In recent years, incidents like the Waco massacre and the Oklahoma City bombing have drawn attention to strands of violence and apocalyptic religious belief in American life and themes which can be traced back to the earliest days of colonial settlement. Philip Jenkins provides a one-volume summary of the course of American history, discussing political, social, economic and cultural developments. Jenkins also considers the enduring American tradition of identifying and stigmatizing "dangerous outsiders, " and the significance of these ideas for cultural and political history.