U.S. History For Dummies, 4ed

Introduction

About This Book  

Conventions Used in This Book  

What Not to Read  

Foolish Assumptions  

Beyond the Book  

Icons Used in This Book  

Where to Go from Here  

Part 1: Getting Started With U.S History

Chapter 1: America: A Short Biography

• They Came, They Saw, They Stayed
• Putting America on the Map
• Struggling with Greatness
• A Cold War and a Brave New World
• America in the 21st Century

Chapter 2: Native Americans and Explorers: 14,000 BC (?)--1607

• Coming to America
• Exploring Early Civilizations
• Many Tribes, Not Many People
• De-stereotyping the Native Americans
• Visiting by the Vikings
• Spicing Up Life -- and Other Reasons for Exploring
• Dropping Names of Others Who Dropped By
• The Sword, the Cross, and the Measles
• Arriving Late for the Party

Chapter 3: Pilgrims' Progress: The English Colonies, 1607--1700

• Seeing Potential in the New World
• Settling in Jamestown
• Instituting Slavery
• Colonizing: Pilgrims and Puritans
• Bringing Religious Freedom: Dissidents, Catholics, and Quakers
• Dealings of the Dutch
• Coping with Native American Troubles

Chapter 4: You Say You Want a Revolution: 1700--1775

• Looking at America in 1700
• Colonizing New France
• Fighting the First True World Wars
• Awakening to Greater Religious Freedom
• The French and Indian War
• Growing like a Weed
• Heading Toward Divorce with Britain
• Congressing for the First Time
• Mr Revere, Your Horse Is Ready

Chapter 5: Yankee Doodlin': 1775--1783

• In This Corner, the Brits
• In This Corner, the Yanks
• Mr Washington Goes to War
• Declaring Independence
• Cozying Up to the French
• Undergoing Life Changes: The Loyalists and the Slaves
• Winning a War

Chapter 6: Blueprints and Birth Pains: 1783--1800

• Making the Rules
• Dishing Up Politics, American Style
• Raising the Dough
• Earning Respect
• Finding Foreign Friction

Part 2: Growing Pains

Chapter 7: "Long Tom" and One Weird War: 1800--1815

• Jefferson Gets a Job
• Disorder in the Court
• Growing by Leaps and Bounds
• Fighting Pirates, and a "Dambargo"
• "Little Jemmy" Takes the Helm
• Why Not Invade Canada This Year?
• Three Strikes and the Brits Are Out
• Calling It Even

Chapter 8: Pulling Together to Keep from Falling Apart: 1815--1844

• Embracing Nationalism Sort Of
• The Slavery Cancer Grows
• Mud-Wrestling to the White House
• Nullify This
• Inventing a Better Life
• Staking Out New Land

Chapter 9: War, Gold, and a Gathering Storm: 1845--1860

• Wrenching Land from Mexico
• Rushing for Gold
• Coming Over and Spreading Out
• The Beginning of the End
• Squaring Off for a Showdown: The Lincoln--Douglas Debate

Chapter 10: A Most Uncivil War: 1861--1865

• Introducing Abraham Lincoln
• North versus South: Comparing Advantages and Action Plans
• Freeing the Slaves
• Reviewing the Troops, the Generals, and the Major Battles
• Two More Reasons Why the North Won
• Losing a Leader

Chapter 11: Putting the Country Back Together: 1865--1876

• A Southern-Fried Mess: Life in the South after the Civil War
• Piecing the Union Back Together
• The Tailor-Made President: Andrew Johnson
• Growing Corruption in Politics

Part 3: Coming of Age

Chapter 12: Growing Up: 1876--1898

• Heading West in a Quest for Wealth
• Ousting "Undesirables"
• Cramming into Cities
• Inventing Big Business
• Electing a String of Forgettable Presidents
• The Rise of Populism
• "A Splendid Little War"

Chapter 13: Growing into the 20th Century: 1899--1918

• Here Today, Guam Tomorrow: Colonizing Spain's Lands
• Making a Lot of Noise and Carrying a Big Stick: Roosevelt Takes Office
• Progressing toward Political and Social Reform
• Contracting Labor Pains
• Transporting America
• Suffering for Suffrage
• Leaving the South: African Americans Migrate to Northern Cities
• The War to End All Chapters

