What does U.S. history look like with women at the center of the story? From Pocahantas to military women serving in the Iraqi war, this Very Short Introduction chronicles the contributions that women have made to the American experience from a multicultural perspective that emphasizes how gender shapes women's¿and men's¿lives.

• List of illustrations


• Preface


• Chapter 1: In the Beginning: North America's Women to 1750


• Chapter 2: Freedom's Ferment, 1750-1848


• Chapter 3: The Challenges of Citizenship, 1848-1920


• Chapter 4: Modern American Women, 1920 to the present


• References


• Further reading


• Index

A pioneer in the field of women's history and a leading feminist biographer, Susan Ware is the author and editor of numerous books on twentieth-century U.S. history. She currently serves as general editor of the American National Biography.