McGerr | Of the People

Of the People: A History of the United States does more than tell the history of America—of its people and places, of its dealings and ideals. It unfolds the story of American democracy, carefully marking how this country’s evolution has been anything but certain, from its complex beginnings to its modern challenges.

The authors see American history as a story “of the people,” of their struggles to shape their lives and their land. Their narrative focuses on the social and political lives of people—some famous, some ordinary—revealing the compelling story of America’s democracy from an individual perspective, from across the landscapes of diverse communities, and ultimately from within the larger context of the world.

The theme of democracy concentrates attention on the most fundamental concerns of history: people and power. These concerns have been especially relevant as the authors completed revising the book for this new edition. The tumultuous presidential campaign of 2020, one of the most divisive in American history, took place in the midst of a deadly pandemic and culminated in the extraordinary storming of the federal Capitol building in Washington, D.C. in January 2021. Recent history is always a challenge and always subject to revision, but the authors have wanted to show how contemporary struggles over democracy are rooted in the past. Their balanced, inclusive approach makes it more possible for teachers and students to deal with the most controversial events.

Volume 1: To 1877

1. Worlds in Motion, 1450–1550
2. Colonial Outposts, 1550–1650
3. The English Come to Stay, 1600–1660
4. Continental Empires, 1660–1720
5. The Eighteenth-Century World, 1700–1775
6. Conflict in the Empire, 1713–1774
7. Creating a New Nation, 1775–1788
8. Contested Republic, 1789–1800
9. A Republic in Transition, 1800–1819
10. Jacksonian Democracy, 1820–1840
11. Reform and Conflict, 1820–1848
12. Manifest Destiny, 1836–1848
13. The Politics of Slavery, 1848–1860
14. A War for Union and Emancipation, 1861–1865
15. Reconstructing a Nation, 1865–1877

Volume 2: Since 1865

15. Reconstructing a Nation, 1865–1877

16. The Triumph of Industrial Capitalism, 1850–1890
17. The Culture and Politics of Industrial America, 1870–1892
18. Industry and Empire, 1890–1900
19. A United Body of Action, 1900–1916
20. A Global Power, 1914–1919
21. The Modern Nation, 1919–1928
22. A Great Depression and a New Deal, 1929–1940
23. The Second World War, 1941–1945
24. The Cold War, 1945–1954
25. The Consumer Society, 1945–1961
26. “The Table of Democracy,” 1960–1968
27. Living with Less, 1968–1980
28. The Triumph of Conservatism, 1980–1991
29. The Globalized, Information Society 1989–2008
30. “The American Dream,” 2008–2021

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People, Places, and Power: The Story of American Democracy

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