A Good American History Book

[Matthew]

I've become more interested in American history lately and what I would really like is a book with a good overview of the history of the USA. I don't care how long it is (is Page Smiths 10,000 volume history any good?), just that it is well written, no political axe to grind, and would get me up to the 21st century. Recommendations eagerly sought!

edit: spelling

Edited April 28, 2007 by Matthew

[Son-of-a-Weizen]

Don't know about the Smith book.....but this one is pretty good if you're looking for a decent overview --Pilgrims at Plymouth up through Vietnam. Only 1,000 pages though. I'd stick with the 5th or 6th edition.....who knows what evil the axe grinders have managed to worm into the 12th and 13th editions? Nice cover photo too of Paul Revere's somewhat exagerated interpretation of the Boston 'Massacre.'

Edited April 28, 2007 by Son-of-a-Weizen

[Tim McG]

So!

An historian, eh?

Very cool, Weizen

[md655321]

Not so sure about The American Pageant http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_American_Pageant

A name like that should set off alarms anyways.

As far as a general overview, especially once with no political axe to grind, I dont think there is one. American history is not easily condensed, and any condensing must be done with the use of themes and ideas that can easily be considered a political axe.

I think you are much better served reading books on specific topics, or by reading several overviews but knowing exactly what the authors biases are (and they ALL have biases, or atleast strong beliefs.)

Any book that claims to be an accurate or bias-free representation of history is, in my opinion, completely worthless. History is not the recitation of events, but the interpretation of events. There is no way to avoid opinions, and in fact they should be EMBRACED.

I say just start at the beginning and read books dealing with specific chronological areas, especially as you say length isnt an issue. In my opinion, there is no better place to start than:

"The Creation of the American Republic" by Gordon S. Wood

Edited April 29, 2007 by md655321

[porcy62]

Not so sure about The American Pageant http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_American_Pageant

A name like that should set off alarms anyways.

As far as a general overview, especially once with no political axe to grind, I dont think there is one. American history is not easily condensed, and any condensing must be done with the use of themes and ideas that can easily be considered a political axe.

I think you are much better served reading books on specific topics, or by reading several overviews but knowing exactly what the authors biases are (and they ALL have biases, or atleast strong beliefs.)

Any book that claims to be an accurate or bias-free representation of history is, in my opinion, completely worthless. History is not the recitation of events, but the interpretation of events. There is no way to avoid opinions, and in fact they should be EMBRACED.

I say just start at the beginning and read books dealing with specific chronological areas, especially as you say length isnt an issue. In my opinion, there is no better place to start than:

"The Creation of the American Republic" by Gordon S. Wood

Correct, and truthfull History should be based on first hand sources. So it's basically impossible for a single human being covers a huge subject like the whole American History. It will takes a couple of lifes just to read carefully all the Congress's Acts from Washington to Nixon, w/o considering all the other written sources: newspapers, books, ecc. Though probably there could be some compendiums out there honestly compiled by honest historians.

[Son-of-a-Weizen]

Not so sure about The American Pageant http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_American_Pageant

A name like that should set off alarms anyways.

As far as a general overview, especially once with no political axe to grind, I dont think there is one. American history is not easily condensed, and any condensing must be done with the use of themes and ideas that can easily be considered a political axe.

I think you are much better served reading books on specific topics, or by reading several overviews but knowing exactly what the authors biases are (and they ALL have biases, or atleast strong beliefs.)

Any book that claims to be an accurate or bias-free representation of history is, in my opinion, completely worthless. History is not the recitation of events, but the interpretation of events. There is no way to avoid opinions, and in fact they should be EMBRACED.

I say just start at the beginning and read books dealing with specific chronological areas, especially as you say length isnt an issue. In my opinion, there is no better place to start than:

"The Creation of the American Republic" by Gordon S. Wood

Another reason to steer clear of Wikipedia. That Loewen character has bopped about taking quotes out of context and reproducing a partial sentence here ...and another there to tar a decent 1,000 page tome. Shoddy.

