9th Edition
American Civilization An Introduction
Chapter 1
American Civilization: An Introduction
Who are the Americans?
A Free Haven for Religious Freedom?
Political-legal system: You have the right to remain silent!
The US Economy: The American Dream or the American Nightmare?
National Identity: A Tricky Issue
Exercises
Websites
Chapter 2
The Americans: A Nation of Immigrants?
Mother of Exiles
Early encounters between Europeans and Native Americans
The settler-colonists
The first wave of European immigration: colonial immigration, 1680-1776
Settlers vs. Natives: Conquest and removal, 1783-1860
The second wave of European immigration: the “old” immigrants, 1820-1890
Settlers vs. Native Americans: War, concentration, and forced assimilation, 1860-1934
The third wave of European immigration: the “new” immigrants from Eastern Europe, 1890-1930
Americans vs. Native Americans: Tribal restoration and termination, 1934-1970
The fourth wave: Global immigration from 1965 to the present
Exercises
Websites
Chapter 3
A More Perfect Union? Race, Gender, and the American Promise
What is “American” history? The reason for American women’s and minority history
Women in the United States
African Americans/Black Americans
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans
Asian Americans
Latino Americans
Native Americans
Exercises
Websites
Chapter 4
Religion
Religious history
Contemporary US religion
Church, state and politics
Religion and education
Exercises
Websites
Chapter 5
Political institutions: The federal government
Historical origins
The Constitutional Framework
The political parties
The legislative branch
The executive branch
Presidential elections
Campaign financing
Reform the system?
The judicial branch
Exercises
Websites
Chapter 6
Political Institutions: State and Local Government
The place of government in American federalism
The evolution of state government and federalism in the US
The structure of state government
Local government
Exercises
Websites
Chapter 7
Foreign Policy: An Exceptional Empire?
A nation apart? American attitudes to world affairs
From neutrality to civil war, 1776-1861
From expansionism to imperialism, 1765-1914
America First vs, Leader of the Free World, 1914-1945
Superpower: The Cold War era, 1946-1992
The “end of history”? From the “unipolar moment” to the Global War on Terror
The foreign policy establishment debate
Exercises
Websites
Chapter 8
The Legal System
President Trump, the FBI and the Department of Justice
Legal history
The sources of US law
The court system
Federal and state court proceedings
The legal profession
Crime and punishment
Attitudes to the legal system
Exercises
Websites
Chapter 9
The Economy
Economic history
American economic liberalism: theory and practice
Social class and economic inequality
The contemporary economy
Industry, manufacturing and energy
Service industries
Agriculture, forestry and fisheries
Environmental issues
Financial and industrial institutions
Attitudes to the economic system
Exercises
Websites
Chapter 10
Social Services
Social services history
The organization of contemporary social services
Public social services
The needy and the poverty line
Voluntary services
Healthcare
Housing
Attitudes to social services
Exercises
Websites
Chapter 11
Education
American attitudes to education: high expectations
American educational history
Elementary and secondary schools
Private elementary and secondary schools
Higher education
Recent problems and policy debates
Exercises
Websites
Chapter 12
The Media
Media history
Freedom of the media
The contemporary print media
The contemporary broadcasting media
The Internet and new media sources
Attitudes to the media
Exercises
Websites
Biography
David Mauk is Professor Emeritus of North American Area Studies at the University of Oslo, Norway, and is the author of The Colony That Rose from the Sea: Norwegian Maritime Migration and Community in Brooklyn (1997) and many articles on American politics, immigration and ethnicity, including chapters in E Pluribus Unum or E Pluribus Plura? Unity and Diversity in American Culture (2011), Norwegian American Women (2011) and Norwegian-American Essays (2014, 2015).
Alf Tomas Tønnessen is Associate Professor of English (teaching mainly American Civilization and Didactics) at the University of Agder, Norway, and is the author of How Two Political Entrepreneurs Helped Create the American Conservative Movement, 1973–1981: The Ideas of Richard Viguerie and Paul Weyrich (2009).
John Oakland is the author of British Civilization (2019, now in its ninth edition), Irish Civilization (2012, with Arthur Aughey), Contemporary Britain (2001) and British Civilization: A Student’s Dictionary (2003, second edition). He is a former associate professor in English at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
Hilde Eliassen Restad is Associate Professor at Oslo New University College. She is the author of American Exceptionalism: An Idea that Made a Nation and Remade the World (Routledge) and co-editor of the forthcoming American Exceptionalism and U.S. Foreign Policy: How Narratives Shape the United States in the World (Georgetown University Press).
Restad and Tønnessen’s updated American Civilization couldn’t be more timely. Importantly, the new edition’s engaging language and accessible structure invites ongoing inquiry into major themes in American history without losing sight of the challenges to U.S. institutions since the 2024 presidential election. I highly recommend this textbook.
Laura Castor, Professor emerita of English literature and culture, UiT Norway’s Arctic University
Highly readable, wide-ranging, and carefully organised, the new edition of American Civilization is a timely and accessible study of the peoples, ideas, and forces that shape and have shaped the present-day United States. Deeply rooted in historical contexts, and inclusive of diverse and discordant perspectives and experiences, the volume probes ongoing struggles to define American nationhood and identity.
Dr Rachel Williams, Lecturer in American History, University of Hull
American Civilization offers a fresh and stimulating introduction to the central themes of American life, including the challenges the United States faces in the Trump era. Well-written, authoritative, and with a range of engaging activities, the book provides an excellent overview and suggestions for further in-depth study.
Andrew Priest, Senior Lecturer in United States History, University of Essex
