Structure

1919: The Year that Changed America is divided into six chapters, plus an introduction and conclusion. The introduction and conclusion serve to contextualize the events of 1919 in the broader context, both historically and in terms of the present day. The six chapters are each devoted to a specific event or series of events that occurred in 1919. The book is therefore structured topically rather than chronologically, though each chapter has its own internal chronology and structure. The story of each event is told chronologically, so each chapter proceeds in a linear narrative, while the book's overarching structure is organized by topic and united by the fact that each event occurred in 1919.

Each of the six chapters has an internal structure that is mirrored in the other chapters. There are several elements to each chapter that contribute to its structure and are repeated throughout the book. The first of these...