Search results for ""Paul S. Boyer" "American History""

Book SynopsisThis brief history of America will span the earliest migrations to the present, reflecting Paul S. Boyer''s interests in social, intellectual, and cultural history, including popular culture and religion. It will reflect his personal view of American history, in which a sense of paradox and irony loom large. While noting positive achievements--political, economic, social, and cultural--he will also discuss the United States''s failures to live up to its oft-stated ideals; although America has figured in the world''s imagination (and its own self-image) as a land of opportunity offering liberty and justice for all, the reality has often fallen short.For example, the establishment of the North American colonies had very different meanings for colonists from the British Isles and Europe, for Native peoples, and for enslaved Africans brought against their will. The late nineteenth century saw not only impressive industrial expansion and the creation of vast fortunes but also appalling conditions in urban-immigrant slums and a degraded, exploited labor force. The twentieth-century emergence of a suburban society of consumer abundance meant a better life for many and laid the groundwork for impressive cultural creativity, yet left behind crime-ridden inner cities and spawned a stultifying mass culture. The immigrants who have renewed and revitalized the nation have also stirred hostility and resentment. While American popular culture has demonstrated global appeal, the projection of U.S. military power abroad, from the Philippines early in the twentieth century to Iraq early in the twenty-first, has sometimes failed in its purpose and damaged the nation''s international standing. Although this book will not be a muckraking exposé or anachronistic moral tract, neither will it be a celebratory panegyric or a bland recital of facts. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade Review"Paul Boyer, a scholar's scholar and a teacher's teacher, has here encompassed the entirety of American history in an account that testifies on every page to his lifetime of deep and thoughtful learning, and to his remarkable powers of synthesis, concision, balance, and trenchantly lucid writing."--David M. Kennedy, author of Freedom From Fear: The American People in Depression and War, 1929-1945Table of ContentsList of illustrations ; Preface ; Chapter 1: Beginnings: Prehistory to 1763 ; Chapter 2: 1763-1789: Revolution, constitution, a new nation ; Chapter 3: 1789-1850: The promise and perils of nationhood ; Chapter 4: 1850-1865: Slavery and civil war ; Chapter 5: 1866-1899: Industrialization and its consequences ; Chapter 6: 1900-1920: Reform and war ; Chapter 7: 1920-1945: From conflict to global power ; Chapter 8: 1945-1968: Affluence and social unrest ; Chapter 9: To the present ; References ; Further reading ; Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisHistorians have long understood that the notion of the cold war is richly metaphorical, if not paradoxical. The conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union was a war that fell ambiguously short of war, an armed truce that produced considerable bloodshed. Yet scholars in the rapidly expanding field of Cold War studies have seldom paused to consider the conceptual and chronological foundations of the idea of the Cold War itself. This stands in contrast to the study of other historical epochs that are governed by grand but ambivalent rubrics: the Renaissance, the Scientific Revolution, or the Industrial Revolution. In Uncertain Empire, a group of leading scholars takes up the challenge of making sense of the idea of the Cold War and its application to the writing of American history. They interrogate the concept from a wide range of disciplinary vantage points; the scope of these different positions illustrates the diversity of methods and approaches in contemporary Cold War sTrade ReviewA model for an edited volume. Joel Isaac and Duncan Bell, the volume's editors, aim not to criticize existing Cold War scholarship, but rather to open new avenues of inquiry and perhaps reinvigorate what is already a very large and rich field. That is because, while there is no shortage of writing on the topic, there is a surprising lack of attention to its meaning. * Gretchen Heefner, Reviews in American History *Uncertain Empire is that rarity: a collection of essays that works as seamlessly and to as great effect as a single-authored work. From its comprehensive introduction through the incisive analyses by some of the most interesting historians of the Cold War, Isaac and Bell have assembled a rich and multi-faceted exploration of their subject. In their hands, the Cold War becomes a lens through which to examine American history itself. * Marilyn Young, New York University *These are stimulating think pieces from a multidisciplinary perspective. * CHOICE *Thought-provoking. An impressively wide-ranging and exceptionally coherent collection that simultaneously clarifies, problematizes, and advances our understanding of the United States and the Cold War. * Hugh Wilford, Journal of American History *Table of ContentsIntroduction, Joel Isaac and Duncan Bell ; Part I: Prisms ; 1. Cold War Degree Zero, Anders Stephanson ; 2. Exploring the Histories of the Cold War: A Pluralist Approach, Odd Arne Westad ; 3. A History Best Served Cold, Philip