But “America: The Story of Us” does not seem terribly concerned about scholarship. At its best, it is history as streamlined storytelling; at its worst, it’s all about packaging.

The conflicts of the late 1960s and 1970s remind America of the divisions that opened up before the Civil War, but the boom of the 1980s heralds better times, with a confidence that mirrors the 1920s.

The History channel’s 'America: The Story of Us' premiers its six-part series this Sunday.