurring in all parts of the country. From these industrial and consolidation beginnings, America's involvement in foreign conflicts and issues, beginning with World War I and the League of Nations (which America helped found, but never joined) and solidifying with World War II and the United Nations, shows a history that has immediate ramifications with which we still live. Similarly, developments in the economy and civil society from the depression era, the Civil Rights era, and the Cold War all have legacies immediately apparent to people today. The book is full of colour, with pictures, maps, graphs, and other design elements used to make reading easier and comprehension greater. Bold-faced words in the text are highlighted and explained in definition form in pull-out boxes at the bottom of many pages, which parallel with the useful glossary of terms at the back. There are chapter introductions and summaries, maps and timelines to set each chapter's context, and interesting features called 'Individual Voices' and 'Individual Choices' that draw the chapters together into overall topical agreement. The text is backed by a useful website. We are using this two-volume set at the college where I tutor in history (among other topics). The students enjoy the text, and it is a good work to use from a teaching standpoint, too.

Making history, vol. 1...

'Making America: A History of the United States' is a wonderful introduction to American history, written in broad strokes that goes from the earliest days of European discovery, including an overview of the Native American histories, through to modern times. This first volume traces the time of the contact of Europeans with the 'New World' to the aftermath of the American Civil War. The early chapters look in some good detail about the inter-relationships of the Native American populations in North America and the Caribbean with the European explorers, showing times of cooperation and of conflict. A little more development of Native American histories would be helpful here, but the text is honest in laying forth many of the problems of the explorers and settlers dealings with populations already present on the continent. The complex world of the colonial settlements, each of which had its own purposes and character, is developed in some detail, outlining the personalities, events, and primary ideas that drove the historical trends. The early colonisations of the Spanish, French, Dutch and English, each dealing with Native Americans and each others, makes for a varied story, ending up ultimately in British ascendancy in North America, with all other European powers taking a back seat, until the time of the American Revolution, when the new nation formed. Expansion of the Americans westward, dealing with issues of Native Americans as well as growing pains of the new nation, and the continuing controversial institution of slavery, make for a colourful narrative. Most American students will recognise easily the broad strokes, and the authors bring in interesting side events and perspectives. The book is full of colour, with pictures, maps, graphs, and other design elements used to make reading easier and comprehension greater. Bold-faced words in the text are highlighted and explained in definition form in pull-out boxes at the bottom of many pages, which parallel with the useful glossary of terms at the back. There are chapter introductions and summaries, maps and timelines to set each chapter's context, and interesting features called 'Individual Voices' and 'Individual Choices' that draw the chapters together into overall topical agreement. The text is backed by a useful website. We are using this two-volume set at the college where I tutor in history (among other topics). The students enjoy the text, and it is a good work to use from a teaching standpoint, too.