America: A history

A sweeping survey of the Americas traces European discovery and colonization, the settlement patterns in regions such as Virginia, New England, and the South, conflicts with Indigenous peoples, the rise of slavery and its political consequences, and the American Revolution and formation of a national government. It follows nineteenth-century crises including territorial expansion, sectional conflict, the Civil War and its aftermath, and later industrial and educational development. Separate sections recount the settlement and confederation of Canada, and outline Spanish conquest, colonial administration, Church influence, and the wars of independence across South America, with a final focus on Brazil. The work emphasizes political institutions, social change, and national growth.