United States History to 1865

No era in American history has been more fascinating to Americans, or more critical to the ultimate destiny of the United States, than the colonial era. Between the time that the first European settlers established a colony at Jamestown in 1607 through the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the outlines of America's distinctive political culture, economic system, social life, and cultural patterns had begun to emerge. Designed to complement the high school American history curriculum as well as undergraduate survey courses, "Colonial America: An Encyclopedia of Social, Political, Cultural, and Economic History" captures it all: the people, institutions, ideas, and events of the first three hundred years of American history. While it focuses on the thirteen British colonies stretching along the Atlantic, Colonial America sets this history in its larger contexts. Entries also cover Canada, the American Southwest and Mexico, and the Caribbean and Atlantic world directly impacting the history of the thirteen colonies. This encyclopedia explores the complete early history of what would become the United States, including portraits of Native American life in the immediate pre-contact period, early Spanish exploration, and the first settlements by Spanish, French, Dutch, Swedish, and English colonists. This monumental five-volume set brings America's colonial heritage vibrantly to life for today's readers. It includes: thematic essays on major issues and topics; detailed A-Z entries on hundreds of people, institutions, events, and ideas; thematic and regional chronologies; hundreds of illustrations; primary documents; and a glossary and multiple indexes.

First Published in 2015. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an Informa company.

The only multivolume encyclopedia covering all aspects of North American colonial warfare, with special attention paid to the social, political, cultural, and economic affairs that were affected by the conflicts.

An award-winning and highly recommended comprehensive reference set on the political, social, and military aspects of the American Civil War. The Encyclopedia of the American Civil War is the most comprehensive reference set ever compiled on this pivotal confrontation. Its five oversized volumes, rich with illustrations, maps, and primary source documents, offer more than 1,600 authoritative entries that chart the war's strategic aims, analyze diplomatic and political maneuvering, describe key military actions, sketch important participants, assess developments in military science, and discuss the social and financial impact of the conflict. Written by scholars, the essays are both authoritative and easily accessible to history buffs, students, and general readers. Brief entry bibliographies lead curious readers to the most reliable sources for further information. Over 1,600 signed A-Z entries, authored by notable scholars and referenced for further reading Over 300 contributors, including some of the leading Civil War scholars at work today More than 500 illustrations, including contemporary photographs, lithographs, and drawings 75 maps created specifically for this encyclopedia A chronology, glossary, and exhaustive index Over 250 primary source documents

This definitive scholarly reference on the American Revolution--written by acclaimed researchers and military experts from around the world--covers the causes, course, and consequences of the war and the political, social, and military origins of the nation. The Encyclopedia of the American Revolutionary War: A Political, Social, and Military History is the new standard academic reference for investigating how the United States was created by force of arms--and how that revolution reverberated through the nation's subsequent development. Presenting the work of hundreds of distinguished international scholars and independent historians (including many from Britain and France), the encyclopedia ranges from the end of the French and Indian War in 1763 to the ratification of the Constitution in 1789. Its impeccably researched entries address the full spectrum of military, political, and cultural matters crucial to understanding the causes and course of the war--including unprecedented coverage of military life and tactics as well as vivid portraits of the Revolution's participants (men and women; soldiers and civilians; patriots and loyalists; the British, French, and American militaries; German mercenaries; Native Americans; and African Americans, both free and slave). The result is a cornerstone reference on the war and the context in which it emerged--one that supplants all other works of its kind in portraying the traumatic and triumphant birth of a nation. Over 1,300 A-Z entries on various topics connected with the American Revolutionary War, including political issues, arms and battlefield strategies, important personalities, and sociocultural issues Over 150 distinguished international scholars and independent historians from a variety of disciplines, including experts from Great Britain and France, making this a truly international reference work An introductory section offering essays on the war's root causes, the catalyzing events that lead to its outbreak, as well as a synopsis of the war and an analysis of its long-term impact, providing context for readers wishing to know more A full volume devoted to key documents relevant to the period, including the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, speeches, and hard-to-find documents such as Anne Hulton's "Letter from a Boston Loyalist" and Joseph Martin Plumb's account of the mutiny on May 25, 1780 324 illustrations depicting colonial and Revolutionary America, plus an opening map section depicting major geopolitical relationships and large scale military operations, and 54 maps of the 13 colonies, theaters of operation, and individual battles on land and at sea A lengthy list of sources, both primary and secondary, covering all aspects of the Revolutionary War, including material on the foreign powers involved in the conflict, loyalists, and other subjects often overlooked in other works

How did the U.S. evolve toward nationhood? Which factors prompted its turn away from Colonial status to independence? How was the Revolutionary War fought and won against such overwhelming odds? What were the conceptual underpinnings of the new society in its wake? These questions fuel class discussions and research assignments for students in junior high/middle school, high school and college every day, as well as the Supreme Court decisions that make our headlines. For the secondary and college student -- as well as the general reader -- this set is the definitive work answering these and other questions. Coverage begins just prior to the American Revolution, including the Revolution, the framing of the American Constitution, the organization of a new national government, the development of the party system, the Louisiana Purchase, the second war with Britain, the acquisition of Florida and the Monroe Doctrine. Chronologically, this period is roughly from 1754 (beginning of the Seven Years War) to the inauguration of President Andrew Jackson (1829). Woven among this set of political markers and milestones are entries outlining the cultural development of the new nation, including entries on art, music, literature, dress and daily life. Included in this set are: 670 articles ranging from 250 to 5, 000 words in length 100 sidebars spotlighting key events, people, and concepts 200 illustrations and mor

