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Beschreibung

Beyond a takedown of the traditional narrative of US history, this sharp and accessible book teaches readers how to read history with a critical eye.

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.

Beyond a takedown of the traditional narrative of US history, this sharp and accessible book teaches readers how to read history with a critical eye.

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.
Über den Autor
Marc Egnal is Professor of History Emeritus at York University, Toronto, and author of Clash of Extremes: The Economic Origins of the Civil War.
Details
Erscheinungsjahr: 2025
Genre: Geschichte, Importe
Rubrik: Geisteswissenschaften
Medium: Taschenbuch
Inhalt: Einband - flex.(Paperback)
ISBN-13: 9780520402461
ISBN-10: 0520402464
Sprache: Englisch
Einband: Kartoniert / Broschiert
Autor: Egnal, Marc
Hersteller: University of California Press
Verantwortliche Person für die EU: Libri GmbH, Europaallee 1, D-36244 Bad Hersfeld, gpsr@libri.de
Maße: 214 x 137 x 15 mm
Von/Mit: Marc Egnal
Erscheinungsdatum: 23.09.2025
Gewicht: 0,304 kg
Artikel-ID: 133977574