David Beito’s new biography on Franklin D. Roosevelt is not the hagiographic nonsense that has dominated the US history profession. That is a good thing. Americans should know how FDR’s presidency led to one disaster after another.
In the new Ken Burns documentary, an old myth—held by the left and right—is repeated: that chaos led to the need for the Constitution and a stronger national government.
Americans like to think of themselves as peace-loving people. However, our nation’s war record since the American Civil War points to the US government’s affinity for unleashing total war.
David Beito’s new biography on Franklin D. Roosevelt is not the hagiographic nonsense that has dominated the US history profession. That is a good thing. Americans should know how FDR’s presidency led to one disaster after another.
As Congress scrambles to extend emergency subsidies to keep Obamacare afloat, it can be tempting to view the bill that made healthcare less affordable as a total failure. But that wasn’t the true purpose of the ACA. It was always meant to prop up the faltering crony healthcare system.
The Mexican-War resulted in more territory for the new American empire, but the US government started it under false pretenses. A young US soldier who fought—Ulysses Grant—knew better, exposing the lies from Washington.
The Mexican-War resulted in more territory for the new American empire, but the US government started it under false pretenses. A young US soldier—Ulysses Grant—knew better.
The story of how the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock abandoned the common labor system and embraced private ownership is well known. While at first it affected a small community, William Bradford’s decision in favor of private enterprise would have a wide ranging effect.
For 150 years, Thanksgiving has been primarily an apolitical holiday that's really about family fun and eating a huge meal.
Historian Richard Hofstadter was a well-known progressive, but his take on Abraham Lincoln certainly differs from the hagiographic approach most US historians take toward him.
