In The American South: A History, Fourth Edition, William J. Cooper, Jr. and Thomas E. Terrill demonstrate their belief that it is impossible to divorce the history of the South from the history of the United States. The authors' analysis underscores the complex interaction between the South as a distinct region and the South as an inescapable part of America. Cooper and Terrill show how the resulting tension has often propelled section and nation toward collision. In supporting their thesis, the authors draw on the tremendous amount of profoundly new scholarship in Southern history. Each volume includes a substantial biographical essay-completely updated for this edition-which provides the reader with a guide to literature on the history of the South. Coverage now includes the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, up-to-date analysis of the persistent racial divisions in the region, and the South's unanticipated role in the 2008 presidential primaries.

Prologue: The Enduring SouthChapter 1: The BeginningsChapter 2: The Economic and Social WorldChapter 3: The Intellectual, Political, and Religious WorldChapter 4: The RevolutionChapter 5: The South in the New NationChapter 6: Republican AscendancyChapter 7: A New Political StructureChapter 8: Plantations and FarmsChapter 9: The Institution of SlaveryChapter 10: The World of the SlavesChapter 11: Learning, Letters, and ReligionChapter 12: The Free Social OrderChapter 13: Political Parties and the Territorial IssueChapter 14: The Crisis of the UnionMap Essay: The Geography of the Civil WarChapter 15: The Confederate ExperienceBiographiesBibliographic Essay