This text takes a unique approach–each chapter is split into two distinct parts. In the first part of each chapter, the authors tell the story of a very specific and concrete episode: witchcraft hysteria in Salem Village in 1692, for example. The second part of the chapter is a discussion of the historical setting of the chapters episode, placing it in its historical context. This incident-narrative approach allows the student to examine a subject in depth and then understand how it relates to the larger fabric of American history.

1. First Encounters. 2. The Colonies Established. 3. Growth and Diversification. 4. The Eighteenth Century. 5. The American Revolution. 6. The Transition to Nationhood. 7. The Republic on Trial. 8. Beyond Appalachian Barrier. 9. The Age of Party. 10. A New North. 11. A New South. 12. Expansion and the Crisis of the Union. 13. His Terrible Swift Sword. 14. Reconstruction. 15. The Politics of Restoration. 16. The Climax of the Industrial Revolution. 17. A New West Chapter. 18. The Gospel of Wealth Chapter. 19. The Politics of Reform Chapter. 20. Imperial America Chapter. 21. Mass Culture and the Jazz Age. 22. Capitalism in Transition. 23. A Global Nation. 24. The American Century. 25. Liberalism in Decline. 26. Questions of Credibility. 27. The Era of Ideologies