The compact history of a giant country. American history is one of those subjects that students frequently labor over and can seem like a random collection of names, dates, and events. Understood as a collective biography and free of the cheerleading found in many text books, the fully updated fifth edition of The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to American Historyexplains the changing tides in America’s most pivotal periods. • From a seasoned author and researcher • The most current and comprehensive series title on American history • Heightened interest right now in the question of how America got where we are—a question that can only be answered by an understanding of history