American History 101 : From the Civil War to the End of the 20th Century

by Richard Rubin

• ISBN13: 9780743458184
• ISBN10: 0743458184
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2003-05-20
• Publisher: I Books

Summary

Beginning with America's struggle to rebuild after a harrowing Civil War to a burst of growth, both physical and industrial, that led to it becoming a world superpower, this visually engaging and informative book gives the reader everything one needs to know about American History from the Reconstruction to the end of the 20th Century. From 1880, AMERICAN HISTORY 101 follows the transformation of the United States from a relatively small, remote, and isolated outpost to the richest, most powerful, and most influential nation in the world. It also covers a period that produced some of the world's most unforgettable characters-and some of America's proudest (and not so proud) moments. AMERICAN HISTORY 101 is crammed with special features, including lists of who's who, biographical and little-known facts, and a host of photo's, cartoons, and vintage illustrations. As the author, Richard Rubin says about AMERICAN HISTORY 101, "What happens to you today has a great deal to do with what happened to other people a century ago; what you do tomorrow is influenced, wheth

Table of Contents

Introduction
The Old Century	1	(34)
Oh, Where Do We Begin?	1	(7)
It's 1881. Duck!	8	(3)
OK, Now, Back to Russia	11	(5)
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch . . .	16	(2)
Oligarchs and Organizers	18	(5)
``A Splendid Little War''	23	(7)
A Whole Lot of Brain Power	30	(5)
The New Century	35	(34)
A Bit of Controversy	35	(1)
Yes, Buffalo of All Places	36	(4)
Bully for the Little Man	40	(3)
Busting Those Trusts (and Vice Versa)	43	(6)
Not to be Confused with Anti-Gressives	49	(6)
Big Man Big Tub	55	(3)
1912: One Wild Election	58	(1)
A Presbyterian Professor Predestined for the White House	59	(2)
Not Your Typical First Term	61	(3)
A New Way of Getting Around	64	(5)
World War I	69	(22)
Now, Wait a Minute . . .	69	(1)
A German Public Relations Disaster	69	(2)
Next Time, Use a Secured Line	71	(2)
Over Where?	73	(2)
Who's in Charge Here, Anyway?	75	(3)
Pay up, Slacker	78	(1)
And While You're at It, Tighten That Belt	79	(1)
What about Fridays	80	(1)
Uh, It's Actually a Dutch Name	81	(1)
Meanwhile, Back at the Front . . .	82	(3)
Eleven: The Magic Number	85	(3)
Fourteen is Not the Magic Number	88	(3)
The Twenties	91	(26)
Hmmm . . .	91	(1)
1919: A Bad Time to Be a Progressive Alcoholic . . .	92	(1)
. . . But a Good Time to Be a Politically Minded Woman	93	(2)
Try Returning to the Dictionary, While You're at It	95	(2)
This You Call Normalcy?	97	(4)
The Teapot Dome Scandal---Even More Bizarre Than Its Name	101	(2)
Good Timing (Part I)	103	(1)
Silent (Sleeping) Cal	104	(2)
The Business of America	106	(3)
Shut That Golden Door	109	(2)
Good Timing (Part II)	111	(1)
Sleeping or Jumping?	111	(6)
The Thirties	117	(22)
Cheer Up	117	(1)
Hey, Buddy, I'm Starving Here	118	(5)
Just When You Thought It Couldn't Get Any Worse . . .	123	(2)
Making the World Safe for Democracy . . . and $5000	125	(2)
An Aristocrat for Hard Times	127	(2)
One Hundred Days of New Dealin' Fun	129	(4)
Putting Your Trust in Brains (or Vice Versa)	133	(1)
Whoops! Forgot about that Third Branch of Government	134	(2)
Hard Times, Bad Signs	136	(3)
The Forties	139	(40)
It Was the Worst of Times, It Was the Worst of Times	139	(1)
America First, Last, and Only	140	(3)
Lend-Lease---Whatever, They're All Yours	143	(2)
Infamy, and Then Some	145	(4)
More Bad News	149	(1)
Infamy, American-style	150	(2)
The Turning Point	152	(4)
Meanwhile, on the Other Side of the World	156	(4)
Death of a Titan	160	(4)
President Who?	164	(2)
Yes, It Really Was a Secret Weapon	166	(2)
Well, So Much for the Depression	168	(4)
Sounds Like a Plan to Me	172	(3)
An Incumbent Underdog	175	(4)
The Rest of the Story	179	(1)
Uh, Before You Hang Up That Uniform	179	(1)
Part I The Cold War	180	(1)
Brrrrrr . . . Is There a Draft in Here?	180	(4)
The More Things Change . . .	184	(2)
Cold War, Hot Air	186	(3)
The Final Frontier (With Apologies to Gene Roddenberry)	189	(3)
Meanwhile, Back On Earth	192	(2)
This I Need	194	(3)
This, I Need---Part II	197	(4)
This, I Need---Part III	201	(1)
Detente, Glasnost, Perestroika, and Other Foreign Words	202	(6)
Part II: The Cold Civil War	208	(1)
The Decision Heard Round the World, or at Least Throughout the South	208	(6)
Whole Lotta Movements Goin' On	214	(4)
So, Where Are We, Exactly?	218