American Destiny: Narrative of a Nation
Concise Third Edition, Volume 1
Mark C. Carnes and John A. Garraty
With the political history of the nation as its organizational framework, American Destiny: Narrative of a Nation describes the development and growth of the United States as the product of the myriad actions, ideas, and forces of the immense variety of individuals and groups who together comprise the American people. In richly detailed prose, the book examines the political, social, economic, and cultural developments that have shaped America. This elegantly written concise text offers a lower-priced alternative to traditional American history survey textbooks, while maintaining the efficacy of a full-color map and image program.
Hallmark Features
• “Debating the Past” essays, which appear in each chapter, introduce students to historiographical debates, probing such provocative questions as “Was the American Revolution rooted in class struggle?” (Ch. 4), “Did the frontier change women’s roles?” (Ch. 11), “Did immigrants assimilate?” (Ch. 18), and “Do historians ever get it right?” (Ch. 32).
• “Re-Viewing the Past” essays examine recent feature films dealing with some incident in or aspect of history and compare the screen portrayals to actual events. These essays remind readers that all historical narratives are interpretations and should be read—and seen—with a critical eye. A number of “Re-Viewing the Past” essays are included, two of them new to this edition (Cinderella Man in Ch. 26, and Good Night, and Good Luck in Ch. 28); among the other films examined in these essays are Glory (Ch. 14) and Chicago (Ch. 24).
New to the Sixth Edition
• NEW! Full-color format enhances the value of the maps and graphs and gives the book a vibrant appearance.
• NEW! Each chapter begins with a compelling new essay that connects the chapter topic to issues that directly affect student’s lives. For example, Chapter 5 begins with a discussion of the copyright provisions of the Constitution, debated over two centuries ago, which now prevent students from freely downloading songs on the Internet. In Chapter 28, the essay explains how the decision to use aptitude tests to select officers during World War II led to the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), an obligatory rite of passage for many college students today.
• NEW! Each chapter has been revised to reflect new scholarship, to offer new perspectives, and to streamline and sharpen the prose.
• NEW! Questions for Discussion are included in the “Re-Viewing the Past” features to spark class discussion and analysis or to prompt writing assignments.
American Destiny: Narrative of a Nation is available in three formats:
Combined Edition, Chapters 1-32 (ISBN 0-205-56804-1)
Volume I: To 1877, Chapters 1-15 (ISBN 0-321-51087-9)
Volume II: Since 1865, Chapters 14-32 (ISBN 0-321-51086-0)
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