A View of the United States Since 1877 explores significant events in United States' culture, politics, and society since the Civil War, and encourages readers to explore and reflect on important themes. Rather than presenting a detailed chronology, the book is organized into topic-based units such as The Gilded Age, The Progressive Era, World War I and the Roaring Twenties, the Depression and Big Government. Readers learn about imperialism in the late 1800s, John Maynard Keynes and the triumphs of Keynesian economics, the development of Social Security, and the fireside chats of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Other topics include the Cold War and the accompanying fear of atheism, the Kennedy years and the impact of his assassination, the Vietnam War and social reaction to it, and the paradox presented by the controversial presidency of Richard Nixon. By presenting history as more than names, dates, and events, A View of the United States Since 1877 provides readers with an opportunity to consider the meaning of the past and its influence on society today.