Designed for courses in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, the rise of industrial America, and late 19th and early 20th century U.S. history. Follows the highly successful Major Problems format, allowing students to evaluate primary sources, test interpretations and draw their own conclusions.

Spanning the era from the end of Reconstruction (1877) to 1920, the entries of this reference were chosen with attention to the people, events, inventions, political developments, organizations, and other forces that led to significant changes in the U.S. in that era. Seventeen initial stand-alone essays describe as many themes.