Chapter 14: Gin, Jazz, and Lucky Lindy: 1919--1929

• Wilson Goes Out of His League for Peace
• Restricting Immigration and Challenging the Natives
• Darwin versus God
• Warren, Cal, and Herbert: Republicans in the White House
• Good Times (or Were They?)
• Ain't We Got Fun?
• Drying Out America: Prohibition Begins
• Changing Morals
• An Age of Heroes

Chapter 15: Uncle Sam's Depressed: 1930--1940

• The Great Depression: Causes and Consequences
• FDR: Making Alphabet Soup
• Shoving Aside Racial Minorities
• Keeping Women at Home -- or Work
• Developing Organized Labor
• Critics, Crooks, and Crime Fighters

Chapter 16: The World at War: 1941--1945

• Trying to Avoid War -- Again
• Gearing Up for War
• Dealing with the War in Europe
• Dealing with the War in the Pacific
• Dropping the Bomb

Part 4: America in Adulthood

Chapter 17: TV, Elvis, and Reds under the Bed: 1946--1960

• A Cold War and a Hot "Police Action"
• Finding Commies under the Bed
• Having It All
• Moving, Slowly, to the Front of the Bus

Chapter 18: Camelot to Watergate: 1961--1974

• Electing an Icon
• Sending Troops to Vietnam
• Increasing Pressure in 'Nam and Escalating Fears at Home
• Continuing the Fight for Civil Rights
• Entering a Generation in Revolt
• Weirdness in the White House

Chapter 19: Hold the Malaise, or, Ayatollah So: 1975--1992

• Wearing Nixon's Shoes
• Good Intentions, Bad Results
• There's a First Time for Everything
• Warming Up after the Cold War

Chapter 20: No Sex, Please, I'm the President: 1993--1999

• Bill, Newt, and Monica
• Homegrown Terrorism
• Making Ourselves Sick
• A World of Change

Part 5: Facing the New Millennium

Chapter 21: Terror Comes Home; America Goes to War(s)

• Whew! A Squeaker: Bush and Gore, 2000
• A Nation Stunned
• That Damn Saddam
• Meanwhile, in the Rest of the World
• Winds and Losses

Chapter 22: Recessions Can Be Really Depressing

• Ouch! The Economy Stubs Its Toe
• Brother, Can You Spare a Job?
• "We're from the Government; We're Here to Help "
• Unspreading the Wealth

Chapter 23: Reforming Healthcare Is No Tea Party

• The Great Presidential Race of 2008
• Going to a Tea Party
• Lurching Toward Healthcare
• Reelecting Obama in 2012
• Meanwhile, Back at the Budget

Chapter 24: America Disagrees with Itself

• Trumped
• With Friends Like These
• Guns, Drugs, and #MeToo
• Weathering the Weather

Chapter 25: This New America

• The Techno Revolution
• Surfing the "Silver Tsunami"
• Stirring the Melting Pot
• Redefining the American Family

Part 6: The Part of Tens

Chapter 26: Ten Innovations That Made It Easier to Be Lazy

• The Escalator (1896)
• Sliced Bread (1928)
• Pizza Delivery (~1945)
• Drive-Through Restaurants (1948)
• TV Remote Controls (1950)
• Pop-Top Cans (1963)
• Microwave Ovens (1967)
• Microwave Popcorn (1983)
• Global Positioning System (1989)
• Amazon (1995)

Chapter 27: Ten U.S Presidents Who Were, Well, Average

• Bill Clinton
• William McKinley
• Grover Cleveland
• John Quincy Adams
• George H W Bush
• William Howard Taft
• Martin Van Buren
• Rutherford B Hayes
• Gerald Ford
• Jimmy Carter

Part 7: The Appendixes

Appendix A: The Bill of Rights: Amendments 1--10 of the Constitution

Appendix B: The Declaration of Independence

Index