Joseph Hume was a champion of free-trade principles and radical reform. He was in the forefront of nearly every major reform endeavor in the first half of the nineteenth century and, though he never held office, his name was a household word in England for over thirty years. He rose to popularity on the basis of his attack on government spending, and he remained a favorite of "the people" because he seemed unencumbered by personal avarice. Hume's personal life largely remains a mystery, because his private papers were destoryed by fire. The authors have gone though many manuscript collections of those who were close to Hume in order to put his life together. The most useful of these collections were the papers of Francis Place, John Cam Hobhouse, and Richard Cobden.

"A View of the United States Since 1877" explores significant events in United States culture, politics, and society since the Civil War, and encourages students to explore and reflect on important themes.
Rather than presenting a detailed chronology, the book is organized into topic-based units such as The Gilded Age, The Progressive Era, World War I and the Roaring Twenties, the Depression and Big Government.
Students learn about imperialism in the late 1800s, John Maynard Keynes and the triumphs of Keynesian economics, the development of Social Security, and the fireside chats of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Other topics include the Cold War and the accompanying fear of atheism, the Kennedy years and the impact of his assassination, the Vietnam War and social reaction to it, and the paradox presented by the controversial presidency of Richard Nixon.
By presenting history as more than names, dates, and events, "A View of the United States Since 1877" provides students with an opportunity to consider the meaning of the past and its influence on society today.
Ronald Huch earned his Ph.D. at Michigan University. Dr. Huch is a professor in the history department at Eastern Kentucky University, where he teaches courses on European history and American civilization. Dr. Huch s research interests include modern Europe and 19th Century England."