Just one example. He lifts, from page 389:

But savage beatings were normally not administered without some reason or provocation

....but leaves off the tail end of the sentence:

because whippings made sullen workers and lash marks hurt resale values.

Yep, the profit motive at work....makes sense to me.

btw, since we're now slavish devotees of Wikipedia, here's a good one re: Gordon Wood:

"Two interesting incidents of name-dropping in the 1990s increased Wood's name recognition among the general public. Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich publicly and effusively praised Wood's The Radicalism of the American Revolution, which led to adverse reactions from some liberals in academia and was jokingly described by Wood as "the kiss of death."

[Adam]

All histopry books (all books, natch) have some point of view. At what point does a "point of view" become "an axe to grind?" It can be relatively obvious in many cases, and the more obvious, the easier to dismiss. Unless of course the person is right. :-)

I too would pick books for each period.

I happen to have the first 6 volumes of Page Smith's "People's History of the United States" and think it's pretty good, actually. But I read it 15-20 years ago. My knowledge & intellect has changed since then. You could read the first 2 (A New Age Now Begins, vol 1 & 2) and decide if it's for you. Those were award-winning at the time, and do cover more of the battles and social scene.

Gordon Wood and Joseph Ellis (Founding Brothers; Passionate Sage on Adams; American Sphinx on Jefferson; His Excellency on Washington) are pretty good starters for the Republic. Ellis's are bioggraphies really, and not even general biographies. Also The Age of Federalism, by Stanley Elkins and Eric McKittrick. But none of those would give you a military history of the Revolutionary War.

Others: The Rise of American Democracy, by Sean Wilentz. That covers the 1820s and 1830s more. [i'll add more when I wake up. I have a lot on the shelf from when I co-produced the History Channel series "Founding Brothers."] Books by Joyce Appleby, Carol Berkin, Jack Rakove, Bernard Bailyn.

Otherwise, you could probably go to a college book store of a public university and see what histories they are using in their survey history classes. Maybe it will be listed on a syllabus on line, for whetever they might teach as American History 101.

[Uncle Skid]

Any thoughts on Howard Zinn's People's History of the United States: 1492 to Present?

I know this is a somewhat controversial book (and may not qualify as "no axe to grind"), but it's my understanding that his scholarship is solid. I read this a few years ago, and I've been following this thread with interest -- thanks for the recommendations thus far.

[md655321]

Zinn certainly falls under the 'political axe to grind.' His scholarship is still quite good, and has a great peal of personal experience with social movements of the 50s-70s. Zinn makes no bones about the fact that America is an imperialist nation that has routinely engaged in behaviors that all of us should be shocked about. Unfortunately, some people consider his lack of apologetics to be a bias. He writes in a way that is certainly intended to provoke, but there is no denying the accuracy of much of his work.

It may be a bit one-sided, but it does a good job of challenging misconceptions, and provoking thought, which may be the most important thing for any historian to do. As long as you read it knowing his intent (which he spells out clearly in the introduction) it is a fascinating read. It is actually the only comprehensive history of the US (that I am familiar with) that I consider worthwhile, and I almost recommended it in my first post.

As an added bonus, you can read the whole thing online right here:

http://www.historyisaweapon.org/zinnapeopleshistory.html

Edited May 1, 2007 by md655321

[ejp626]

A History of American Life ed. by Arthur Schlesinger

This was a 13 volume set, recently abridged to 1440 pages, ending with the New Deal and WWII, so it won't get you all the way to the present, but it is a decent overview.

[Jazzmoose]

Personally, I would recommend reading as many books as possible rather than looking for one "perfect" book. And if you want to avoid any controversy at all, I wouldn't bother. You'll end up with something as boring as a high school textbook: bland, flavorless, and a complete waste of time. (Which reminds me of my favorite pet peeve as a history major: the idiotic phrase "revisionist history". If the book doesn't offer any new relevations, hence 'revising' prior thinking, what the fuck was the point of doing the research and writing the damned thing?)

That said, the only American history overview on my shelf is Zinn. But most of my history books are more limited in scope.

Edited May 2, 2007 by Jazzmoose