The Skeptic's Guide to American History

The key elements of a broadened approach; the study of history with this fast-moving examination of the origins of religious and racial tolerance in America; grasping how the assumptions one has held can differ dramatically from historical reality.

Understanding history with a look at efforts of the colonists to defend their rights as Englishmen; the ironic role played by European tyrannies in helping establish the nation that would forever change the definition of liberty.

Gaining a nuanced understanding of what the founders' original intent really is; many of the questions they grapple with divide them for their entire lives; ultimately being bequeathed to their successors and persisting even to this day.

The hagiography that shapes George Washington's image and undertakes a balanced examination, measuring his military and presidential failings against his numerous successes; some of the successes may be his major contributions to American history.

Jefferson and Hamilton hold opposing views on policy and constitutional interpretation; their conflict is often thought of in terms of one's contemporary understanding of liberalism and conservatism; it is relevant in very different ways.

Andrew Jackson's election ushers in an era marked by much democratic reform; ironically, the man who is seen as the symbol of such reform actually opposes much of it; he champions many policies that few today call democratic.

The links between religion and politics that today inspire such powerful positive and negative emotions are nothing new; issues born out of the 19th-century's evangelical upheaval; prison reform to women's suffrage; still engage one today.

Analyzing this question and the different answers posed by generations of historians; understanding historiography; the study of the writing of history; taking a key step in one's understanding of history itself.

Discovering how perceptions of Gettysburg as the Civil War's turning point are inaccurate; examining three battles that are arguably more important; gaining new insights into what determines, in any war, how meaningful a battle really is.

The great age of post-Civil War industrialization and the enormous levels of national and personal wealth it generates; often attributed to a governmental attitude of hands-off toward business; such an attitude does not exist in the United States.

Learning whether a reference to someone as a populist is praise or criticism; if it has any reference to where a person stands on the political spectrum; analyzing the nation's original populist movement and its links to contemporary namesakes.

Often seen as a reversal of government support for labor; today's efforts to scale back collective bargaining rights are a reassertion of policy with a long precedent; the pro-union policies of the New Deal represent the real break with the past.

Learning whether the United States is as isolationist and opposed to imperialism as is believed; the myth and reality surrounding one's historical self-image; how America's expansionist history might appear from the perspectives of other nations.

Many liberals see the roots of their philosophy in progressivism, but this is misleading; progressivism also includes many ideas such as eugenics, limits on free speech and restrictions on immigration; these outrage modern liberals.

Learning how past presidents should be judged; a provocative examination of Woodrow Wilson's presidency; judged as a great success by some and a profound failure by others; an opportunity to explore the broader issues of presidential ratings.

Learning whether the 1920s are a return to isolationism and the values of the late 19th century; a decade far more complex than is generally believed; much of the change begins during the progressive era; setting the stage for contemporary America.

Herbert Hoover is regarded as a skilled manager and great humanitarian; leaves the presidency perceived as just the opposite; an understanding of how this could happen; examining his forgotten accomplishments and his often misunderstood failures.

FDR is simultaneously one of the most beloved and most hated of U.S. presidents; exploring what the New Deal attempts and accomplishes; its intended and unintended consequences; its role in creating the economic and political systems of America.

Learning whether one's understanding of the good war is correct; how one's reliance on national mythology makes for inaccurate history; a misconceived future because of the effects that myths about the war have on American policy since 1945.

Professor Stoler holds that the Cold War was not necessarily destined to happen; he walks through an analysis of why it takes place and lasts so long, examining several additional myths regarding this long and dangerous Soviet-American conflict.

Learning whether America's failure in Vietnam is due to a flawed military strategy or political micromanagement; America's domestic antiwar movement; an answer to this fundamental question; an understanding of why the debate has raged to this day.

Vietnam is far from America's only misunderstood war; delving into the common myths and misunderstandings shared by many Americans about why the nation's wars are fought; learning how the results are judged.

Examining the extraordinary accomplishments of several Americans, including John Adams, John Quincy Adams and George C. Marshall, their achievements and influence exceed those of many of the great figures more vividly remembered.

An appreciation that history does not begin with the events of one's own lifetime; exploring the antecedents of the civil rights, antiwar and women's rights movements; pronouncing any era's key technological advances as the most important in history.