In post-Civil War America, civilians were ordinarily far-removed from the actual fighting. War brought about tremendous and far-reaching changes to America's society, politics, and economy nonetheless. Readers are offered detailed glimpses into the lives of ordinary people struggling with the privations, shortages, and anxieties brought on by U.S. entry into war. The book also shows how they strove to turn changing times to their advantage, as minorities pressed for political inclusion, traders profited from government contracts, and women took on well-paying skilled jobs in large numbers for the first time. Chapters on individual wars are written by expert contributors. The first chapter shows how the Indian Wars brought opportunity for whites in the West, but led to near-extermination for Native Americans. A chapter on World War I highlights how America's entry into the war was far from universally popular, and how opposition to the war led to the creation of some of the harshest censorship and curtailment of civil rights in U.S. history. The chapter on World War II focuses on the exceptional changes brought by total mobilisation for the war effort, and how these changes advanced the prospects for women and African Americans. An essay on the Cold War looks at how Americans faced the imminent threat of nuclear annihilation, even as a booming economy brought them undreamt of material prosperity. The final chapter describes how American involvement in Vietnam divided public opinion and profoundly changed American attitudes to war.