How did a country and a people with such diversity unite under the banner of freedom and equality to form one of the most powerful nations in the world? Davidson takes readers on a 500-year journey, from the first contact of the eastern with the western hemisphere to the emergence of America as a superpower in the years of nuclear threat and overexploitation of natural resources. In 40 short chapters, the book brings to life hundreds of figures that make up the broader American history. Pilgrim William Bradford was caught in an Indian trap on his very first day in America. Harriet Tubman set chickens free as a distraction to help slaves escape. Young Andrew Carnegie, later an industrial magnate, devoured his porridge with two spoons. These individual stories, fascinating in themselves, also raise broader questions about freedom, equality, and unity in a country always distinguished by its diversity. "Davidson narrates the major events of the past with incredible skill. From the very first pages, he emphasizes the difference between those who make history by starring in events and those who merely record it on paper."  Kirkus Reviews "A work for reflection on America's past and present. It is worth considering how we can more effectively realize today the vision of freedom, equality, and synthesis of opposites."  Daily Beast "Davidson begins the overview of 500 years of American history with an engaging thought: that each of us writes our own history through our personal experiences, which, in turn, become the warp and weft of the broader history."  Publishers Weekly