American Civilization

As the United States celebrates the 250-year anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the ninth edition of the hugely successful American Civilization not only describes and explains what makes the United States a “civilization” but also examines the challenges to its cohesion and democratic progress.

This edition introduces readers to the significant debates in U.S. society, culture, and politics, ensuring a nuanced understanding of the complexities of American civilization. Early chapters have been reconfigured to address the challenges of race and discrimination in American political development. The book has been fully updated to reflect developments in education and local government during the second Trump administration, a more critical approach to foreign policy which questions the concept of American exceptionalism, and an examination of the impact, in federal government terms, of the 2024 presidential campaign, election results, and the opening of Trump’s second term. New sections have been added to analyse efforts to control the Department of Justice, as well as developments in Medicaid policies and the results of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Supported by exercises, discussion questions, and suggestions for further reading, watching, and listening at the end of each chapter, as well as a substantial chronology of key events in U.S. history, this textbook remains an indispensable resource for students of American Studies. With its updated content and critical approach, the ninth edition equips readers with the tools to analyse and engage with the ongoing American attempt at creating “a more perfect union.”

David Mauk is Professor Emeritus of North American Area Studies at the University of Oslo, Norway, and is the author of The Colony That Rose from the Sea: Norwegian Maritime Migration and Community in Brooklyn (1997) and many articles on American politics, immigration and ethnicity, including chapters in E Pluribus Unum or E Pluribus Plura? Unity and Diversity in American Culture (2011), Norwegian American Women (2011) and Norwegian-American Essays (2014, 2015).

Alf Tomas Tønnessen is Associate Professor of English (teaching mainly American Civilization and Didactics) at the University of Agder, Norway, and is the author of How Two Political Entrepreneurs Helped Create the American Conservative Movement, 1973–1981: The Ideas of Richard Viguerie and Paul Weyrich (2009).

John Oakland is the author of British Civilization (2019, now in its ninth edition), Irish Civilization (2012, with Arthur Aughey), Contemporary Britain (2001) and British Civilization: A Student’s Dictionary (2003, second edition). He is a former associate professor in English at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

Hilde Eliassen Restad is Associate Professor at Oslo New University College. She is the author of American Exceptionalism: An Idea that Made a Nation and Remade the World (Routledge) and co-editor of the forthcoming American Exceptionalism and U.S. Foreign Policy: How Narratives Shape the United States in the World (Georgetown University Press).