On "The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History", by Thomas E. Woods, Jr.
by Vince Daliessio
Seldom does one hear about a text on American History that is allegedly so scurrilous, so racist, so wrong that it is decried on the editorial page of the New York Times. "The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History", by Thomas E. Woods, Jr. is just such a book. And to anyone with the least bit of mistrust of the "Old Gray Lady", one's reaction, naturally is to check this book out.
Before I got a chance, a number of academics also began slamming the book, and Professor Woods personally, on their websites. On the other hand, Woods received sympathetic hearings on the right-wing Fox News' "Hannity And Colmes", as well as enthusiastic praise on antiwar.com and the Rothbardian / Libertarian lewrockwell.com. So it became clear that not only would I actually have to READ the book (unlike most of the critics), I would also have to attempt to review it thoroughly.
Woods' basic premise is his contention that much of what passes for scholarship in American History is at best seriously deficient, and at worst thoroughly dishonest propaganda. He offers up 18 chapters dealing with American History more or less chronologically. Starting with Chapter 1, "The Colonial Origins of American Liberty" , and continuing up through the recent past with a chapter devoted to the presidency of Bill Clinton.
I will critically review Woods' work chapter by chapter. In order that my own ignorance of American History not be an obstacle to a fair and proper review, I will research some of Woods' more controversial assertions in references that could reasonably be expected to support his claims (e.g., Thomas Di Lorenzo's "The Real Lincoln", as well as some that can be relied upon consistently to hold a contrary viewpoint, (Howard Zinn's "A People's History of The United States).
I hope to establish a basis for historical dialog here at libertyguys.org, hoping that it will allow us to better account for the seemingly strange and ahistorical ways the current Federal administration behaves.
I will review a chapter or two as I have time to, and post these reviews on the blog.
Stay tuned.