Description
American Stories follows the evolution of our founding stories and myths and how they spread far and wide throughout our history. The story of the cherry tree, for example, tells us nothing about George Washington's actual childhood, but surely it tells us something about what Americans wanted in the father of their country-an incorruptible leader of the people.
Along the same lines, the story of Betsy Ross's flag tells us nothing about how the Stars and Stripes came to be, but does tell us something about what Americans wanted in a founding mother-it is no coincidence that the Ross story, featuring a traditional woman's role of sewing at home, was first told in 1870, one year after Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony challenged these roles by founding the National Woman Suffrage Association.
There's another reason these stories spread, and that provides another reason to follow their evolution. From Dodge City to Deadwood, and from Bunker Hill to San Juan Hill and beyond, these stories all have one thing in common: they are all a lot of fun to read.
About the Author
Paul Aron is an editor and writer for The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Previously he was a reporter for The Virginia Gazette, an executive editor at Simon and Schuster, and an editor at Doubleday.
His previous books are Unsolved Mysteries of American History (Wiley, 1997), Unsolved Mysteries of History (Wiley, 2000), Count The Ways (Contemporary, 2002), More Unsolved Mysteries of American History (Wiley, 2004), Did Babe Ruth Call His Shot (Wiley, 2005), Mysteries in History (ABC-Clio, 2006), We Hold These Truths (Rowman & Littlefield, 2008), Why The Turkey Didn't Fly (University Press of New England, 2013), and Founding Feuds (Sourcebooks, 2016).
Reviews
Praise for Unsolved Mysteries of American History:
"Stimulating and pleasurable, fair and objective . . . recommended for both the history buff and the fan of true-life mysteries."--Kirkus Reviews
"Everyone loves a mystery and a history mystery best of all. Aron has assembled an impressive array of 'whodunits.'" --Ivor Noel Hume, former director, Department of Archaeology, Colonial Williamsburg author of The Virginia Adventure
"A welcome gateway for historical exploration." --Booklist
"Aron performs something of a minor miracle: He zeroes in on the very core of historical mysteries and provides new insights for reconsidering mystifying events." --Allan W. Eckert, author of Sorrow in Our Heart
Praise for Founding Feuds:
"In lively prose and with keen understanding Paul Aron sets forth the personal animosities and grudges that drove politics in the new nation." - Robert Gross, Bancroft Prize winning historian and author of The Minutemen and Their World
"With the verve of a storyteller and the precision of a historian, Paul Aron shows us how American politicians have been battling and backstabbing since the days when talking heads wore powdered wigs. Huzzah!" - Gerard Helferich, author of the New York Times bestseller Theodore Roosevelt and the Assassin
"By focusing on the internal conflicts that nearly tore the fledging United States to shreds, Paul Aron provides an excellent entree into the world of the Founding Fathers. He strips these stories to their essentials without dumbing them down. And by summing up each struggle as a contest between two outsized 18th century characters, he draws us readers right into the fray. As the sparks fly, they light up the scene." - Woody Holton, author of Abigail Adams
"If you are a reader of history that enjoys being in the thick of the exact feelings and experiences people may have had in past days, this is the book for you. " - C.J. Leger
"Even George Washington had a feud, so there's something for everyone. The book is perfect for lounging at the beach or pool, or even in a classroom. One of the best parts is Paul included endnotes complete with all of his sources, so if you want to learn more about a particular subject, he lets you know where to look." - Making History
"The lively Founding Feuds should reassure readers that the political stridency of the present is an essential part of our tradition." - Richard Buel, author of America on the Brink
Book Information
ISBN 9781493042326
Author Paul Aron
Format Hardback
Page Count 232
Imprint The Lyons Press
Publisher Rowman & Littlefield
Weight(grams) 490g
Dimensions(mm) 239mm * 163mm * 24mm
Along the same lines, the story of Betsy Ross's flag tells us nothing about how the Stars and Stripes came to be, but does tell us something about what Americans wanted in a founding mother-it is no coincidence that the Ross story, featuring a traditional woman's role of sewing at home, was first told in 1870, one year after Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony challenged these roles by founding the National Woman Suffrage Association.
There's another reason these stories spread, and that provides another reason to follow their evolution. From Dodge City to Deadwood, and from Bunker Hill to San Juan Hill and beyond, these stories all have one thing in common: they are all a lot of fun to read.
About the Author
Paul Aron is an editor and writer for The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Previously he was a reporter for The Virginia Gazette, an executive editor at Simon and Schuster, and an editor at Doubleday.
His previous books are Unsolved Mysteries of American History (Wiley, 1997), Unsolved Mysteries of History (Wiley, 2000), Count The Ways (Contemporary, 2002), More Unsolved Mysteries of American History (Wiley, 2004), Did Babe Ruth Call His Shot (Wiley, 2005), Mysteries in History (ABC-Clio, 2006), We Hold These Truths (Rowman & Littlefield, 2008), Why The Turkey Didn't Fly (University Press of New England, 2013), and Founding Feuds (Sourcebooks, 2016).
Reviews
Praise for Unsolved Mysteries of American History:
"Stimulating and pleasurable, fair and objective . . . recommended for both the history buff and the fan of true-life mysteries."--Kirkus Reviews
"Everyone loves a mystery and a history mystery best of all. Aron has assembled an impressive array of 'whodunits.'" --Ivor Noel Hume, former director, Department of Archaeology, Colonial Williamsburg author of The Virginia Adventure
"A welcome gateway for historical exploration." --Booklist
"Aron performs something of a minor miracle: He zeroes in on the very core of historical mysteries and provides new insights for reconsidering mystifying events." --Allan W. Eckert, author of Sorrow in Our Heart
Praise for Founding Feuds:
"In lively prose and with keen understanding Paul Aron sets forth the personal animosities and grudges that drove politics in the new nation." - Robert Gross, Bancroft Prize winning historian and author of The Minutemen and Their World
"With the verve of a storyteller and the precision of a historian, Paul Aron shows us how American politicians have been battling and backstabbing since the days when talking heads wore powdered wigs. Huzzah!" - Gerard Helferich, author of the New York Times bestseller Theodore Roosevelt and the Assassin
"By focusing on the internal conflicts that nearly tore the fledging United States to shreds, Paul Aron provides an excellent entree into the world of the Founding Fathers. He strips these stories to their essentials without dumbing them down. And by summing up each struggle as a contest between two outsized 18th century characters, he draws us readers right into the fray. As the sparks fly, they light up the scene." - Woody Holton, author of Abigail Adams
"If you are a reader of history that enjoys being in the thick of the exact feelings and experiences people may have had in past days, this is the book for you. " - C.J. Leger
"Even George Washington had a feud, so there's something for everyone. The book is perfect for lounging at the beach or pool, or even in a classroom. One of the best parts is Paul included endnotes complete with all of his sources, so if you want to learn more about a particular subject, he lets you know where to look." - Making History
"The lively Founding Feuds should reassure readers that the political stridency of the present is an essential part of our tradition." - Richard Buel, author of America on the Brink
Book Information
ISBN 9781493042326
Author Paul Aron
Format Hardback
Page Count 232
Imprint The Lyons Press
Publisher Rowman & Littlefield
Weight(grams) 490g
Dimensions(mm) 239mm * 163mm * 24mm
