[This text] is a survey of American history from the earliest days of European exploration and conquest of the New World to the dawn of the twenty-first century. It offers students a ... concise narrative whose central theme is the changing contours of American freedom ... Aimed at an audience of undergraduate students with little or no detailed knowledge of American history, [the text] guides readers through the complexities of the subject without overwhelming them with excessive detail. The unifying theme of freedom that runs through the text gives shape to the narrative and integrates the numerous strands that make up the American experience. [This book] places events and personalities in the foreground and is more geared to the structure of the introductory survey course.-Pref.