In the year 1800 the United States was a fledgling nation. By the time the century ended we had expanded westward exponentially, stamped our imprint as the major power in the Western hemisphere, revolutionized our economy from agriculture to manufacturing, and suffered the schism of a civil war that nearly brought the nation as conceived by our forefathers to an end. To help students better understand the momentous changes of that century, this unique resource offers detailed description and expert analysis of the most important events in nineteenth-century America: the Louisiana Purchase, the War of 1812, the Monroe Doctrine, Jacksonian Democracy, Abolition, the War with Mexico, the Civil War, the Industrial Revolution, the Closing of the Frontier, and the Spanish-American War. Each of these events is dealt with in a separate chapter. The books unique format features an introductory essay that presents the facts, followed by an interpretive essay that places the event in a broader context and promotes student analysis. The introductory essay provides factual material in a clear, concise, chronological manner that makes complex history understandable; the interpretive essay, written by a recognized authority in the field in a style designed to appeal to a general readership, assesses the event in terms of its political, economic, sociocultural, and international/diplomatic significance.