Recent America: The United States Since 1945

This third edition of Recent America is an extensive revision that includes entirely new material to carry the coverage forward into the second decade of the twenty-first century—right up through the recent midterm elections of 2010. With an emphasis on national politics, the ever-evolving multicultural American society, the role of the United States in international affairs, and economic trends, this third considers changes in American literature, fine arts, music, film, pop culture, and sports and their relationships to social, cultural, and economic trends. The incorporation of these often overlooked historical themes presents a more relevant and inclusive recent history of the United States.

Building upon the tradition set forth by Dewey Grantham in the first and second editions of his highly readable and informative survey history of the United States since World War II, Thomas Maxwell-Long brings new perspectives and explores new realities that Americans did not face even as recently as the turn of the century. The result provides students with an engaging, well-rounded, and thoughtfully illustrated narrative that reconstructs history and also makes strong connections between the present and the past.