Americans Weren't the First to Live on the Frontier: Exposing Myths About the American Frontier

by Jill Keppeler

The idea of the American frontier means a lot to many Americans' images of themselves and their country. Everyone has heard stories or watched movies showing tough, brave settlers crossing the continent, daring harsh weather, hostile natives, and rough terrain to nobly tame the frontier and expand the United States. Is this image true to life? Young readers will get a wider perspective of the tales of the American frontier, including points of view often left out of history books and popular entertainment, and learn more about the real landscape of the West.

Genres: Childrens

32 pages, Paperback

Published July 30, 2019

About the author

Writer. Reader. Editor. Geek. Mom. Gamer.

Reviews

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part of the Exposed! More Myths about American History series.
Pair this with 50 Things You Didn't Know about the Old West. By exposing myths, facts are shared about Native Americans, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Johnny Appleseed and westward expansion.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

“History isn’t simple. There’s always more than one side to the story.”

This book covers such topics as the real truth behind Johnny Appleseed, Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books, the Battle of Little Big Horn, the Gold Rush and the truth about the treatment of Native Americans by the pioneers.

A general overview, but not very detailed. Hopefully it will inspire kids to seek additional information on any of these topics. The bibliography is slim, though.