Great empires from Rome to Great Britain attained dominance through force of arms and political domination. Since the Civil War, the United States of America, though not an empire in the sense of Rome or Great Britain, has come to dominate the world in a new and peaceful way—through the creation of wealth. How was America able to create unprecedented wealth after the Civil War and World War II, wealth that benefits its citizens and people around the world? What ideas, laws, customs, and policies have created and sustained America’s economic flourishing? And will our economic success continue in the years ahead?