The article is a proposed mini-text for a one semester course on modern American history.
It aims to develop an appreciation for the significance of America in the rise of the modern age,particularly with respect to technology, economics and business. Rather than trying to cover the whole of modern U.S. in one short text, various key points in history were selected as portals on historical trends.The text begins with the Second Industrial Revolution which mainly originated in America, and featured the appearance of the modern corporation as part of a new era of industrial capitalism. Then it moves on to a discussion about mmigration (labor), the rise of the Hollywood movie industry, the Great Depression, and the post-war prosperity. The textbook then examines the post-war period with a discussion of the great political, economic and cultural shocks and shifts that transformed human life, not only in America but around the world. Finally we move on to a discussion of the digital revolution which takes us into the 21st century,and arguably, the post-modern, post-industrial age.