Mirowski ; 4. Inventing Other Realities: What the Cold War Means for Literary Studies, Steven Belletto ; Part II: Vistas ; 5. The Geopolitical Vision: The Myth of an Outmatched U.S.A., John Thompson ; 6. War Envy and Amnesia: American Cold War Rewrites of Russia's War, Ann Douglas ; 7. The Spirit of Democracy: Religious Liberty and American Anti-Communism during the Cold War, Andrew Preston ; 8. God, the Bomb, and the Cold War: The Religious and Ethical Debate Over Nuclear Weapons, 1945-1960, Paul S. Boyer ; 9. Blues Under Siege: Ralph Ellison, Albert Murray, and the Idea of America, Daniel Matlin ; 10. Cold War Culture and the Lingering Myth of Sacco and Vanzetti, Moshik Temkin ; 11. Deconstructing "Cold War Anthropology", Peter Mandler ; 12. Cognitive and Perceptual Training in the Cold War Man-Machine System, Sharon Ghamari-Tabrizi ; Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisA Companion to 20th-Century America is an authoritative survey of the most important topics and themes of twentieth-century American history and historiography. Contains 29 original essays by leading scholars, each assessing the past and current state of American scholarship Includes thematic essays covering topics such as religion, ethnicity, conservatism, foreign policy, and the media, as well as essays covering major time periods Identifies and discusses the most influential literature in the field, and suggests new avenues of research, as the century has drawn to a close Trade Review"This superb book is a treasure and a delight. Penetrating interpretive essays by almost thirty distinguished historians offer thoughtful perspectives on a turbulent century that brought sweeping changes to the United States even as the nation surged to global dominance. A Companion to 20th-century America is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the forces that have shaped contemporary America."—Paul S. Boyer, University of Wisconsin-Madison "This is an important contribution to our understanding of modern American history, with illuminating contributions by many first-rate American historians."—Richard Pells, University of Texas-Austin "An indispensable book for anyone who wants to learn what America's best historians have written about the American century and its critics. The breadth of topics is dazzling, and fresh insights appear on nearly every page."—Michael Kazin, Georgetown UniversityTable of ContentsNotes on the contributors viii Introduction xiiiStephen J. Whitfield PART I: TIME-FRAMES 1 1900 - 1914 3Eugene E. Leach 2 1914 - 1929 19Glen Gendzel 3 1929 - 1941 36Michael E. Parrish 4 1941 - 1950 54Allan M. Winkler 5 1950 - 1960 71Richard M. Fried 6 1960 - 1974 87Jama Lazerow 7 1974 - 1988 102Leo P. Ribuffo 8 1988 - 2000 123Steven M. Gillon PART II: PLACES 9 The South 141Raymond Arsenault 10 The West 163Anne M. Butler 11 The Environment 179Paul S. Sutter 12 The City 198Jon C. Teaford PART III: PEOPLE 13 Immigration 215Roger Daniels 14 Ethnicity 233Hasia R. Diner 15 Labor 249Joseph A. McCartin 16 Race 266Reed Ueda 17 Women 283June Sochen PART IV: THE POLITY AND THE ECONOMY 18 The Military 301Jerry Cooper 19 Foreign Policy 317Justus D. Doenecke 20 Consumption 336Charles McGovern 21 Law 358Norman L. Rosenberg 22 Business 377David B. Sicilia PART V: IMAGES AND "ISMS" 23 Journalism and Broadcasting 397James L. Baughman 24 Religion 413Charles H. Lippy 25 Ideas 430Wilfred M. McClay 26 Science and Technology 449Carroll Pursell 27 Conservatism 462Edward S. Shapiro 28 Liberalism 478Hans Vorlander 29 The Visual Arts 493Douglas Tallack Bibliography 510 Index 557

Read more less

Book SynopsisReligious life in early America is often equated with the fire-and-brimstone Puritanism best embodied by the theology of Cotton Mather. Yet, by the nineteenth century, American theology had shifted dramatically away from the severe European traditions directly descended from the Protestant Reformation, of which Puritanism was in the United States the most influential. In its place arose a singularly American set of beliefs. In America''s God, Mark Noll has written a biography of this new American ethos. In the 125 years preceding the outbreak of the Civil War, theology played an extraordinarily important role in American public and private life. Its evolution had a profound impact on America''s self-definition. The changes taking place in American theology during this period were marked by heightened spiritual inwardness, a new confidence in individual reason, and an attentiveness to the economic and market realities of Western life. Vividly set in the social and political events of the age, America''s God is replete with the figures who made up the early American intellectual landscape, from theologians such as Jonathan Edwards, Nathaniel W. Taylor, William Ellery Channing, and Charles Hodge and religiously inspired writers such as Harriet Beecher Stowe and Catherine Stowe to dominant political leaders of the day like Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln. The contributions of these thinkers combined with the religious revival of the 1740s, colonial warfare with France, the consuming struggle for independence, and the rise of evangelical Protestantism to form a common intellectual coinage based on a rising republicanism and commonsense principles. As this Christian republicanism affirmed itself, it imbued in dedicated Christians a conviction that the Bible supported their beliefs over those of all others. Tragically, this sense of religious purpose set the stage for the Civil War, as the conviction of Christians both North and South that God was on their side served to deepen a schism that would soon rend the young nation asunder. Mark Noll has given us the definitive history of Christian theology in America from the time of Jonathan Edwards to the presidency of Abraham Lincoln. It is a story of a flexible and creative theological energy that over time forged a guiding national ideology the legacies of which remain with us to this day.Trade Review"Essential reading for anyone interested in American history, politics and religion."