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Challenging the Myths of US History

Seven Short Essays on the Past and Present

Marc Egnal

$76.95   $68.93

Paperback

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English
University of California Press
28 November 2025
A provocative, critical take on the traditional narrative of US history—and a call to reimagine America's past

According to textbooks, the media, and politicians of all stripes, the story of the United States is one of steady progress toward a ""more perfect union."" In this narrative, ideals of liberty and freedom explain the Revolution and the Civil War and drove racial progress. Similarly, foreign policy, if marked by stumbles, has been largely well-intentioned.

In seven pithy and provocative essays, historian Marc Egnal challenges this account. He argues that wealthy individuals who were set on economic and territorial expansion shaped the American narrative. The seven essays look at progress in the writing of history, the Revolution, the Civil War, violence, Vietnam, the women's movement, and the rise of Donald Trump. Egnal does not ignore protests and lofty ideals. Instead, he shows they were subordinate to the plans of the expansionists and to the racism that so often accompanied their designs. Accessible and engaging, Challenging the Myths of US History urges readers to question long-held assumptions and to look at the American past from a very different perspective.
By:  
Imprint:   University of California Press
Country of Publication:   United States
Dimensions:   Height: 216mm,  Width: 140mm, 
ISBN:   9780520402461
ISBN 10:   0520402464
Pages:   240
Publication Date:  
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  College/higher education ,  Undergraduate ,  Further / Higher Education
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Marc Egnal is Professor of History Emeritus at York University, Toronto, and author of Clash of Extremes: The Economic Origins of the Civil War.

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