A Patriot's History of the United States -- excerpts and comments

I'm reading the book "A Patriot's History of the United States", a much researched and footnoted book written by Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen. Between them they have "close to sixty years" of teaching American History. I highly recommend everyone read it.

What I hope to do is post some of the things in the book that are important to me and that I think people should know.

In the introduction of the book the authors ask the questions "Is America's past a tale of racism, sexism, and bigotry? Is it the story of the conquest and rape of a continent? Is U. S. history the story of white slave owners who perverted the electoral process for their own interests? Did America start with Columbus's killing all the Indians, leap to Jim Crow laws and Rockefeller crushing the workers, then finally save itself with Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal? The answers, of course, are no, no, no, and NO."

Unfortunately it appears that that is what has been taught, and is being taught, in the classrooms of America. The authors further say in the intro that history speaks for itself, and, if told honestly "America's past is a bright and shining light. America was and is, the city on the hill, the fountain of hope, the beacon of liberty. We utterly reject 'My country right or wrong' -- what scholar wouldn't? But in the last thirty years, academics have taken an equally destructive approach: 'My country, always wrong!' We reject that too." I gotta tell ya, I'm with the authors of this book all the way with that.

It looks like the authors set out to set the record straight on America's history. What I've read so far I remember being taught throughout my school years over 45 years ago. (Yes, I am that old so shut up.) But things about America's past that I have been hearing lately on the TV and reading about don't add up to what I remembered. Now I am glad to know it ain't me.

I'm not to far along in the book yet, but as I go along and come across some things I think interesting, I'll post them here and comment.

In my next post I want to comment on some things about church and state. I have read some interesting things in this book about why this nation was born.