In this spellbinding new history, David Goldfield offers the first major new interpretation of the Civil War era since James M. McPherson's Battle Cry... of Freedom. Where past scholars have limned the war as a triumph of freedom, Goldfield sees it as America's greatest failure: the result of a breakdown caused by the infusion of evangelical religion into the public sphere. As the Second GreatAwakening surged through America, political questions became matters of good and evil to be fought to the death. The price of that failure was horrific, but the carnage accomplished what statesmen could not: It made the United States one nation and eliminated slavery as a divisive force in the Union. The victorious North became synonymous with America as a land of innovation and industrialization, whose teeming cities offered squalor and opportunity in equal measure. Religion was supplanted by science and a gospel of progress, and the South was left behind. Goldfield's panoramic narrative, sweeping from the 1840s to the end of Reconstruction, is studded with memorable details and luminaries such as HarrietBeecher Stowe, Frederick Douglass, and Walt Whitman. There are lesser known yet equally compelling characters, too, including Carl Schurz-a German immigrant, warhero, and postwar reformer-and Alexander Stephens, the urbane and intellectual vice president of the Confederacy. America Aflame is a vivid portrait of the "fiery trial"that transformed the country we live in. David Goldfield is the Robert Lee Bailey Professor of History at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. He is the author of many works on Southern history, including Still Fighting the Civil War; Black, White, and Southern; and Promised Land.

In this spellbinding history, David Goldfield offers the first major new interpretation of the Civil War era since James M. McPherson’s Battle Cry of... Freedom. Where other scholars have seen the conflict as a triumph of freedom, Goldfield paints it as America’s greatest failure: a breakdown of society caused by the infusion of evangelical religion into the world of politics. The price of that failure was horrific, but the carnage accomplished what statesmen could not: It made the United States one nation and eliminated the divisive force of slavery. The victorious North moved ahead, a land of innovation and industry. Religion was supplanted by a gospel of economic and scientific progress, and the South was left behind. The "fiery trial" of war transformed our country—a conflagration captured in vivid detail in America Aflame.

A book students will read.America, now in its twenty-fifth year, has sold more 1.2 million copies over the past seven editions and remains the most... affordable history text on the market. The Brief Eighth Edition offers the attractive features of the full-length text—lively and accessible narrative style, a keen balance of political with social and cultural history, a full-color layout, and exceptional value—in a more concise format.

A book students will read.America, now in its twenty-fifth year, has sold more 1.2 million copies over the past seven editions and remains the most... affordable history text on the market. The Brief Eighth Edition offers the attractive features of the full-length text—lively and accessible narrative style, a keen balance of political with social and cultural history, a full-color layout, and exceptional value—in a more concise format.

A book students will read.America, now in its twenty-fifth year, has sold more 1.2 million copies over the past seven editions and remains the most... affordable history text on the market. The Brief Eighth Edition offers the attractive features of the full-length text—lively and accessible narrative style, a keen balance of political with social and cultural history, a full-color layout, and exceptional value—in a more concise format.

A book students will read.America, now in its twenty-fifth year, has sold more 1.2 million copies over the past seven editions and remains the most... affordable history text on the market. The narrative wins students over with compelling storytelling, colorful anecdotes and biographical sketches that make the material more memorable. The text includes helpful in-text study aids, and a host of electronic media resources to help teachers teach and students learn.

A book students will read.America, now in its twenty-fifth year, has sold more 1.2 million copies over the past seven editions and remains the most... affordable history text on the market. The narrative wins students over with compelling storytelling, colorful anecdotes and biographical sketches that make the material more memorable. The text includes helpful in-text study aids, and a host of electronic media resources to help teachers teach and students learn.

A book students will read.America, now in its twenty-fifth year, has sold more 1.2 million copies over the past seven editions and remains the most... affordable history text on the market. The narrative wins students over with compelling storytelling, colorful anecdotes and biographical sketches that make the material more memorable. The text includes helpful in-text study aids, and a host of electronic media resources to help teachers teach and students learn.

Used by over one million students, America: A Narrative History is one of the most successful American history textbooks ever published.Maintaining... the features that have always distinguished this classic text—lively and accessible narrative style, a keen balance of political with social and cultural history, and exceptional value—the Seventh Edition introduces a completely redesigned, full-color layout complemented by eye-catching maps and enhanced pedagogy. The Seventh Edition also introduces the new theme of environmental history. Carefully integrated throughout, this theme adds illuminating perspectives on how Americans have shaped—and been shaped by—the natural world.

Used by over one million students, America: A Narrative History is one of the most successful American history textbooks ever published.Maintaining the... features that have always distinguished this classic text lively and accessible narrative style, a keen balance of political with social and cultural history, and exceptional value the Seventh Edition introduces a completely redesigned, full-color layout complemented by eye-catching maps and enhanced pedagogy. The Seventh Edition also introduces the new theme of environmental history. Carefully integrated throughout, this theme adds illuminating perspectives on how Americans have shaped and been shaped by the natural world.

Now in its Fifth Edition, America and Its Peoples presents American history filled with the drama and conflict that holds the attention of all students.... Social history—with an emphasis on sports, leisure, and popular culture—is effectively integrated with more traditional coverage of military history, politics, and diplomacy. This edition highlights the rich ethnic diversity of the American people with vivid character sketches, colorful anecdotes, primary sources, new pedagogy, and a spirited narrative.

Now in its Fifth Edition, America and Its Peoples presents American history filled with the drama and conflict that holds the attention of all students.... Social history–with an emphasis on sports, leisure, and popular culture–is effectively integrated with more traditional coverage of military history, politics, and diplomacy. This edition highlights the rich ethnic diversity of the American people with vivid character sketches, colorful anecdotes, primary sources, new pedagogy, and a spirited narrative.

Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and adherents of other non-Western religions have become a significant presence in the United States in recent years. Yet... many Americans continue to regard the United States as a Christian society. How are we adapting to the new diversity? Do we casually announce that we "respect" the faiths of non-Christians without understanding much about those faiths? Are we willing to do the hard work required to achieve genuine religious pluralism?Award-winning author Robert Wuthnow tackles these and other difficult questions surrounding religious diversity and does so with his characteristic rigor and style. America and the Challenges of Religious Diversity looks not only at how we have adapted to diversity in the past, but at the ways rank-and-file Americans, clergy, and other community leaders are responding today. Drawing from a new national survey and hundreds of in-depth qualitative interviews, this book is the first systematic effort to assess how well the nation is meeting the current challenges of religious and cultural diversity.The results, Wuthnow argues, are both encouraging and sobering--encouraging because most Americans do recognize the right of diverse groups to worship freely, but sobering because few Americans have bothered to learn much about religions other than their own or to engage in constructive interreligious dialogue. Wuthnow contends that responses to religious diversity are fundamentally deeper than polite discussions about civil liberties and tolerance would suggest. Rather, he writes, religious diversity strikes us at the very core of our personal and national theologies. Only by understanding this important dimension of our culture will we be able to move toward a more reflective approach to religious pluralism.