Preface to the Revised and Expanded Edition
Preface to the first edition

Chapter 1: The Encounter of the New World and the Old World

The first settlers in the Americas: From Siberia to America across the Bering Strait!
America's Three Great Civilizations: The Great Empires That Developed Amazing Science and Technology
Native American Tribes of North America: The North American Indians Who Brought About Diverse Cultures
Columbus and the Spanish Conquistadors: Discovering the Legendary Land of America
COLUMN 01 Did China's Zheng He expedition discover the American continent 72 years before Columbus?

Chapter 2: The Establishment of British Colonies in North America

British attempts to establish colonies in North America: Britain's ambitions for North America
Southern Chesapeake Bay Colony: The Chesapeake Bay Colony began as a gold-seeking colony but became successful as a tobacco-growing colony.
Northern New England Colonies: Puritan Settlement in North America in Rebellion Against the Church of England
Massachusetts Colony, the Center of New England: New England Built for Religious Purposes
The Middle and Southern Colonies of the Atlantic Coast: Is New York "the Duke of York's Land" and Pennsylvania "the Duke of Penn's Land"?
The War Between Colonists and Indians: What Divided Whites and Indians?
The Development of American Colonial Society: “We Are Truly Americans!”
COLUMN 02 When and how was black slavery implemented?

Chapter 3: The American Revolution and the Founding of the United States

Tax Policy for the Colonies: Colonists Say, 'We Can't Pay Taxes to Britain!'
The Boston Tea Party and the First Continental Congress: The American Revolution Rings!
The outbreak of the American Revolution and American independence: Long live American independence!
The Charter of Confederation and the Conference of the Confederation: The Movement toward the Establishment and Union of the Thirteen "Countries"
The U.S. Constitution: The Debate Surrounding the Creation and Ratification of the U.S. Constitution
The Founding of the United States: George Washington, Make Him President!
The formation of factions: the conflict between Secretary of the Treasury Hamilton and Secretary of State Jefferson.
COLUMN 03 The U.S. Constitution was an economic document?

Chapter 4: Establishing the National Foundation of the New Republic

Jefferson Administration: Purchase of Louisiana for a mere $15 million
The Anglo-American War: The "American System" Brought About by the Anglo-American War
The Monroe Administration: The Trials of President Monroe, Who Established the Foundations of American Foreign Policy
The Jackson Administration: President Jackson Laid the Foundation for True Democracy
Expansion West: Go West, Go West, Go West!
Texas Independence and the Mexican-American War: Was Texas Stolen from Mexico?
Transportation Revolution: The transportation revolution brought about by the construction of canals and railroads.
Industrial Revolution: The Industrial Revolution that Brought About by Joint Stock Companies and the Factory System
Slavery: The System That Made the South a 'Unique' Society
The North-South Conflict Over Slavery: Will We Be Slave States or Free States?
COLUMN 04 Black Slaves' Resistance to Slavery

Chapter 5: The Civil War and Reconstruction

Lincoln's Election and the Split of the North and South: The South: "Lincoln as President? Then let's split!"
Major Battles of the Civil War: Bloody Confrontations Between the North and the South
The Reconstruction Era: Postwar Reconstruction Issues and Planning
Radical Reconstruction and its End: Andrew Johnson's Impeachment and the Resurgence of the South
The Making of the New South: A Law Recognizing Black-White Segregation?
COLUMN 05 The Film "Glory" and America's First Black Unit

Chapter 6: Industrial Development and Overseas Expansion in the Late 19th Century

The Western Frontier and the Great Plains: The Transcontinental Railroad and the Homestead Act Opened the West
Indian Resistance: The Last War with the Indians
Industrial Development: Inventions that Led Technological Innovation, Like the Telephone and Automobile
The Rise of Monopolies: Scientifically Managed Monopolies
Labor Union: Workers, Unite!
Urban growth and urban culture: Everyone, everyone, to the city, to the city!
Entering a Mass Consumer Society: America's Rapid Growth
Philippine Rule and the Open Door Policy toward China: A Latecomer Colonial Hunter
COLUMN 06 Frederick Jackson Turner's Frontier Hypothesis

Chapter 7: The Age of Innovation and World War I

The Reformist Movement: The Rise of Reformists and Reformist Political Reform
The Roosevelt and Taft Administrations: President Roosevelt, the Hero of Innovation!
The Wilson administration: "Neo-liberalism" advocated for the revival of competition but also regulation.
Foreign Policy: Did the US Aid Japan's Invasion of Korea?
The Outbreak of World War I and the United States: "We Are Neutral!"
America's Entry into World War I: American Entry and Allied Victory
The domestic context of the exhibition: Women and Blacks filling the void left by white men
Post-War Process: The Creation of the League of Nations and the United States' Becoming an Economic Power
COLUMN 07 A Political Interpretation of the Fairy Tale "The Wizard of Oz"

Chapter 8: The Prosperous 1920s and the Great Depression

Economic Development of the 1920s: The Prosperous 1920s That Led to a Mass Consumer Society
Social Changes of the 1920s: Increased Leisure Time, Education, and Women
Jazz Age Culture: Let's Enjoy American Culture Together!
White Nativism in the 1920s: The Resurgence of the KKK and the Monkey Trials
The Beginning of the Great Depression: President Hoover and the Worst Depression
The Great Depression Unfolds: Americans Say, "I Can't Take This Anymore!"
The Roosevelt Administration: President Roosevelt, Hope for Relief
New Deal: Rebuild Banks, Agriculture, Industry, Everything!
Resistance to the New Deal: Attacks on the New Deal from Both Conservatives and Liberals
The Second New Deal: The New Deal's Second Challenge
The End of the New Deal: What's the End of the New Deal That Built a Mixed Economy?
COLUMN 08 Why did the Great Depression occur?

