In the 2nd edition of this best-selling and authoritative work, American History, Volume 1 surveys the broad sweep of American history from the first Native American societies to the end of the Reconstruction period, following the Civil War. Drawing on a deep range of research and years of classroom teaching experience, Thomas S. Kidd offers students an engaging overview of the first half of American history. The second edition features new stories of people like William Bradford, Mercy Otis Warren, Francis Asbury, Harriet Tubman, Henry Obookiah, and Joaquín Murieta, to name a few. The role of Christianity in America is central in this book. Americans' faith sometimes inspired awakenings and the search for an equitable society, but at other times it justified violence and inequality. Students will come away from American History, Volume 1, 2nd Edition better prepared to grapple with the challenges presented by the history of America's founding, the problem of slavery, and our nation's political tradition.