This book is an anthology of readings, intended for introductory American studies classes. The readings cover the following eras in American history; the Colonial period, the Revolution, the expansion of democracy (early 19th Century), the Civil War (with a range of materials on slavery), expansion into the frontier, the early 20th Century, and the mid-20th Century to the present. Each of these eras is subdivided into themes: land, government, people, non-mainstream perceptions, and international issues of perceptions. America presents a range of influential thinkers, thoughts, and issues in American life.