Synopses & Reviews
From the author of the national bestseller andlt;I andgt;Lies My Teacher Told Meandlt;/Iandgt;, the second myth-busting history book which focuses on the inaccuracies, myths, and lies that can be found at national landmarks and historical sites all across America.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;In andlt;Iandgt;Lies Across Americaandlt;/Iandgt;, James W. Loewen continues his mission, begun in the award-winning andlt;Iandgt;Lies My Teacher Told Meandlt;/Iandgt;, of overturning the myths and misinformation that too often pass for American history. This is a one-of-a-kind examination of sites all over the country where history is literally written on the landscape, including historical markers, monuments, historic houses, forts, and ships. With entries drawn from each of the fifty states, Loewen reveals that: andlt;BRandgt; andlt;UL type=discandgt; andlt;LIandgt;The USS Intrepid, the and#8220;feel-goodand#8221; war museum, celebrates its glorious service in World War II but nowhere mentions the three tours it served in Vietnam.andlt;/LIandgt; andlt;LIandgt;The Jefferson Memorial misquotes from the Declaration of Independence and skews Jeffersonand#8217;s writings to present this conflicted slave owner as a near abolitionist.andlt;/LIandgt; andlt;LIandgt;Abraham Lincoln had been dead for thirty years when his birthplace cabin was built.andlt;/LIandgt;andlt;/ULandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Lies Across Americaandlt;/Iandgt; is a reality check for anyone who has ever sought to learn about America through the nationand#8217;s public sites and markers. Entertaining and enlightening, it is destined to change the way American readers see their country.
Review
"Brims with fascinating history." - andlt;iandgt;Los Angeles Timesandlt;/iandgt;
Review
"Jim-dandy pop history...This is one work of history no one will call boring." - Jim O'Brien, andlt;iandgt;USA Todayandlt;/iandgt;
Review
"Brims with fascinating history." - Los Angeles Times
Review
"Brims with fascinating history."
- Los Angeles Times
Review
Michael Ross
The Times-Picayune (New Orleans)
A remarkable achievement....A brisk, entertaining, and, at times, inspiring read....Lies Across America is full of fascinating facts, challenging ideas and important insights. You will never read a roadside historical marker the same way again.
Review
"A winner by any criteria: informative, stimulating, and challenging. Loewen's wry wit is a welcome bonus." - Edwin C. Bearss, former chief historian, National Park Service
Review
"Loewen is a one-man historical truth squad....He has written a devastating portrait of how American history is commemorated." - andlt;iandgt;The Nationandlt;/iandgt;
About the Author
andlt;bandgt;James W. Loewenandlt;/bandgt; is the bestselling author of andlt;iandgt;Lies My Teacher Told Meandlt;/iandgt; and andlt;iandgt;Lies Across America.andlt;/iandgt; He is a regular contributor to the History Channel's andlt;iandgt;Historyandlt;/iandgt; magazine and is a professor emeritus of sociology at the University of Vermont. He resides in Washington, D.C.
