The United States of America dominates the twenty-first-century world both in military and political power as well as in its cultural influence as a model of the "good life" and a desired destination for migration. This completely revised and updated second edition of Contemporary America provides an extremely broad-ranging introduction to the society, politics,economy, culture, and world role of the United States. The authors focus on the Clinton and George W. Bush presidencies——and in particular on the period since the terrorist attacks of 9/I 1/2001 which has been marked by a growing cultural division between a largely permissive, urban Democratic "Blue" America and a largely religious, rural, and Republican "Red" America.
Illustrated throughout with relevant photographs, maps, charts, and tables,Contemporary America covers everything from rock music to national parksand from media corporations to social security. This is an ideal starting-pointin American studies for students and general readers alike.Review of the first edition："Contemporary America has the feel of Lonely Planet meets the EconomistIntelligence Unit. It tells you all manner of things you ought to know, interspersedwith an eclectic series of digressions that act as outings to the mainjourney...Russell Duncan and Joseph Goddard write well and cover a greatdeal of ground in a text with high production values and a clear design ."Michael Foley, The Times Higher Education Supplement"[C]ogent and well balanced...All the basics anyone seeking an overview ofthe nations major contours are here... [A]nyone reading the volume whethernew student or experienced scholar——will come away from it better informed."Dale Carter, The Newsletter of the Nordic Association for American Studies.

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List of Figures, Maps, Illustrations, Tables, and Boxes
Preface and Acknowledgments to the Second Edition
List of Abbreviations
Map of the United States of America: States and State Capitals
Introduction
1 History
The Rise of a Nation
The Rise to Power
From Isolation to Superpower
The Cold War
The 1990s

2 Land and People
The Land
The People
Regions
Immigration

3 Government
The Constitution
The Federal System
The Branches of Government

4 The Political System
The 2004 Election
Participatory Democracy
Political Parties
Politics

5 Society
Class
The American Family
Women
Race
Crime and Punishment

6 Religion, Education, and Social Policy
Religion
Education
Social Services

7 Culture
Diversity
The Rise of American Culture
Leisure Time
Print Media
Mass Entertainment
Government Activities
The World Wide Web
Sports
The Arts
Popular Music

8 The Economy
The US Domestic Economy
Labor Unions
Business and Industry
Government and Business
The Global Marketplace
The Dollar and the Trade Deficit

9 Foreign Policy
Separation of Powers and Foreign Policy
The Administration of Foreign Policy
History of Foreign Policy
The Cold War, 1945-1991
The New World Order
The Bush Administration

10 Conclusion
The Home Front
Foreign Affairs
Conclusion
Appendix: Constitution of the United States
Recommended Reading
America on the Internet
Bibliography

Today, the Midwest is prospering with the resurgence of the automobileindustry and the success of urban renewal projects to clean up and glamorizedowntown regions for tourists and patrons of the arts. The economic highs ofthe 1990s brought prosperity, better jobs, more police protection, and lowercrime rates which made the cities attractive again. Cleveland built the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame next to two new sports stadiums and a technologymuseum adjacent to where the cleaned-up Cuyahoga River flows intoLake Erie. Chicago remains central to the region as the third largest city inAmerica and center for the nations commodities exchange. In 2001, Chicagoput on an advertising blitz, announcing its intention of becoming the nationsgreenest and most environmentally friendly city by 2006. It is converting tosolar and wind-powered generators to supply 20 percent of the citys energyneeds, establishing bike paths, planting trees, subsidizing the installation ofenergy-efficient windows and doors, and raising fines on polluters, litterersand those who refuse to recycle （AP, 2001a）.Such efforts are aimed at bringing new immigrants to the region. In 2001,for example, the state of Iowa, which is nearly 96 percent white and has thenations third oldest citizenry the average age is 58 - began a well-funded.