Unparalleled coverage of U.S. political development through a unique chronological framework Encyclopedia of U.S. Political History explores the events, policies, activities, institutions, groups, people, and movements that have created and shaped political life in the United States. With contributions from scholars in the fields of history and political science, this seven-volume set provides students, researchers, and scholars the opportunity to examine the political evolution of the United States from the 1500s to the present day. With greater coverage than any other resource, the Encyclopedia of U.S. Political History identifies and illuminates patterns and interrelations that will expand the reader''s understanding of American political institutions, culture, behavior, and change. Focusing on both government and history, the Encyclopedia brings exceptional breadth and depth to the topic with more than 100 essays for each of the critical time periods covered. With each volume covering one of seven time periods that correspond to key eras in American history, the essays and articles in this authoritative encyclopedia focus on the following themes of political history: The three branches of government Elections and political parties Legal and constitutional histories Political movements and philosophies, and key political figures Economics Military politics International relations, treaties, and alliances Regional histories  Key Features Organized chronologically by political eras Reader''s guide for easy-topic searching across volumes Maps, photographs, and tables enhance the text Signed entries by a stellar group of contributors VOLUME 1 ?Colonial Beginnings through Revolution ?1500-1783 ?Volume Editor: Andrew Robertson, Herbert H. Lehman College ?The colonial period witnessed the transformation of thirteen distinct colonies into an independent federated republic. This volume discusses the diversity of the colonial political experience--a diversity that modern scholars have found defies easy synthesis--as well as the long-term conflicts, policies, and events that led to revolution, and the ideas underlying independence. VOLUME 2 ?The Early Republic ?1784-1840 ?Volume Editor: Michael A. Morrison, Purdue University No period in the history of the United States was more critical to the foundation and shaping of American politics than the early American republic. This volume discusses the era of Confederation, the shaping of the U.S. Constitution, and the development of the party system. VOLUME 3 ?Expansion, Division, and Reconstruction ?1841-1877 ?Volume Editor: William Shade, Lehigh University (emeritus) ?This volume examines three decades in the middle of the nineteenth century, which witnessed: the emergence of the debate over slavery in the territories, which eventually led to the Civil War; the military conflict itself from 1861 until 1865; and the process of Reconstruction, which ended with the readmission of all of the former Confederate States to the Union and the "withdrawal" of the last occupying federal troops from those states in 1877. VOLUME 4 ?From the Gilded Age through the Age of Reform ?1878-1920 ?Volume Editor: Robert Johnston, University of Illinois at Chicago With the withdrawal of federal soldiers from Southern states the previous year, 1878 marked a new focus in American politics, and it became recognizably modern within the next 40 years. This volume focuses on race and politics; economics, labor, and capitalism; agrarian politics and populism; national politics; progressivism; foreign affairs; World War I; and the end of the progressive era. VOLUME 5 ?Prosperity, Depression, and War ?1921-1945 ?Volume Editor: Robert Zieger, University of Florida Between 1921 and 1945, the U.S. political system exhibited significant patterns of both continuity and change in a turbulent time marked by racist conflicts, the Great Depression, and World War II. The main topics covered in this volume are declining party identification; the "Roosevelt Coalition"; evolving party organization; congressional inertia in the 1920s; the New Deal; Congress during World War II; the growth of the federal government; Franklin D. Roosevelt''s presidency; the Supreme Court''s conservative traditions; and a new judicial outlook. VOLUME 6 ?Postwar Consensus to Social Unrest ?1946-1975 ?Volume Editor: Thomas Langston, Tulane University This volume examines the postwar era with the consolidation of the New Deal, the onset of the Cold War, and the Korean War. It then moves into the 1950s and early 1960s, and discusses the Vietnam war; the era of John F. Kennedy; the Cuban Missile Crisis; the Civil Rights Act; Martin Luther King and the Voting Rights Act; antiwar movements; The War Powers Act; environmental policy; the Equal Rights Amendment; Roe v. Wade; Watergate; and the end of the Vietnam War. VOLUME 7 ?The Clash of Conservatism and Liberalism ?1976 to present ?Volume Editor: Richard Valelly, Swarthmore College ?The troubled Carter Administration, 1977-1980, proved to be the political gateway for the resurgence of a more ideologically conservative Republican party led by a popular president, Ronald Reagan. The last volume of the Encyclopedia covers politics and national institutions in a polarized era of nationally competitive party politics and programmatic debates about taxes, social policy, and the size of national government. It also considers the mixed blessing of the change in superpower international competition associated with the end of the Cold War. Stateless terrorism (symbolized by the 9/11 attacks), the continuing American tradition of civil liberties, and the broad change in social diversity wrought by immigration and the impact in this period of the rights revolutions are also covered.