Founding Myths: Stories That Hide Our Patriotic PastNew Press, The, 2014 M07 4 - 432 pages First published ten years ago, award-winning historian Ray Raphael’s Founding Myths has since established itself as a landmark of historical myth-busting. With the author’s trademark wit and flair, Founding Myths exposes the errors and inventions in America’s most cherished tales, from Paul Revere’s famous ride to Patrick Henry’s “Liberty or Death” speech. For the seventy thousand readers who have been captivated by Raphael’s eye-opening accounts, history has never been the same. In this revised tenth-anniversary edition, Raphael revisits the original myths and explores their further evolution over the past decade, uncovering new stories and peeling back additional layers of misinformation. This new edition also examines the highly politicized debates over America’s past, as well as how school textbooks and popular histories often reinforce rather than correct historical mistakes. A book that “explores the truth behind the stories of the making of our nation” (National Public Radio), this revised edition of Founding Myths will be a welcome resource for anyone seeking to separate historical fact from fiction. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
1 Paul Reveres Ride | 9 |
2 Sam Adamss Mob | 27 |
3 Molly Pitchers Cannon | 49 |
4 The Shot Heard Round The World | 75 |
5 The Winter at Valley Forge | 99 |
6 Jeffersons Declaration | 123 |
7 An Assembly of Demigods | 141 |
12 Brutal British | 225 |
Yorktown | 243 |
14 March of The American People | 263 |
15 Storybook Nation | 279 |
Conclusion | 299 |
Afterword | 311 |
Acknowledgments | 327 |
Notes | 329 |
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Common terms and phrases
Adams’s American History American Revolution battle Battle of Monmouth Benjamin Biography Boston Britain British called cannon Captain Molly celebrated century Charles college text colonies command committee Continental Army Continental Congress Convention David Ramsay Declaration of Independence delegates document enemy enslaved fact fighting fire fought freedom George Washington Ginn Gordon hero heroine historians included Indian James West Davidson John Adams Joy Hakim July King’s later legend Liberty Longfellow Martin Mary Hays Mason Massachusetts Massachusetts Government Act Mercy Otis Warren middle-school military Molly Pitcher Monmouth Morristown narrative nation Negro never North numbers officers Patrick Henry patriots Paul Revere Paul Revere’s Ride political popular Prentice Hall published Ray Raphael rebels Redcoats reprinted Revolution New York Revolutionary Samuel Adams shot slavery slaves soldiers South Carolina speech story tale tell textbooks tion Tories troops University Press Upper Saddle River Valley Forge Virginia William winter Wirt Worcester words wrote Yorktown