Chapter 42 13 Themes

Chapter 42

The American People Face a New Century

Big ideas matter. Here are the most important themes for this chapter.

The over-arching theme of chapter 42 is that America faces new challenges in the future.

1. The high-tech sector has revolutionized the modern nation. Personal computers are the norm and the internet came with a boom. A handful of tech firms and founders became instant billionaires, many "dotcoms" busted.
2. The rich-poor gap widened as the wealthy got wealthier during the Reagan-Bush-Clinton years. The rich did get richer and they paid an increasing percentage of the total taxes.
3. Women broke into many places formerly reserved for men. This was true for both jobs, but also for colleges such as Ivy League schools and military schools.
4. Family make-up began to change dramatically as divorce increased sharply. Births to unmarried women also increased dramatically.
5. Demographic changes are seen in (a) baby boomers aging, (b) a large rise in Latino immigration, and (c) a rise of “multiculturalism”.

Back to the themes index.