Challenging the Myths of Us History: Seven Short Essays on the Past and Present - Hardcover

by Marc Egnal (Author)

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.

Back Jacket

Timely as well as trenchant. This work is sure to be read as an antidote to the current contentious political climate and as an enduring contribution for years to come.--Roger Lowenstein, author of Ways and Means: Lincoln and His Cabinet and the Financing of the Civil War

"In clear, accessible prose, noted scholar Marc Egnal challenges enduring myths about major US historical events. Provocative, incisive, and informative, Egnal shows why knowledge of the American past is more important than ever in understanding the country's present crisis."--Rosemarie Zagarri, author of Revolutionary Backlash: Women and Politics in the Early American Republic

"Egnal does American history right: by engaging the reader in a knockabout argument on leading issues in the field. From the American Revolution to the rise of Trump, every essay is well-documented, forcefully argued, and packs a punch. Reader, expect to be provoked!"--Gavin Wright, author of Sharing the Prize: The Economics of the Civil Rights Revolution in the American South

"Egnal is one of the truly wise, long-distance runners and deep thinkers of the history profession. This latest book will provoke readers to think hard, question their own preconceptions, and with luck come to their own conclusions."--Paul Buhle, authorized biographer of C. L. R. James

Author Biography

Marc Egnal is Professor of History Emeritus at York University, Toronto, and author of Clash of Extremes: The Economic Origins of the Civil War.