Table of Contents
andlt;Bandgt;Contentsandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;In What Ways Were We Warped?andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Some Functions of Public Historyandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;The Sociology of Historic Sitesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Historic Sites Are Always a Tale of Two Erasandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Hieratic Scale in Historic Monumentsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;The Far Westandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;1 Alaska andlt;Iandgt;Denali (Mt. McKinley):andlt;/Iandgt; The Tallest Mountain -- The Silliest Namingandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;2 Hawaii andlt;Iandgt;Honolulu:andlt;/Iandgt; King Kamehameha I, The andlt;Iandgt;Roman!andlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;3 California andlt;Iandgt;Sacramento:andlt;/Iandgt; The Flat Earth Myth on the West Coastandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;4 California andlt;Iandgt;Sacramento:andlt;/Iandgt; Exploiting vs. Exterminating the Nativesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;5 California andlt;Iandgt;San Francisco:andlt;/Iandgt; China Beach Leaves Out the Bad Partsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;6 California andlt;Iandgt;Downieville:andlt;/Iandgt; Killing a Man Is Not Newsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;7 Oregon andlt;Iandgt;La Grande:andlt;/Iandgt; Don't "Discover" 'Til You See the Eyes of the Whites!andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;8 Washington andlt;Iandgt;Cowlitz County:andlt;/Iandgt; No Communists Here!andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;9 Washington andlt;Iandgt;Centralia:andlt;/Iandgt; Using Nationalism to Redefine a Troublesome Statueandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;10 Nevada andlt;Iandgt;Hickison Summit:andlt;/Iandgt; What We Know and What We Don't Know About Rock Artandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;11 Nevada andlt;Iandgt;Nye County:andlt;/Iandgt; Don't Criticize Big Brotherandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;The Mountainsandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;12 Idaho andlt;Iandgt;Almo:andlt;/Iandgt; Circle the Wagons, Boys -- It's Tourist Seasonandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;13 Utah andlt;Iandgt;North of St. George:andlt;/Iandgt; Bad Things Happen in the Passive Voiceandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;14 Arizona andlt;Iandgt;Navajo Reservation:andlt;/Iandgt; Calling Native Americans Bad Namesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;15 Montana andlt;Iandgt;Helena:andlt;/Iandgt; No Confederate Dead? No Problem! Invent Them!andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;16 Wyoming andlt;Iandgt;South Pass City:andlt;/Iandgt; A Woman andlt;Iandgt;Shouldaandlt;/Iandgt; Done It!andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;17 Colorado andlt;Iandgt;Pagosa Springs:andlt;/Iandgt; Tall Tales in the Westandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;18 Colorado andlt;Iandgt;Leadville:andlt;/Iandgt; Licking the Corporate Hand That Feeds Youandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;19 New Mexico andlt;Iandgt;Alcalde:andlt;/Iandgt; The Footloose Statueandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;The Great Plainsandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;20 Oklahoma andlt;Iandgt;Oklahoma City:andlt;/Iandgt; The Oklahoma State History Museum Confederate Room Tells No Historyandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;21 Kansas andlt;Iandgt;Gardner:andlt;/Iandgt; Which Came First, Wilderness or Civilization?andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;22 Nebraska andlt;Iandgt;Red Cloud:andlt;/Iandgt; No Lesbians on the Landscapeandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;23 South Dakota andlt;Iandgt;Brookings:andlt;/Iandgt; American Indians Only Roved for About a Hundred Yearsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;24 North Dakota andlt;Iandgt;Devils Lake:andlt;/Iandgt; The Devil Is Winning, Six to Oneandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;The Midwestandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;25 Minnesota andlt;Iandgt;St. Paul:andlt;/Iandgt; "Serving the Cause of Humanity"andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;26 Iowa andlt;Iandgt;Muscatine:andlt;/Iandgt; Red Men Only -- No Indians Allowedandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;27 Missouri andlt;Iandgt;Hannibal:andlt;/Iandgt; Domesticating Mark Twainandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;28 Wisconsin andlt;Iandgt;Racine:andlt;/Iandgt; Not the First Autoandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;29 Illinois andlt;Iandgt;Chicago:andlt;/Iandgt; America's Most Toppled Monumentandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;30 Indiana andlt;Iandgt;Graysville:andlt;/Iandgt; Coming into Indiana Minus