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The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History
(Politically Incorrect Guides)
by
“The problem in America isn’t so much what people don’t know; the problem is what people think they know that just ain’t so.”
—Thomas E. Woods
Most Americans trust that their history professors and high school teachers will give students honest and accurate information. The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History makes it quite clear that liberal p ...more
Most Americans trust that their history professors and high school teachers will give students honest and accurate information. The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History makes it quite clear that liberal p ...more
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Paperback, 270 pages
Published
November 1st 2004
by Regnery Publishing
(first published April 1st 2001)
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You could shorten the title to simply "incorrect."
Usually the words politically incorrect announce someone who is proud of having gone against the grain. Thomas E. Woods is here to show us that a person can be unusually proud of committing all the sins he purports to denounce.
Woods' aim is to correct the cherished myths of American History that are advanced (without evidence!) by Liberals/Political correctness/people who disagree with Woods. The problem is in order to do this, Woods does exactly ...more
Usually the words politically incorrect announce someone who is proud of having gone against the grain. Thomas E. Woods is here to show us that a person can be unusually proud of committing all the sins he purports to denounce.
Woods' aim is to correct the cherished myths of American History that are advanced (without evidence!) by Liberals/Political correctness/people who disagree with Woods. The problem is in order to do this, Woods does exactly ...more
Finally an easy way to display my ignorance and political extremism to friends! If you want to waste your time and money than this book is for you. This book has the same level of truth and scholarship as the crazy, ranting homeless man you cross the street to avoid but without the personality. Woods' book pays homage to the worst extremism of the right wingers and libertarians. Not content to destroy the present, Woods' books is a hideous attempt to pervert the past and our understanding of Ame
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This book was incredibly eye-opening. The D&C says we are to waste out our days bringing hidden things to light. This book helps you to do that. The author goes through the span of U.S. history, from the Pilgrims to Bill Clinton, exposing what the popular myths are. So I learned the following:
-the Native Americans were not the first American environmentalists
-the revolutionary war was was more of a return to common law rights of Englishmen rather than a rebellion
-the Civil War wasn't really abou ...more
-the Native Americans were not the first American environmentalists
-the revolutionary war was was more of a return to common law rights of Englishmen rather than a rebellion
-the Civil War wasn't really abou ...more
The concept behind this book is great. There are a slew of historical facts that are so vastly over-simplified when you are a kid in history class that they end up effectively being lies. Many history books and teachers also present complicated constitutional issues as if they are simple, with of course the history teacher's view presented as the one "true" view. The problem with this book is that Woods does these exact same things, but he seems to think it's somehow better because he's coming f
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Ron Paul recommends this book. Enough said.
History is always presented by those in power.
Academics have a vested interest that it is presented their way.
This is a good counter balance
Academics have a vested interest that it is presented their way.
This is a good counter balance
History is written by the winners looking upon the past through rose colored glasses.
This book negates the tint.
It has some of the well known "open secrets" like Jefferson fathered his slave babies and Kennedy had affairs and used ghost writers, but he mostly fills the book with the effects of well intentioned programs--there's less integration in school districts with forced bussing programs that were meant to diversify the schools, the reasons behind certain decisions (why the founding fathers ...more
This book negates the tint.
It has some of the well known "open secrets" like Jefferson fathered his slave babies and Kennedy had affairs and used ghost writers, but he mostly fills the book with the effects of well intentioned programs--there's less integration in school districts with forced bussing programs that were meant to diversify the schools, the reasons behind certain decisions (why the founding fathers ...more
I started listening to this in an attempt to have balanced opinions and education about American history. Unfortunately, this is not really a history book. It is conservative propaganda, and as such, leaves out huge parts of the story. Most of the book may very well be fact, but it is fact in the same way that negative political ads are. It presents select examples as proof that a much broader generalization is truth. For example, since some Native American tribes benefited in the short term fro
...more
This book, while unpopular in more liberal-minded circles, provides a lot of insight into some of the more significant events in our Nation's history that are often overlooked in most of our high school history books. The book describes how far our Nation has fallen from what it was originally intended to be. For me, at least, this is a very discouraging reality. I am an admirer of what the Founders originally put forth into this country via the Bill of Rights and the Constitution. However, many
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Addition to my high school curriculum
Great supplement to ANY history course from grade school through grad school. It's nice to see what the text books usually leave out.
