The history of the United States is a fascinating tale of intrigue, adventure, and progress, with many surprising twists and turns—and Currents in American History is designed to convey the defining elements of the story in an engaging, quick-paced narrative. Rather than covering a bit of everything, it traces the American people's drive to expand liberty and equality through important turning points in the journey as represented by a selection of pivotal days. Far shorter than most standard texts, this affordable work makes it possible for students to conceptualize America's complex history by focusing on events that changed the nation's course.

Currents in American History: A Brief History of the United States, Volume II: From 1861 comes with online access to the Sharpe Learning Center. The Digital Student Companion for Currents in American History features primary sources; audio recordings and videos; original maps, photos, drawings, posters, and paintings; self-testing quizzes and drag-and-drop exercises.

"By focusing on fourteen specific events, and then tying each to a broader national and international context, the book provides a framework not employed in other American history textbooks. The narrative is intended for college classrooms, where its Online Resource Center of primary documents, self-study questions and discussion of conflicting viewpoints offer readers a variety of intellectual experiences. Artfully written, it will appeal to beginning and advanced students, and may be used as the required main text for American history survey courses, or as a supplement to any other textbooks that treat the subject matter in a more conventional way." — Dr. Michael L. Tate, University of Nebraska at Omaha (*)

“With Currents in American History, Bilhartz and Elliott have accomplished something quite extraordinary. They have written a clear, smart, and yes, even entertaining concise history of the US. The authors know that in 14 tight chapters they can't cover everything, so they wisely focus on a series of well chosen and revealing moments like the Battle of Baltimore, the silencing of Woodrow Wilson, and the Iranian Hostage crisis. Along the way, they teach students about the most powerful engines of history and how to make sense of them through their notion of the four Cs: change and continuity, cause and consequence. This effective, readable, and useful text hits all the key moments and highlights all the key players, but it also leaves instructors with a lot of room to engage students and get them to argue about the past. What else can you ask for in a textbook?" — Bryant Simon, Temple University

“An innovative and lively survey that clearly will engage students with improbable tales of intrigue and adventure from America's past.” — Kyle Longley, Arizona State University