This book maintains Pulitzer Prize winning author Irwin Unger's challenging "inquiry approach," organizing each chapter around a specific question designed to challenge students/readers to consider the complexity of the past. KEY TOPICS: The classic coverage has been both updated and expanded to offer a more contemporary approach while remaining an interesting and absorbing introduction to American history. This edition represents a condensed, streamlined version (about one-fourth shorter than its predecessor), presenting coverage in a brief format to both facilitate readability and reduce the price of the work to students.