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Not sure I agree with EVERYTHING, but all of it is thought-provoking.
There is only one portion of the title that accurately describes this book, the word "incorrect". This fantasy is driven by an agenda. An agenda to discredit scholarly research and facts... facts that dare to contradict a Right-wing political ideology. So, no problem, Wood makes history fit his world-view. Facts are not and never will be, partisan. Sometimes they agree with you, sometimes they don't. But weaving them into a fantasy to sell to gullible FOX, Beck, Rush and Paulits - by a professio
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This entire line of books is incredibly good, chocked full of information you usually don't find in history books or classes, giving new light to "accepted" history.
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We all have a thing or two to learn about what we have be lead to believe in high school and some college history classes.
Inside, you learn that the American "revolutionaries" were actually conservatives. Puritans and other colonists mostly didn't steal Indian lands or engage in genocidal ...acts against them. The first section heading is called "Suspicion+Dislike=Liberty. A formula for freedom." All the chapter titles are actually pretty irritating.
Later on it gets into Confederate apologetics, justifying religious tyranny as long as it's done by the states and not the federal government. He seems to love focusing ...more
Later on it gets into Confederate apologetics, justifying religious tyranny as long as it's done by the states and not the federal government. He seems to love focusing ...more
Another enjoyable book by Tom Woods. This really is the "history you SHOULD have learned in school" book. He starts from the beginning of the first European settlers and goes right into the Reagan/Clinton era. Probably the most that I learned was the section on World War I. It is very interesting how war hungry some of the Presidents were and how vocal they were about it. The fact that Woods uses a lot of quotes shows that these aren't just conclusions drawn from connecting dots but letting the
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The lack of notes in the P.I.G. books (Politically Incorrect Guides) that I've read so far is frustrating. They offer quite a different perspective which I imagine could be just as biased as the leanings in other books the claim to debunk.
I offer as example a 19th century soundbite taken completely out of context to support the portrait of a innocent, peaceful Confederacy. Page 87 Woods writes,
"Johnson argued that Radical Reconstruction showed such contempt for law and precedent that it proved ...more
I offer as example a 19th century soundbite taken completely out of context to support the portrait of a innocent, peaceful Confederacy. Page 87 Woods writes,
"Johnson argued that Radical Reconstruction showed such contempt for law and precedent that it proved ...more
This book is an awesome read for those of you who don't believe everything you heard in the 8th grade. Spanning the early settlements on the American Continent, this book shatters some commonly held myths perpetuated by our current indoctrination centers and even most college courses. Thomas Woods holds a degree in History from Harvard and makes good use of his vast knowledge on the subject in this book, often sighting books "you;re not supposed to read" as great examples. My favorite thing abou
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I thought the idea behind the book would be great, however, it was a battle just to finish the book. The biggest problem I have is that the author does what he is accusing everyone else of doing. essentially saying that this is correct because he says so, and with just a little bit of looking into information there is a bunch that does not fit the facts of the events.
Additionally the author seems to reverse his own opinion on what what has helped and harmed the country and economy throughout hi ...more
Additionally the author seems to reverse his own opinion on what what has helped and harmed the country and economy throughout hi ...more
This book was total garbage. I had to put it down after a few chapters because I could literally feel myself becoming more bigoted.
If you can get past Native American's agreeing to give away the land they lived on for no profit, even though they couldn't speak English or Spanish in the 1300's and 1400's, you've got a tougher stomach than I.
Maybe I didn't give it enough of a chance, but I really didn't think ethically I could.
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If you can get past Native American's agreeing to give away the land they lived on for no profit, even though they couldn't speak English or Spanish in the 1300's and 1400's, you've got a tougher stomach than I.