--Themelios"For academics-historians, theologians, and anyone else interested in the history of poltical thought, religion, philosophy, or theology-this book is essential reading"-- The Cresset Epiphany/Lent"America's God deserves to be hailed as the most comprehensive treatment of early American religious thought. But it is far more than that, since Mr. Noll is tracking here not only the rise and fall of American theology but also the genesis of American civilization...Mr. Noll laments the passing of Christian republicanism and in the end suggests that a dose of Jonathan Edwards ('the last of the Puritans and the first of the evangelicals') may be just what contemporary America needs. You do not have to agree with that assessment to appreciate this fine book, which brings some of the nation's greatest thinkers very much alive."--Wall Street Journal"Noll belongs to a talented group of historians who have transformed our understanding of American evangelicalism... Among Noll's many great strengths (all on display in this immense work) is his comparative method, based on wide learning in Protestant sources worldwide."--Times Literary Supplement"Magisterial"The Weekly Standard"Carefully documented and including an excellent bibliography, this insightful volume makes a useful contribution to the study of religion in America"--Library Journal"Mark Noll's America's God delineates the Americanization of an Old World Protestantism with a breadth, learning, and sophistication unmatched by any other historian. Noll uncovers hidden, obscure figures even as he breathes new life into seemingly familiar names. Those who think intellectual history is dead or irrelevant will be jolted by the wondrous vigor of this exceptional, synoptic book. There's nothing else like it."--Jon Butler, author of Awash in a Sea of Faith: Christianizing the American People"Noll has an astounding command of the vast literature...this is almost certainly the most significant work of American historical scholarship this year."--Atlantic Monthly"America's God is a richly rewarding work. Awesomely researched and beautifully written, Mark Noll's magisterial study embeds American religious thought from the late Colonial era through the Civil War in its cultural and political context. Not only historians of religion, but everyone interested in the ideas and beliefs that shaped America's past--and still remain potent today--will profit from this insightful interpretive study."--Paul S. Boyer, Editor-in-Chief, The Oxford Companion to United States History"Noll's book is the most comprehensive study of religious ideas in America that we have, and a work that makes the most sustained case for the impact of the spiritual on American public life. The book is original and well argued; and the research is impeccable. Some will not agree with Noll's arguments but everyone interested in religious thought will have to consider them."--Bruce Kuklick, author of A History of Philosophy in America: 1720-2000"Those who might consider America's God an old-fashioned work about a bygone era and might therefore pass Noll by will do so at their peril...Argue over interfaith services after 9/11, prayers by football teams at public schools, in 'creationism' versus 'evolutionism,' Focus on the Family; 'the virtues,' the American moral condition, 'under God' in the Pledge of Allegiance, the political power of the Religious Right--engage in any or all of these debates, and you will be contending in the shadow of the achievements of Noll's cast of characters."-- Books & Culture"This 'social history of theology' in America, from the colonial era through the Civil War, promises to reshape the way we think about American religion, and, indeed, American history...Noll's trademark clarity--both in analysis and in prose--is in evidence here...Equally obvious is Noll's erudite mastery of everything from Puritan ecclesiology to Scottish moral philosophy. This is, finally, the magisterial work that has long been expected from one of our leading historians."--Publishers Weekly"A broadly based and solid account of the surprising evolution of Christian theology in America during the golden age of Protestant evangelicalism. Mark Noll's magnum opus is a notable achievement of Christian and historical scholarship."--Daniel Walker Howe, Rhodes Professor of American History, Oxford University"The wonderfully prolific Noll-as fine a historian as America now boasts-offers a rich and learned and deeply thoughtful magnum opus that is destined to shape discussions of the history of American religion and politics for a long time. Everyone who pretends to an interest in American history and American politics, to say nothing of American religion, must read this book."--The New Republic

Read more less