U.S. History For Dummies, Second Edition(ISBN=9780470436394)

　　Now revised — the easy-to-understand guide to the story of America
　　Want to better understand U.S. History? This friendly book serves as your tour guide through the important events of America's past and present, introducing you to the people who helped to shape history. From pre-Columbus to the American Revolution, from Watergate to Iraq to Barack Obama, you'll discover fascinating details that you won't find in dry history texts!
　　They're coming to America — explore early civilizations, meet Native Americans, and see how the development of the English colonies led to slavery and the American Revolution
　　From Thomas Jefferson to Abraham Lincoln — examine the contributions of great Americans as well as the discovery of gold, the birth of California, the Civil War, and Manifest Destiny
　　America grows up — be there during the conquering of the West, industrial development, and the invention of the light bulb and the telephone
　　The impact of the World Wars — understand the sweeping changes these epochal events brought to America and the rest of the world
　　The Cold War, Camelot, and Clinton — take a closer look at the Korean War and communism, the fabulous '50s, JFK, Vietnam, Nixon and Watergate, Reaganomics, and the Clinton years
　　From the '90s to now — witness the birth of the microchip, the impact of hanging chads in a presidential election, the largest terrorist attack on American soil, and the growing economic crisis
　　Open the book and find:
　　Ten important events that defined American culture
　　Interesting Americans, from presidents to gangsters to sports heroes
　　How America fought to win independence from England
　　Details about all the major wars and their long-term effects
　　Insight into the roots of slavery
　　Inventions that changed life for Americans
　　The impact of the atomic bomb
　　The Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence

　　Steve Wiegand is an award-winning political journalist and history writer. He currently writes a thrice-weekly political column for the Sacramento Bee.

Introduction.
Part I: Getting There, Getting Settled, and Getting Free.
　Chapter 1: America: A Short Biography.
　Chapter 2: Native Americans and Explorers: 12,000 BC(?)–1607.
　Chapter 3: Pilgrims’ Progress: The English Colonies, 1607–1700.
　Chapter 4: You Say You Want a Revolution. . . : 1700–1775.
　Chapter 5: Yankee Doodlin’: 1775–1783.
　Chapter 6: Blueprints and Birth Pains: 1783–1800.
Part II: Growing Pains.
　Chapter 7: “Long Tom” and One Weird War: 1800–1815.
　Chapter 8: Pulling Together to Keep from Falling Apart: 1815–1844.
　Chapter 9: War, Gold, and a Gathering Storm: 1845–1860.
　Chapter 10: A Most Uncivil War: 1861–1865.
　Chapter 11: Putting the Country Back Together: 1865–1876.
Part III: Coming of Age.
　Chapter 12: Growing Up: 1876–1898.
　Chapter 13: Growing into the 20th Century: 1899–1918.
　Chapter 14: Gin, Jazz, and Lucky Lindy: 1919–1929.
　Chapter 15: Uncle Sam’s Depressed: 1930–1940.
　Chapter 16: The World at War: 1941–1945.
Part IV: America in Adulthood.
　Chapter 17: TV, Elvis, and Reds under the Bed: 1946–1960.
　Chapter 18: Camelot to Watergate: 1961–1974.
　Chapter 19: Hold the Malaise, or, Ayatollah So: 1975–1992.
　Chapter 20: No Sex, Please, I’m the President: 1993–1999.
　Chapter 21: “It’s A Small World, After All”: Entering the 21st Century.
Part V: The Part of Tens.
　Chapter 22: Ten American Inventions that 　Changed Life as We Know It.
　Chapter 23: Ten Events that Defi ned American Culture.
　Chapter 24: Ten Events in U.S. History They Keep Making into Movies.
Part VI: Appendixes.
Appendix A: The Bill of Rights: Amendments 1–10 of the Constitution.
Appendix B: The Declaration of Independence.
Index.