Contemporary America

by Russell Duncan and Joe Goddard

• ISBN13: 9780333915769
• ISBN10: 0333915763
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2003-08-23
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

The second edition of this widely-adopted text takes as its starting point the dramatic changes resulting from Bush administration actions in the wake of 9/11. The wars in Iraq and on terror have seen an orientation to building a national security state, a far more unilateralist approach abroad, a reduction of civil liberties at home, and an increasingly divided politics and society. Including full coverage of the presidential election and its consequences, the second edition has been fully revised and updated throughout.

Author Biography

Russell Duncan is Associate Professor at the English Institute, University of Copenhagen Joseph Goddard teaches courses in the American City and American Politics and Society at the English Institute, University of Copenhagen

Table of Contents

List of Figures, Maps, Illustrations, Tables, and Boxes	viii
Preface and Acknowledgments	xi
List of Abbreviations	xiii
Map of the United States of America: States and State Capitals	xv
Introduction	1	(5)
History	6	(31)
The Rise of a Nation	7	(11)
The Rise to World Power	18	(5)
From Isolation to World Power	23	(4)
The Cold War	27	(7)
The 1990s	34	(3)
Land and People	37	(37)
The Land	39	(6)
The People	45	(7)
Regions	52	(15)
Immigration	67	(7)
Government	74	(28)
The Constitution	75	(4)
The Federal System	79	(4)
The Branches of Government	83	(19)
The Political System	102	(24)
The 2000 Election	102	(1)
Participatory Democracy	103	(6)
Political Parties	109	(5)
Politics	114	(12)
Society	126	(25)
Class	126	(6)
The American Family	132	(5)
Women	137	(3)
Race	140	(4)
Crime and Punishment	144	(7)
Religion, Education, and Social Policy	151	(29)
Religion	151	(11)
Education	162	(11)
Social Services	173	(7)
Culture	180	(27)
Diversity	180	(3)
The Rise of American Culture	183	(2)
Leisure Time	185	(2)
Print Media	187	(3)
Mass Entertainment	190	(4)
Government Activities	194	(2)
The World Wide Web	196	(2)
Sports	198	(3)
The Arts	201	(2)
Popular Music	203	(4)
The Economy	207	(22)
The US Domestic Economy	208	(6)
Labor Unions	214	(2)
Business and Industry	216	(3)
Government and Business	219	(6)
The Global Marketplace	225	(4)
Foreign Policy	229	(25)
History of Foreign Policy	229	(3)
The Cold War, 1945-91	232	(7)
The New World Order	239	(7)
11 September 2001	246	(3)
Low Politics	249	(1)
Separation of Powers and Foreign Policy	250	(1)
The Administration of Foreign Policy	251	(1)
Transatlantic Balance	252	(2)
Prospects for the Twenty-First Century	254	(15)
US Nationalism	255	(3)
Economics	258	(2)
The War on Terrorism	260	(4)
Society	264	(2)
Health and Environment	266	(1)
Conclusion	267	(2)
Recommended Reading	269	(4)
America on the Internet	273	(2)
Bibliography	275	(19)
Index	294