Designed to encourage critical thinking about history, the Major Problems series introduces students to both primary sources and analytical essays on important topics in U.S. history. This reader serves as the primary anthology for the introductory survey course, covering the subject's entire chronological span. Comprehensive topical coverage includes the Cold War, the cultural and political movements of the 60s, the return of conservatism, life in the new information age, and race and ethnicity. In the Third Edition, greater emphasis is placed on social and cultural history, and a new chapter focuses on 9/11, the war on terror, and the war in Iraq. Key pedagogical elements of the Major Problems format have been retained: 14-15 chapters per volume, chapter introductions, headnotes, and suggested readings. New!A new chapter on democracy and civic life in the age of information considers the roles of media, cyberspace, and spin in the American political landscape from the 90s to the present. New!Coverage of race and ethnicity over the past ten years is highlighted in a new chapter. New!A new chapter on the economy of the 1990s examines shifting markets and socioeconomic groups, as well as the effects of technology on business during the economic boom at the end of the twentieth century.