Summary
Examining a time of immense change that called into question some of the most accepted and honored standards, principles, and institutions in the United States, this comprehensive volume provides a detailed look at everyday life during the second half of the 20th century. Cold War America chronicles all aspects of society during this tumultuous era: changes in the economy, from banking
and finance to prices and inflation; trends in entertainment, from popular music to college sports; politics, from policy to scandal; the telecommunications revolution, from
the post office to the internet; and much more.
Tables provide detailed statistics and information on such things as Academy Award® winners, per capita amount of meat consumed, average cost of college tuition, Vietnam casualties, blizzards, and methods of birth control. Excerpts from important documents of the time include the Twenty-second through Twenty-eighth Amendments to the Constitution; Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas; President Eisenhower's explanation of
the origins of the Domino Theory; JFK's inaugural address; and Roe v. Wade. This thorough compilation of information on American life covers the major events of the
45-year period that was the cold war.
Specifications
109 black-and-white photographs and illustrations. 8 maps. Index. Appendix. Bibliography. Chronology. Tables.
About the Author(s)
Ross Gregory is a professor of history at Western Michigan University. He holds a Ph.D. in history from Indiana University. Twentieth-century American history is one of Gregory’s field’s of specialization. He has won Department of History Merit Awards at Western Michigan University as well as the Frederick Jackson Turner Prize given by the Organization of American Historians. Gregory is the author of numerous books and articles. His book credits include American 1941: A Nation at the Crossroads, The Origins of American Intervention in the First World War, and Walter Hines Page: Ambassador at the Court of St. James. He is also the author of Facts On File’s Modern America, 1914-1945, in the same series.