Thoroughly revised and updated, this text is the foundation text for American studies. Including the latest events such as the 2004 election and covering all aspects of contemporary American life, it should benefit every student of American studies.

Thoroughly revised, this fourth edition of a hugely successful text provides students of American studies with the perfect background and introductory information on contemporary American life. Brought bang up to date with new illustrations and case studies, the book even examines the second Gulf War, the War on Terror and the 2004 presidential election. Like its three excellent predecessors, this new edition covers all the central dimensions of American society from geography and the environment, government and politics to religion, education, media and the arts. "American Civilization:" - covers all core American studies topics at introductory level - contains essential historical background for American studies students at the start of the twenty-first century - analyzes gender, class and race, and America's cosmopolitan population - contains photos, case studies, questions and terms for discussion, and suggests websites for further research. This is "the" text for all students of American studies who want to lay solid and sound foundations in their degree course studies.

List of plates
List of figures
List of tables
Preface and acknowledgements
Chronology of significant dates in American history
1 The American context
Ethnic culture
Political-legal culture
Economic culture
Americanness and national identity
Social and institutional change
American attitudes to US society
Exercises
Further reading
Websites
2 The country
Natural resources, economic development and environmental
concerns
Climate
The regions: cultural geography
Native-American cultural regions
Cultural regions in the contemporary US
Changing public attitudes: Where do we go from here?
Exercises
Further reading
Websites
3 The people: settlement and immigration Mother of exiles
Early encounters between Europeans and Native Americans
The founders
The first wave: colonial immigration
1680-1776
The second wave: the old immigrants
1820-90
Settlement patterns and nativism
The third wave: 'new' immigrants,1890-1930
A renewed immigration debate and immigration restriction
Wartime policies and the search for principle in
immigration policy
The fourth wave: 1965 to the present
Attitudes to immigrants, the contemporary debate
Exercises
Further reading
Websites
4 The people: women and minorities
The reason for American women's and minority history
Women in America
Native Americans
African Americans
Asian Americans
Latinos
Attitudes to Latino America: the nation's largest
immigrant subculture
Exercises
Further reading
Websites
5 Political institutions: the federal government
Historical origins
The constitutional framework
The political parties
The legislative branch
The executive branch
The judicial branch
Attitudes to branches of the federal government
Exercises
Further reading
Websites
6 Political institutions: State and local government
The place of state government in American federalism
The evolution of state government and federalism in the US
The structure of state government
Local government
Exercises
Further reading
Websites
7 Foreign policy
A nation apart?: American attitudes to world affairs
Major periods and trends in US foreign policy: 1776-1830: from neutrality to isolationism
From expansionism to imperialism
1914-1945: isolationism and internationalism
The Cold War Era: from 1946 to 1992
The Sole Superpower in the Post-Cold-War Era
The foreign policy establishment debate
Exercises
Further reading
Websites
8 The legal system
Legal history
The sources of US law
The court system
Federal and state court proceedings
The legal profession
Crime and punishment
Attitudes to the legal system
Exercises
Further reading
Websites
9 The Economy
Economic history
American economic liberalism: theory and practice
Social class and economic inequality
The contemporary economy
Industry and manufacturing
Service industries
Agriculture, forestry and fisheries
Financial and industrial institutions
Attitudes to the economic system
Exercises
Further reading
Websites
10 Social services
Social services history
The organization of contemporary social services
Public social services
The needy and the poverty line
Voluntary services
Health care
Housing
Attitudes to social services
Exercises
Further reading
Websites
11 Education
American attitudes to education: high expectations
American educational history
The colonial period
Before the Civil War
1865-1945: immigration, assimilation and segregation
Race and school desegregation
Affirmative Action and the schools
Accumulated expectations, disappointments, and newer
trends
Elementary and secondary schools
Current trends in public school reform
Localism and public education
Private elementary and secondary schools
Higher education
Recent problems and policy debates
Exercises
Further reading
Websites
12 The media
Media history
Freedom of the media
The contemporary print media
The contemporary broadcasting media
Attitudes to the media
Exercises
Further reading
Websites
13 Religion
Religious history
Contemporary US religion
Church, state and politics
Religion and education
Attitudes to religion
Exercises
Further reading
Websites
14 The arts, sports and leisure
The arts
Sports
Leisure
Exercises
Further reading
Websites
Appendix: Declaration of Independence in Congress
4 July 1776
The Constitution of the United States of America and Amendments
Index