Maybe I didn't give it enough of a chance, but I really didn't think ethically I could.
...more
I am listening to this book on CD. It's interesting in a way. There are valuable tidbits and quotes.
The author seems to have an axe to grind and a political agenda. I feel that the book is a bit argumentative.
For example, the author is really big on the right to bear arms. This is difficult to take in this era of school shootings. He brings evidence to support his view. It feels a bit like the debate club with one side reporting. One feels like someone else could bring an opposing viewpoint with ...more
The author seems to have an axe to grind and a political agenda. I feel that the book is a bit argumentative.
For example, the author is really big on the right to bear arms. This is difficult to take in this era of school shootings. He brings evidence to support his view. It feels a bit like the debate club with one side reporting. One feels like someone else could bring an opposing viewpoint with ...more
This book is libertarian propaganda. Everything it supposedly reveals is merely a extremely biased look at established history. Sure there are nuanced and complex events in history that the most widely accepted versions are controversial. There's no dispute with that. I can't help but wonder if this guy wasn't given a set of conclusions and asked to write a broad American history text to support them. Any reputable scholar will at least admit the validity of a viewpoint other than their own. I a
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This is a nice alternative to your typical history textbook, but I can't quite bring myself to rate it higher than three stars. There's a lot of great information here, but trying to distill the entire history of the U.S.A. down to three hundred pages is a problematic endeavor no matter how you slice it. Still, Woods' perspective gave me a different take on a lot of things, such as the startling degree to which Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt were responsible for escalating World Wars I an
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While the book is revealing in certain aspects, it's not hard to tell there's a certain slant to the information it gives. You can feel the animosity towards the Democratic Party by the lack of negative press towards the Republican Party.
Read this book with an open mind. As much as the author debunks popular textbooks and popular history books, his own published work is far from a complete and unbiased account. ...more
Read this book with an open mind. As much as the author debunks popular textbooks and popular history books, his own published work is far from a complete and unbiased account. ...more
I've come to the conclusion that we have the absolute best system of government possible, but we have elected idiots for virtually the past 200 years. To be sure, most historians and economists (both Democrat and Republican) will not like this book, because it describes the pitfalls of big-government interventionism (both foreign and domestic). Nevertheless, this book fills in some of the cracks that most history textbooks gloss over. Highly recommended.
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Like his "33 Questions," this book deals with aspects of American history that most historians won't tell you about--certainly not public school teachers.
The story of American History that is taught in our schools and universities is a simple one, that reads like a morality tale--ignoring facts that reflect badly on "heroes" like FDR.
Read this book and learn what you're not supposed to. ...more
The story of American History that is taught in our schools and universities is a simple one, that reads like a morality tale--ignoring facts that reflect badly on "heroes" like FDR.
Read this book and learn what you're not supposed to. ...more
As a fan of Thomas Woods work, I am perhaps biased, but I did enjoy this book and found it to be both informative and entertaining with an easy to follow prose.
A good balance to Zinn's 'The Peoples History of the USA' as both could be read alongside the other in order to gain certain perspectives.
I do suggest this to anyone interested in American History or History in general.
85 % ...more
A good balance to Zinn's 'The Peoples History of the USA' as both could be read alongside the other in order to gain certain perspectives.
I do suggest this to anyone interested in American History or History in general.
85 % ...more
Quite a cool book. Not that I'm that familiar with the American History, but it sure does say some stuff I've never heard of and certainly stuff you don't expect many to go around repeating :P Thumbs up for such histories!
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I hated it. Could not get more than a few pages into it. It is way too right-wing for my liberal outlook.
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Thomas E. Woods, Jr., is a senior fellow of the Mises Institute and host of The Tom Woods Show, which releases a new episode every weekday. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Harvard and his master’s, M.Phil., and Ph.D. from Columbia University. Woods has appeared on CNBC, MSNBC, FOX News Channel, FOX Business Network, C-SPAN, and Bloomberg Television, among other outlets, and has been a
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