Book excerpt: The American Promise: A Concise History is a brief, inexpensive narrative with a clear political, chronological narrative that makes teaching and learning American history a snap. Streamlined by the authors themselves to create a truly concise book, the fifth edition is nearly 15 percent shorter than the fourth compact edition, yet it includes more primary sources than ever—including a new visual sources feature. It is also enhanced by LearningCurve, our easy-to-assign adaptive learning system that will ensure students come to class prepared.