Introduction; 1. Origins of the Civil War 1846-61; Sectional tensions in the United States; The outcomes of the war with Mexico; The Compromise of 1850 and its breakdown; The 1860 presidential election; The beginning of the Civil War in April 1861; 2. The Civil War and Reconstruction 1861-77; Four years of the Civil War; Impact of the Civil War; Aims and outcomes of Reconstruction; How successful was Reconstruction?; 3. Expansion of US power in the 19th and 20th centuries; Expansion in North America 1840s-1890s; Central America and the Caribbean 1840-1930; Relationship with Europe 1840-1930; US relations with China, Japan, the Philippines and the Pacific Islands; 4. The Gilded Age and the Progressive Era 1870s-1920s; Industrial expansion in the 1870s and 1880s; Economic and social consequences of rapid industrialisation in the late 19th century; Aims of the Progressive Movement 1890s-1900s; The Progressive Movement - success or failure?; The presidency of Woodrow Wilson 1913-21; 5 The Great Crash, the Great Depression and the New Deal 1929-41; Causes and impact of the Great Crash and the Great Depression; Strategies for domestic problems by Hoover and Roosevelt in the 1930s; Opposition to the New Deal; Roosevelt - a great American president?; 6. Examination skills; Introduction; What skills will be tested in examination?; Analysis and evaluation questions; Source-based questions; Examination technique; Index; Acknowledgements.