America Past and Present, Brief Edition presents a balanced and manageable overview of the United States as an unfolding story of national development, blending the best in past historical interpretation with new scholarship. This edition features all of the strengths found in the successful comprehensive text: a compelling narrative, clear organization, and exceptional pedagogy. An attractive four-color design -featuring numerous maps, photos, and timelines engage and assist students in their study of American history. In the new 7 th edition of America Past and Present , Brief Edition the authors have streamlined the coverage in the contemporary chapters and added a new feature that explores the connections between the past and the present.
Robert A. Divine joined the faculty of the University of Texas in 1954 as a professor of history. He served as Chairman of the Department of History and the Committee on International Studies, and a member of the interim committee that helped with the organization of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University. In addition, he served as president of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations and authored eleven books. He retired in 1996.