'Rebirth of a Nation: The Making of Modern America, 1877-1920'
by Jackson Lears  A young country remakes itself  Share with
others:  Print Email Read Later  Much of the popular history of
America written these days focuses on three wars -- the
Revolutionary, the Civil and World War II -- and the trend shows
no sign of flagging.  Stirring stories of heroic patriots and
self-sacrifice never grow old. Consider, though, a time in the
United States when the banking system triggered economic
collapse, corporations were merging into bigger corporations,
the military was struggling to fight insurgents in occupied
territory, immigration issues sparked congressional action,
fundamentalist Christianity was influencing politics and the
federal government was playing a larger role in business and
personal affairs.  Despite their topical nature, these and a
handful of other cultural and social concerns are not the heady
stuff of adventure, to be sure, but they matter a lot. As
Rutgers University historian Jackson Lears arg