This handy, informative chronology of key events in our history sweeps from 45,000 B.C., when the first intrepid Asians crossed …

This handy, informative chronology of key events in our history sweeps from 45,000 B.C., when the first intrepid Asians crossed the Bering land bridge to populate North America, to the 21st century, which finds us the richest and most powerful country in the world—a prodigious, panoramic journey marked by more than 1,000 milestones and turning points, each explained in concise, lively detail. From Plymouth Rock to Pearl Harbor, from the Civil War to the Civil Rights movement, from George Washington to George W. Bush, we learn what happened, who was involved, and why it's important.

Axelrod, author of the popular What Every American Should Know about American History, has a wonderful knack for capturing powerful ideas, towering figures, and definitive moments with a memorable turn of phrase. By the time readers follow him step by step from our past to our present, they'll have come a long way towards a real and rewarding answer to the question: What is a patriot?