America: The Story of Us: an Illustrated History - Tapa blanda

America: The Story of Us is a full-color, deluxe history that is at once penetrating and lively, elegant and authoritative—as perfect for serious reading as it is for casual skimming. A companion to the groundbreaking HistoryTM channel series America: The Story of Us, this stunning volume illuminates the epic story of our nation in a new way for a new generation.America: The Story of Us brings to life the vast forces that shaped this remarkable country and the ways in which revolutions in political thought, technology, and transportation altered the way Americans lived, made money, and fought one another. These pages explore the struggle between settlers and Native Americans; the tragic conflict and repercussions of slavery, from cotton gin to Civil War to civil rights; the creation of the transcontinental railroad alongside the thundering herds of buffalo across the West; and the American ingenuity and determination that both carried us through the Great Depression and helped us win World War II. Beginning with Jamestown and Plymouth Bay, the first successful British colonies on the mainland, the book highlights landmark moments in political, social, economic, and military history: from the prototypical entrepreneur John Rolfe and his tobacco seeds to Barack Obama and the seeds of change, from the Model T to the moon landing.The final section of the book lands the story, quite literally, directly in the reader’s lap. Looking at major events since the end of World War II, from JFK’s assassination to Obama’s inauguration, the question becomes how these moments fit into the long view of American history. Or, more, directly, what does it mean to be an American, here, now?

Kevin Baker is the author of five novels, including the City of Fire collection of historical novels, Dreamland, Paradise Alley, and Strivers Row. He was the chief historical researcher for Harold Evans’s history The American Century, and was a longtime columnist for American Heritage magazine. He has also contributed to many other periodicals and collections, and is currently working on a social history of New York City baseball. He was recently elected to the executive board of the Society of American Historians and lives in New York City with his wife, Ellen Abrams, and their cat, Maisie.