The seventh edition of the Encyclopedia of American History updates this indispensable and classic reference book to cover the history of the United States from the pre-Columbian times through the first year of the Clinton administration. Unequaled in the amount of information contained within a single volume, and designed to be read as a narrative, the Encyclopedia chronicles all the essential facts of American history, from government and politics to science, thought, and culture.

Includes index.

Original Peopling of the Americas --The Era of Exploration -- The Founding of the English Colonies, 1578-1732 -- The Colonies and the Empire, 1624-1775 -- The Era of the American Revolution, 1763-89 -- The Early National and Antebellum Periods, 1789-1860 -- The Civil War and Reconstruction, 1861-77 -- Domestic Issues from Hayes to Wilson, 1878-1918 -- The United States in World Affairs, 1866-1918 -- America Between Two World Wars, 1919-39 -- The United States in World War II -- The United States During the Cold War, 1945-88 -- Domestics Issues and National Politics from Truman to Reagan, 1945-88 -- The United States in the Post-Cold War Era -- The Expansion of the Nation -- Population, Immigration, and Ethnic Stocks -- Leading Supreme Court Decisions -- The American Economy -- Science, Invention, and Technology -- Thought and Culture -- Mass Media -- The Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Branches -- The Declaration of Independence -- The Constitution of the United States.