Chapter 9: World War II and the United States

Foreign Policy: Latin American Policy and the Outbreak of World War II
Japan's Expansion and the US Response: Japan's Expansion Deteriorated US Relations with Japan
World War II in Europe and the United States: We Can't Just Watch!
World War II and the United States in Asia: America, "Don't Forget Pearl Harbor!"
The End of World War II: Germany and Japan Raising White Flags
Domestic Situation during the War: What Happened in America During the War?
COLUMN 09 'Conspiracy Theories' and History

Chapter 10: The Cold War and the Postwar United States

The Yalta Conference and the United Nations: The Establishment of an International Organization for Permanent World Peace
The Marshall Plan and the Creation of NATO: The United States' Economic and Military Blockade of the Soviet Union
The Cold War in Asia: The Korean War, which began with division and ended with division
Postwar Domestic Issues: America Returns to 'Peacetime'
Strengthening the anti-communist system: "Communism is absolutely not allowed!"
The Eisenhower Administration: What Did Political Novice Eisenhower Do?
Eisenhower's Foreign Policy: What was the Eisenhower administration's foreign policy?
Postwar Economic Growth: The American Economy Shines Again
Culture and Science After the War: A Blossoming Cultural Industry
COLUMN 10 McCarthyism and the Film "Private"

Chapter 11 America in the 1960s and 1970s

Kennedy Administration's Domestic Policy: Kennedy's Efforts for Civil Rights
The Kennedy Administration's Foreign Policy: Kennedy Faced Several Crises During His Presidency
The Johnson Administration's Domestic Policy: President Johnson's Rise
The Vietnam War: America's Losing Intervention in Vietnam
The Black Civil Rights Movement and Black Power: Black People, "Don't Ignore Us Anymore!"
The New Left and the Counterculture: The Birth of Counterculture, Drugs, and Rock Music
The Rebirth of Feminism: Women, Rise Up!
The End of the Vietnam War: President Nixon's Call for Peace with Honor
The Nixon Administration: Economic Crisis and Oil Shock
Nixon's Resignation and the Ford Administration: Nixon Becomes the First President to Resign While in Office
The Carter Administration: Carter's Continued Trials of Emphasizing Human Rights
Social Change in the 1970s: America in the 1970s: A Continuum of Discrimination
COLUMN 11 Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" Speech

Chapter 12 America in the 1980s and 1990s

The Reagan Administration: Reagan, Neoconservatism, and Reaganomics
Reagan's Second Term: Reagan's Uneven Second Term
The Bush Administration: A President Who Had a Lot to Go Through
The Clinton Administration: Clinton's Scandals and Impeachment Avoidance
America after the Cold War: Declaring a New World Order
Black Lives Matter Riots and Bombings: A Persistent Social Problem
COLUMN 12 Is America a Modern-Day Roman Empire, and Is It on the Verge of Destruction?

Chapter 13 America in the 21st Century

George W.
The Bush Administration: President Bush, Following in His Father's Footsteps
9/11: The Movie-Like Events of 9/11
The Iraq War and Bush's Re-election: The Iraq War, Launched on the Pretext of Nonexistent Weapons of Mass Destruction
Bush's Second Term: The Bush Administration Faces an Economic Crisis on a Level Compared to the Great Depression
The Barack Obama Administration: The First Black President in American History
Obama's Second Term: President Obama Rolls Back Bush's Tax Cuts for the Rich
The Trump Administration: Donald Trump, the First Non-Political President

Epilogue
supplement
References
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Understanding the United States, the country at the center of world history

The vast continent of North America, where indigenous people lived in harmony with nature.
In less than 500 years since Columbus's discovery of the New World, the United States has grown into a superpower, leading the world in politics, economy, and culture.
The United States has an inseparable relationship with us in almost every field.
However, if you were to ask how much people know about the true nature of the United States, not many would be able to answer confidently.
Now we need to know America better.
To understand the power of the United States, from its indigenous history to its rise as a global superpower through the American Revolution, the Civil War, World War I, the Great Depression, World War II, and various other crises, you must know American history.
Knowing American history, which is short in time but vast in content.
This is not a choice but a necessity for educated people living today.
This book will open the way to understanding America and gaining insight into the world.

The core of American history explained by an authoritative American historian

America's 500-year history is not only constantly changing, but also has diverse interpretations.
That's why it's not easy to summarize American history at a glance, easily understandable, and without distortion.
This book is a history of the United States, written with great care and dedication by an American historian who has studied and taught American history in both domestic and international academic circles for over 30 years.
It provides easy-to-understand information on key events and political and economic changes in chronological order.
It also vividly portrays the social issues of each era and the development of American culture and technology.
At the end of each chapter, columns on interesting topics about lesser-known American history and culture add to the fun.
Therefore, not only adults but also middle and high school students can read it with interest and ease, as if they were reading a novel.


A Short but Vast History of America in One Night

If a country's history is 500 years, it may seem like a short period of time, but in fact, the content contained within it is truly vast.
Just looking at the high school history textbooks used in the United States, the average is over a thousand pages.
Although this book seems short, it distills the vast history of the United States, carefully selecting only the essential information we need to know.


It is divided into 13 chapters, allowing you to naturally understand the overall flow of American history, but it is not boring at all because it focuses on key events and people.
Additionally, it includes over 160 photos, maps, and diagrams to help you understand the content more easily.
Unlike the first edition, the text is in full color, providing more to see, and the information has been enriched with the addition of visual aids such as photographs.
Anyone who reads this book will be able to confidently say they know a lot about American history.