This book is a fresh and engaging account of America's history from European contact to the election of Barack Obama. Bruce Kuklick's straightforward, yet authoritative narrative provides a clear and concise way through the complexities of American history without oversimplifying or assuming prior knowledge. The book places politics in the context of religious culture and tries to account for the assertive expansion at the heart of the development of the US. Supported by wide-ranging examples, extracts from primary sources, maps, photos and illustrations, this compelling, yet balanced, account of America's political, cultural and religious history will be core reading for undergraduate students of American history.