Johnson's monumental history of the United States extends from the first settlers to the Clinton administration and covers every aspect of American culture: politics, business, art, literature, science, social customs, and religious beliefs. The story is told in terms of the men and women who shaped and led the nation as well as the ordinary people who made up its unique character. Anne Hutchinson, Cotton Mather, Ben Franklin, Thomas Paine, George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson, among others, are all presented in a fresh perspective. Wherever possible, letters, diaries, and recorded conversations are used to ensure a sense of actuality. This is an in-depth portrait of a great people, from their fragile origins and struggles for independence to their explosive economic growth and emergence as the world's sole superpower.