The new edition of this classic text on modern U.S. history seamlessly blends political, social, cultural, intellectual, and economic themes into an authoritative and readable account of America’s national story since the 1890s.

Written by four highly respected scholars, this book has been fully updated with new coverage of the Trump and Biden presidencies, the culture wars, deep political polarization, and the crisis of democracy. The text’s most distinctive quality is its close attention to both history within the United States and the relationships the country has forged with the rest of the world. The eighth edition remains engaging and approachable while continuing to include the most recent scholarship. Each chapter contains a special feature section devoted to cultural topics including the arts and architecture, sports and recreation, technology, and education. Web links to additional online resources accompany each feature, offering complementary learning opportunities to students.

While carefully attending to the complexity of history, The American Century traces the long roots of some of the most pressing current issues in the United States and continues to be a compelling resource for students of recent American history.

1. 1890s: The Beginnings of Modern America 2. 1900–1917: The Progressive Era 3. 1900–1917: A Progressive Foreign Policy—From Peace to War 4. 1917–1920: The Failure of World War I 5. 1920–1929: The New Era 6. 1929–1936: The Depression and the New Deal 7. 1933–1941: Hard Times—Politics and Society 8. 1929–1941: The Big Breakdown—The United States and the World 9. 1941–1947: War and Peace 10. 1941–1947: One World into Two 11. 1947–1952: The America of the Cold War 12. 1952–1957: Eisenhower and the American Consensus 13. 1957–1963: New Frontiers at Home and Abroad 14. 1963–1968: The Great Society and Vietnam 15. 1969–1975: The Imperial Presidency and Watergate 16. 1976–1984: New Directions 17. 1985–1992: The End of the Cold War 18. 1993–2000: The Road to the Twenty-First Century 19. 9/11: Causes and Consequences 20. 2007–2016: Obama—"America Is a Place Where All Things Are Possible" (Sometimes) 21. 2016–2024: Trumplandia and Its Discontents: Democracy on the Edge