This history text features a narrative approach and a broad view of the American past that involves traditional themes yet considers social, gender and ethnic contributions. Students are shown how social and economic factors influence national development. This book chronicles the country's growth, from the period of the earliest Native Americans, through the reconstruction, to the present. Chapter-opening vignettes, reflecting the text's narrative focus, provide a detailed, human account of an episode or event that sheds light on a chapter's main theme. In the fourth edition, there is a greater emphasis on the role of women and minorities. New material includes coverage of the experiences of the Native Americans in the 17th and 18th centuries, including material on Native American women. The continuing history of Spanish settlement in the Southwest lays the groundwork for a later discussion of Hispanics, and three new Special Feature Essays on 18th century manners and etiquette, comparative lives of women in the Old South and relations between the USA and Mexico provide insights into history. Also included is four new Law and Society essays which consider major trials relating to gender or race, material on ethnic rivalries and the environment. An update analysis of political and diplomatic themes up through the 1992 election, perspectives on recent immigration trends, and social, ethnic, gender and economic issues such as the Stonewall riot and the Thomas/Hill hearings also feature.