This popular text, often heralded as the best book of readings on the post-WWII period available, has become the standard reader for history courses on the United States since 1945. A comprehensive anthology presenting cogent, provocative articles from differing political perspectives, this text traces the history of postwar America through a mix of primary and secondary sources. For the new edition, the editors have updated the scholarship on earlier events and added new articles that deal with contemporary issues such as the Iraq war, political polarization, the new economy, marriage and the red state/blue state divide.