This unique book explores the lives and work of nearly 300 New Jersey women from the Colonial period to the present century. Included are biographies of notable, often nationally known individuals, as well as less celebrated people, whose vibrant personal stories illustrate the richness of women's experiences in New Jersey—and, really, in America—from 1600 to the present. Researched, written and illustrated by The Women's Project of New Jersey, this volume both recovers and re-tells the life stories of women who have helped shape our world. Past and Promise is a long-overdue celebration of the accomplishments of these individuals who succeeded, often against overwhelming odds. Past and Promise: Lives of New Jersey Women incorporates an inclusive view of history that understands the past as the history of all of the people, not merely those who held a monopoly of power. As such this work contains biographies of artists, activists, entertainers, scientists, scholars, teachers, factory and agricultural workers, businesswomen, social engineers, and community builders. This easy-to-use and beautifully presented volume is indexed, and full of illustrations. The biographies are arranged alphabetically within four sections covering the following time periods: 1600-1807, 1808-1865, 1866-1920, and 1921 to the present. Each section is introduced by a historical overview, and each biographical entry includes a brief bibliography for further reading and research. This unique and very readable collection of biographies belongs in every public and personal library and deserves a wide audience of general readers from high school age through college and beyond.

"[An] ambitious economic history of the united States...rich with details." ?—David Leonhardt, New York Times Book Review How did a weak collection of former British colonies become an industrial, financial, and military colossus? From the eighteenth to the twenty-first centuries, the American economy has been transformed by wave after wave of emerging technology: the steam engine, electricity, the internal combustion engine, computer technology. Yet technology-driven change leads to growing misalignment between an innovative economy and anachronistic legal and political structures until the gap is closed by the modernization of America's institutions—often amid upheavals such as the Civil War and Reconstruction and the Great Depression and World War II. When the U.S. economy has flourished, government and business, labor and universities, have worked together in a never-ending project of economic nation building. As the United States struggles to emerge from the Great Recession, Michael Lind clearly demonstrates that Americans, since the earliest days of the republic, have reinvented the American economy - and have the power to do so again.

America's Promise is a concise, highly readable introduction to American History. Designed to clearly explain major themes and events, it also captures the rich and often amusing character of the American people. The strong narrative emphasizes public life and how individuals constructed public structures in which they lived and worked. Including the latest scholarship in social, cultural, and political history, the work integrates the history and importance of women and minorities. To aid students in learning and reviewing, each chapter begins with a preview of the main ideas that will be discussed and ends with a conclusion that reinforces the key concepts. Rather than being simply declaratory signposts, section headings highlight main ideas and help carry along the narrative. A glossary defines main terms, and a timeline helps students keep track of events. Selected readings are also included to encourage further reading and study. Finally, carefully selected illustrations and maps portray, pinpoint, and illuminate important episodes in American history. The most concise and competitively priced book available, America's Promise is a breath of fresh air in the introductory market.

The author covers the development of the electronic musical instrument from Thaddeus Cahill's Telharmonium at the turn of the last century to the MIDI synthesizers of the 1990s. --book cover.

The first history of Oregon to appear in twenty-five years, "Oregon's Promise explores familiar and neglected people and movements in the state's history, while challenging readers to view Oregon's past, present, and future in a new way. David Peterson del Mar recognizes that the words "Oregon history" conjure up images of Lewis and Clark and rugged pioneers. But he argues that the explorers' impact was both different from and less significant then commonly assumed, and that the state's settlers were much more varied, contentious, complicated, and interesting than conventional heroic stereotypes would suggest. "Oregon's Promise is a concise general history spanning the period from that of the region's earliest inhabitants to the present. It moves beyond the more familiar episodes of Oregon history to discuss indigenous peoples before and after contact with whites, the profound and evolving impact of broad forces like industrialization and suburbanization, and the varied fortunes of a growing stream of people form across the world who have sought the good life in Oregon. It explores the tensions behind contemporary disagreements rending our political, social, and cultural fabric. The book's many themes revolve around Peterson del Mar's consideration of how Oregonians have attempted to build a prosperous and just society. He examines both the traditional center of Oregon history and its often overlooked margins--the people who have struggled to be included in Oregon's promise. Each chapter includes brief biographies of noteworthy Oregonians. David Peterson del Mar is both a respected historian and an engaging writer, with a talent for explaining Oregon's past in a way that will appeal togeneral readers as well as to scholars and students.