This anthology of secondary sources portrays the lives of ordinary Americans and examines the diversity of the American people, from the earliest settlement of America to Reconstruction.

The Social Fabric acquaints students with the ways in which important events in the nation's history were reflected in the everyday lives of ordinary people. A wide variety of essays deal with the experiences of men as well as women, Native Americans as well as African-Americans and immigrants, the poor as well as the wealthy. These readings highlight the diversity of Americans' experiences—based on differences in race, ethnicity, and gender—and the way in which those differences have at times led to conflict.