a Body Partandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;31 Indiana andlt;Iandgt;Indianapolis:andlt;/Iandgt; The Invisible Empire Remains Invisibleandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;32 Kentucky andlt;Iandgt;Lexington:andlt;/Iandgt; Putting the He in Heroandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;33 Kentucky andlt;Iandgt;Hodgenville:andlt;/Iandgt; Abraham Lincoln's Birthplace Cabin -- Built Thirty Years after His Death!andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;34 Michigan andlt;Iandgt;Dearborn:andlt;/Iandgt; Honoring a Segregationistandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;35 Ohio andlt;Iandgt;Delaware:andlt;/Iandgt; Who Menaced Whom?andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;The Southandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;36 Texas andlt;Iandgt;Gainesville:andlt;/Iandgt; "No Nation Rose So White and Fair; None Fell So Free of Crime"andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;37 Texas andlt;Iandgt;Alba:andlt;/Iandgt; The Only Honest Sundown Town in the United Statesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;38 Texas andlt;Iandgt;Pittsburg:andlt;/Iandgt; It Never Got Off the Groundandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;39 Texas andlt;Iandgt;Fredericksburg:andlt;/Iandgt; The Real War Will Never Get into the War Museumsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;40 Texas andlt;Iandgt;Galveston:andlt;/Iandgt; This Building Used to Be a Hardware Storeandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;41 Arkansas andlt;Iandgt;Grant County:andlt;/Iandgt; Which Came First, the Statue or the Oppression?andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;42 Arkansas andlt;Iandgt;Little Rock:andlt;/Iandgt; Men Make History; Women Make Wivesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;43 Louisiana andlt;Iandgt;Laplace:andlt;/Iandgt; Suppressing a Slave Revolt for the Second Timeandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;44 Louisiana andlt;Iandgt;Colfax:andlt;/Iandgt; Mystifying the Colfax Riot and Lying About Reconstructionandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;45 Louisiana andlt;Iandgt;New Orleans:andlt;/Iandgt; The White League Begins to Take a Beatingandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;46 Louisiana andlt;Iandgt;Baton Rouge:andlt;/Iandgt; The Toppled "Darky"andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;47 Louisiana andlt;Iandgt;Fort Jackson:andlt;/Iandgt; Let Us Now Praise Famous Thievesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;48 Mississippi andlt;Iandgt;Hazlehurst:andlt;/Iandgt; The End of Reconstructionandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;49 Mississippi andlt;Iandgt;Itta Bena:andlt;/Iandgt; A Black College Celebrates White Racistsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;50 Alabama andlt;Iandgt;Calhoun County:andlt;/Iandgt; If Russia Can Do It, Why Can't We?andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;51 Alabama andlt;Iandgt;Tuscumbia:andlt;/Iandgt; Confining Helen Keller Under House Arrestandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;52 Alabama andlt;Iandgt;Scottsboro:andlt;/Iandgt; Famous Everywhere but at Homeandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;53 Tennessee andlt;Iandgt;Fort Pillow:andlt;/Iandgt; Remember Fort Pillow!andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;54 Tennessee andlt;Iandgt;Woodbury:andlt;/Iandgt; Forrest Rested Hereandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;55 Georgia andlt;Iandgt;Stone Mountain:andlt;/Iandgt; A Confederate-KKK Shrine Encounters Turbulenceandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;56 Florida andlt;Iandgt;Near Cedar Key:andlt;/Iandgt; The Missing Town of Rosewoodandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;57 South Carolina andlt;Iandgt;Beech Island:andlt;/Iandgt; The Beech Island Agricultural Club Was Hardly What the Marker Impliesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;58 South Carolina andlt;Iandgt;Fort Mill:andlt;/Iandgt; To the Loyal Slavesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;59 South Carolina andlt;Iandgt;Columbia:andlt;/Iandgt; Who Burned Columbia?andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;60 North Carolina andlt;Iandgt;Bentonville Battlefield:andlt;/Iandgt; The Last Major Confederate Offensive of the Civil Warandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;61 Virginia andlt;Iandgt;Alexandria:andlt;/Iandgt; The Invisible Slave Tradeandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;62 Virginia andlt;Iandgt;Alexandria:andlt;/Iandgt; The Clash of the Martyrsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;63 Virginia andlt;Iandgt;Richmond:andlt;/Iandgt; "One of the Great Female Spies of All Times"andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;64 Virginia andlt;Iandgt;Richmond:andlt;/Iandgt; Slavery and Redemptionandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;65 Virginia andlt;Iandgt;Richmond:andlt;/Iandgt; The Liberation of Richmondandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;66 Virginia andlt;Iandgt;Richmond:andlt;/Iandgt; Abraham Lincoln Walks Through Richmondandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;67 Virginia andlt;Iandgt;Appomattox:andlt;/Iandgt; Getting Even the Numbers Wrongandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;68 Virginia andlt;Iandgt;Stickleyville:andlt;/Iandgt; A Sign of Good Breedingandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;The Atlantic Statesandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;69 West Virginia andlt;Iandgt;Union:andlt;/Iandgt; Is California West of the Alleghenies?andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;70 District of Columbia andlt;Iandgt;Jefferson Memorial:andlt;/Iandgt; Juxtaposing Quotations to Misrepresent a Founding Fatherandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;71 District of Columbia andlt;Iandgt;Lincoln Memorial:andlt;/Iandgt; A Product of Its Time and All Timeandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;72 Maryland andlt;Iandgt;Hampton:andlt;/Iandgt; "No History to Tell"andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;73 Delaware andlt;Iandgt;Reliance:andlt;/Iandgt; The Reverse Underground Railroadandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;74 Pennsylvania andlt;Iandgt;Philadelphia:andlt;/Iandgt; Telling Amusing Incidents for the Touristsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;75 Pennsylvania andlt;Iandgt;Valley Forge:andlt;/Iandgt; George Washington's Desperate Prayerandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;76 Pennsylvania andlt;Iandgt;Lancaster:andlt;/Iandgt; "You're Here to See the House"andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;77 Pennsylvania andlt;Iandgt;Gettysburg:andlt;/Iandgt; South Carolina Defines the Civil War in 1965andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;78 Pennsylvania andlt;Iandgt;Philadelphia:andlt;/Iandgt; Remember the "Splendid Little War" -- Forget the Tawdry Larger Warsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;79 Pennsylvania andlt;Iandgt;Philadelphia:andlt;/Iandgt; Celebrating Illegal Submarine Warfareandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;80 New Jersey andlt;Iandgt;Trenton:andlt;/Iandgt; The Pilgrims and Religious Freedomandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;81 New York andlt;Iandgt;Manhattan:andlt;/Iandgt; Making Native Americans Look Stupidandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;82 New York andlt;Iandgt;Alabama:andlt;/Iandgt; Which George Washington?andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;83 New York andlt;Iandgt;North Elba:andlt;/Iandgt; John Brown's Plaque Puts Blacks at the Bottom!andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;84 New York andlt;Iandgt;Manhattan:andlt;/Iandgt; The Union League Club: Traitors to Their Own Causeandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;85 New York andlt;Iandgt;Manhattan:andlt;/Iandgt; Selective Memory at USS andlt;Iandgt;Intrepidandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;New Englandandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;86 Connecticut andlt;Iandgt;Darien:andlt;/Iandgt; Omitting the Town's Continuing Claim to Fameandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;87 Massachusetts andlt;Iandgt;Boston:andlt;/Iandgt; The Problem of the Commonandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;88 Massachusetts andlt;Iandgt;Amherst:andlt;/Iandgt; Celebrating Genocideandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;89 Massachusetts andlt;Iandgt;Boston:andlt;/Iandgt; What a Monument Ought to Beandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;90 Vermont andlt;Iandgt;Burlington:andlt;/Iandgt; Shards of Minstrelsy on a Far-North Campusandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;91 New Hampshire andlt;Iandgt;Peterborough and Dublin:andlt;/Iandgt; Local History Warsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;92 New Hampshire andlt;Iandgt;Concord:andlt;/Iandgt; "Effective Political Leader"andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;93 Rhode Island andlt;Iandgt;Block Island:andlt;/Iandgt; "Settlement" Means Fewer People!andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;94 Rhode Island andlt;Iandgt;Warren and Barrington:andlt;/Iandgt; Fighting Over the "Good Indian" andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;95 Maine andlt;Iandgt;Bar Harbor:andlt;/Iandgt; At Last -- An Accurate Markerandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Snowplow Revisionismandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Getting into a Dialogue with the Landscapeandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;Appendicesandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;A Selecting the Sitesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;B Ten Questions to Ask at a Historic Siteandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;C Twenty Candidates for "Toppling"andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Index