Challenging the Myths of US History : Seven Short Essays on the Past and Present / Marc Egnal.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Egnal, Marc, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States--History.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xii, 228 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Oakland, California : University of California Press, [2025]

Summary:

A provocative, critical take on the traditional narrative of US history--and a call to reimagine America's past According to textbooks, the media, and politicians of all stripes, the story of the United States is one of steady progress toward a "more perfect union." In this narrative, ideals of liberty and freedom explain the Revolution and the Civil War and drove racial progress. Similarly, foreign policy, if marked by stumbles, has been largely well-intentioned. In seven pithy and provocative essays, historian Marc Egnal challenges this account. He argues that wealthy individuals who were set on economic and territorial expansion shaped the American narrative. The seven essays look at progress in the writing of history, the Revolution, the Civil War, violence, Vietnam, the women's movement, and the rise of Donald Trump. Egnal does not ignore protests and lofty ideals. Instead, he shows they were subordinate to the plans of the expansionists and to the racism that so often accompanied their designs. Accessible and engaging, Challenging the Myths of US History urges readers to question long-held assumptions and to look at the American past from a very different perspective.

Contents:

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Contents

Preface: Getting Right with the Past

1. Is There Progress in the Study of US History?

2. Why the American Revolution?

3. What Caused the Civil War?

4. Homicidal Nation: Why Do Americans Kill Each Other So Often?

5. Why Did the United States Fight in Vietnam?

6. Do "Waves" Explain the Women's Movement?

7. Why Do So Many Americans Passionately Support Donald Trump?

Conclusion and Acknowledgments

Notes

Selected Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

9780520402478

OCLC:

1528361096