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What was America? The question resounds today more than ever. While countless contemporary textbooks have sought to relate this country's history, most have done so in fragmented, diluted, or unapproachable ways. These two volumes break down all the barriers to a full understanding of America: it has just two authors, each with a strong point of view; it is told in pure narrative form, befitting its riveting story; and it is as low-cost a textbook as there has ever been. Unlike other open access textbooks, Building the Republic is authoritative and coherent. Throughout, Harry Watson and Jane Dailey emphasize the enduring and multifarious influence of religion, the evolution of law and legal norms, and the distinctive history and influence of the South. And they take a capacious view of the role of politics in US history, beyond simple "political history." These two volumes sweep the reader up in the inimitable history of a country forever remaking itself.