Rebecca Edwards

Oxford University Press

   Quick--can you name three things that happened in the U.S. between the end of the Civil War and the rise of Teddy Roosevelt? If you can come up with anything, chances are it's something depressing like the collapse of Reconstruction, a political scandal, or a messy strike. Many historians have argued that late-nineteenth-century America was mired in paralysis and stagnation. In fact it was an era of violence and conflict but also of hope and energy--the exact opposite of stagnant, and an extremely critical era in the forging of modern America.

New Spirits offers a fresh, sweeping narrative of these "lost decades," showing how key aspects of today's America emerged in these years:

* a multicultural society, including immigrants from Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe as well as citizenship for African-Americans

* a modern political order, with an active federal government and an array of national reform movements

* giant multinational corporations and the roots of today's military-industrial complex

* global communications, wire news services, and media conglomerates offering Sunday comics and pro sports coverage

* an exuberant consumer culture

* a nationwide debate over the relationship between religion and science