Module Information

The Great Seal of the United States bears the legend E Pluribus Unum: 'Out of Many, One'. This module takes for its central theme the continuing interplay between unity and diversity in American history. It begins with an account of the formation of the American nation in the era of the Revolution, followed by an examination of the sectional conflict between North and South and its partial resolution in the Civil War. The next section sets the divisive impact of industrialisation against the integrative effects of a developing consumer society and a mass culture; it also looks at the relationship between assimilation and ethnic diversity in a society repeatedly transformed by the impact of mass immigration. The third section considers issues of race and cultural identity in post-Second World War America. Finally, we consider the implications for American society and culture of the nation's role as a world power.