Modern American Lives: Individuals and Issues in American History Since 1945: Individuals and Issues in American History Since 1945

Modern American Lives reflects the authors' conviction that the history of contemporary America can be more thoroughly comprehended--and students more thoroughly engaged--through an examination of the lives of individuals, prominent and otherwise, who decisively shaped the course of events in the decades following World War II. The book seeks not only to acquaint students with the lives of a variety of influential Americans, both famous and lesser-known, but also to provide a comprehensive examination, through those lives, of the critical issues that determined the course of modern American history. The individuals presented in these narrative biographies significantly, and sometimes decisively, impacted contemporary American life in a wide range of areas, including national politics, foreign policy, social and political activism, popular and literary culture, sports, and business. The combined biographical/thematic approach is designed to serve two purposes: to present more substantive biographical information, and to offer a fuller examination of key events and issues. The book is an ideal supplement for undergraduate courses on The United States Since 1945, as well as for courses on Modern America and 20th Century America.