Designed to encourage critical thinking, theMajor Problems in American Historyseries introduces students to both primary sources and analytical essays on important topics in U. S. history. The central theme of this volume asserts that the history of business is inexorably linked to politics and culture. The authors explore specific issues, including foreign policy, race and ethnicity, gender, religion, work, leisure, and technological innovation, as well as high and low culture. The text also shows that capitalism and industrialism were not universally embraced; there were always dissenters. Comprehensive coverage includes the entire period from colonial merchants to the globalization of American business. Specific topics include technology, urbanization, shopping, and immigration--in addition to traditional material on government and business. A full chapter focuses on the "business" of slavery in the Old South, while the final chapter addresses the globalization of American business.