How to use this book; Introduction; Chapter 1. The Origins of the Civil War, 1820–1861; Chapter 2. Civil War and Reconstruction, 1861–1877; Chapter 3. The Gilded Age and Progressive Era, 1870s-1920 ; Chapter 4. The Great Crash, The Depression and the New Deal policies, 1920-1941; Chapter 5. Preparing for Assessment; Index.