xiv PrefaCe
It concludes with an overview of the events following September 11th, 2001,
a date which has transcendent meaning for American history and which has
created significant changes in American life. Contemporary life, internation-
ally and in the U.S., shows that wealth and power, even the immense levels
that the U.S. gained from the Civil War until the end of the 20th Century,
could be challenged and limited, as the economic crisis of 2008-09 and the
wars in the Middle East have shown.
Ultimately, all these idea and events will tell us something about the uses
of power, how it made American society, and how it affects the American
people. We will study some people and events that are virtually unknown,
look at others which are well-known in much different ways, study the roles
of groups that normally do not get much attention in textbooks or history
classes, study the way American culture interacts with economic interests, and
be both educated and maybe even entertained. Ultimately, hopefully, our
understanding of U.S. history and how America became what it is today will
be much more complete and we can see how the present has emerged from
the past.