In a day where history is viewed through two lenses, the "fault American first" lens, and blind patriotism through the other, Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen's book follows the birth and growth of America in a refreshingly objective and well-researched 800 pages.
Don't let the length scare you. A Patriot's History reads more like a novel than a "names and dates" history book. The book is arranged as America's journey toward and growth out of the written Constitution, with every government action interpreted by its level of constitutionality.
A Patriot's History also dispels some of the mythologizing of our founders and more celebrated presidents. From Andrew Jackson's midnight judicial appointments, to FDR's surprising view of the Constitution, to JFK's real level of interest in space exploration, Schweikart and Allen give us insight into just how "human" our country's heroes were.
Schweikart and Allen clearly explain how political, economic, military, and moral issues must all be wedded by a common compass, character, and painfully illustrate how both leaders of great character, but no political backbone and those with political genius, tarnished by immoral behavior, make for disastrous administrations
Reading this book during a presidential race and primary season made me realize that politicization of every issue is no modern invention. Journalists and media with less than noble agendas have existed since America's founding. Candidates pandering to special interest groups went on as we shipped our first furs overseas, and heated arguments during televised presidential debates pale in comparison to the physical violence, and some deaths, that occurred over political differences.
Yet America has survived even its worst mistakes because of the character of its people. Schweikart and Allen describe America as a place where people are "free to do anything, but expected to do the best thing".
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