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| biggest lies in american history: Teaching What Really Happened James W. Loewen, 2018-09-07 “Should be in the hands of every history teacher in the country.”— Howard Zinn James Loewen has revised Teaching What Really Happened, the bestselling, go-to resource for social studies and history teachers wishing to break away from standard textbook retellings of the past. In addition to updating the scholarship and anecdotes throughout, the second edition features a timely new chapter entitled Truth that addresses how traditional and social media can distort current events and the historical record. Helping students understand what really happened in the past will empower them to use history as a tool to argue for better policies in the present. Our society needs engaged citizens now more than ever, and this book offers teachers concrete ideas for getting students excited about history while also teaching them to read critically. It will specifically help teachers and students tackle important content areas, including Eurocentrism, the American Indian experience, and slavery. Book Features: An up-to-date assessment of the potential and pitfalls of U.S. and world history education. Information to help teachers expect, and get, good performance from students of all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Strategies for incorporating project-oriented self-learning, having students conduct online historical research, and teaching historiography. Ideas from teachers across the country who are empowering students by teaching what really happened. Specific chapters dedicated to five content topics usually taught poorly in today’s schools. |
| biggest lies in american history: The Greatest Lies in History Alexander Canduci, 2009-10-01 The Greatest Lies in History examines specific episodes in history to identify the reasons why politicians, religious leaders and others have supported some of the most outrageous lies. Analytical in approach, it examines the lie, the official truth, the historical evidence and the legacy of the lie. Case studies include the true story of the fate of the prisoners of the Bastille in the French Revolution; the deliberate damage done to King Richard III's reputation by his Tudor successors; serious questioning of the traditional justification of D-Day in World War II; and many more. |
| biggest lies in american history: Lies Across America James W. Loewen, 2019-09-24 A fully updated and revised edition of the book USA Today called jim-dandy pop history, by the bestselling, American Book Award–winning author The most definitive and expansive work on the Lost Cause and the movement to whitewash history. —Mitch Landrieu, former mayor of New Orleans From the author of the national bestseller Lies My Teacher Told Me, a completely updated—and more timely than ever—version of the myth-busting history book that focuses on the inaccuracies, myths, and lies on monuments, statues, national landmarks, and historical sites all across America. In Lies Across America, James W. Loewen continues his mission, begun in the award-winning Lies My Teacher Told Me, of overturning the myths and misinformation that too often pass for American history. This is a one-of-a-kind examination of historic sites all over the country where history is literally written on the landscape, including historical markers, monuments, historic houses, forts, and ships. New changes and updates include: • a town in Louisiana that was the site of a major but now-forgotten enslaved persons' uprising • a totally revised tour of the memory and intentional forgetting of slavery and the Civil War in Richmond, Virginia • the hideout of a gang in Delaware that made money by kidnapping free blacks and selling them into slavery Entertaining and enlightening, Lies Across America also has a serious role to play in contemporary debates about white supremacy and Confederate memorials. |
| biggest lies in american history: Lies My Teacher Told Me James W. Loewen, 2008 Criticizes the way history is presented in current textbooks, and suggests a more accurate approach to teaching American history. |
| biggest lies in american history: Lies the Government Told You Andrew P. Napolitano, 2010-03-01 YOU’VE BEEN LIED TO BY THE GOVERNMENT We shrug off this fact as an unfortunate reality. America is the land of the free, after all. Does it really matter whether our politicians bend the truth here and there? When the truth is traded for lies, our freedoms are diminished and don’t return. In Lies the Government Told You, Judge Andrew P. Napolitano reveals how America’s freedom, as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, has been forfeited by a government more protective of its own power than its obligations to preserve our individual liberties. “Judge Napolitano’s tremendous knowledge of American law, history, and politics, as well as his passion for freedom, shines through in Lies the Government Told You, as he details how throughout American history, politicians and government officials have betrayed the ideals of personal liberty and limited government. —Congressman Ron Paul, M.D. (R-TX), from the Foreword |
| biggest lies in american history: The 10 Big Lies About America Michael Medved, 2008-11-18 “It ain’t so much the things we don’t know that get us into trouble,nineteenth-century humorist Josh Billings remarked. “It’s the things we know that just ain’t so.” In this bold and brilliantly argued book, acclaimed author and talk-radio host Michael Medved zeroes in on ten of the biggest fallacies that millions of Americans believe about our country—in spite of incontrovertible facts to the contrary. In The 10 Big Lies About America, Medved pinpoints the most pernicious pieces of America-bashing disinformation that pollute current debates about the economy, race, religion in politics, the Iraq war, and other contentious issues. The myths that Medved deftly debunks include: Myth: The United States is uniquely guilty for the crime of slavery and based its wealth on stolen African labor. Fact: The colonies that became the United States accounted for, at most, 3 percent of the abominable international slave trade; the persistence of slavery in America slowed economic progress; and the U.S. deserves unique credit for ending slavery. Myth: The alarming rise of big business hurts the United States and oppresses its people. Fact: Corporations played an indispensable role in building America, and corporate growth has brought progress that benefits all with cheaper goods and better jobs. Myth: The Founders intended a secular, not Christian, nation. Fact: Even after ratifying the Constitution, fully half the state governments endorsed specific Christian denominations. And just a day after approving the First Amendment, forbidding the establishment of religion, Congress called for a national “day of public thanksgiving and prayer” to acknowledge “the many signal favors of Almighty God.” Myth: A war on the middle class means less comfort and opportunity for the average American. Fact: Familiar campaign rhetoric about the victimized middle class ignores the overwhelming statistical evidence that the standard of living keeps rising for every segment of the population, as well as the real-life experience of tens of millions of middle-class Americans. Each of the ten lies—widely believed among elites and taught as truth in universities and public schools—is a grotesque, propagandistic distortion of the historical record. For everyone who is tired of hearing America denigrated by people who don’t know what they’re talking about, The 10 Big Lies About America supplies the ammunition necessary to fire back the next time somebody tries to recycle these baseless beliefs. Medved’s witty, well-documented rebuttal is a refreshing reminder that as Americans we should feel blessed, not burdened, by our heritage. |
| biggest lies in american history: The 21 Biggest Lies about Donald Trump (and you!) Kurt Schlichter, 2020-07-07 Has any president been more unjustly vilified than Donald Trump? Yes, he’s brash. Yes, he has an ego. Yes, his ad-libbing sometimes gets him into trouble. But the fact is Donald Trump is the most effective conservative president in decades. That’s why the media hate him. That’s why they lie about him. And there’s something else. When they lie about him, they’re really lying about you, because to the media, anyone who supports Donald Trump is deplorable. But here, at last, is the counterpunch we’ve been waiting for. Columnist and bestselling author Kurt Schlichter provides a fact-filled—and frequently hilarious—takedown of some of the media’s most pernicious lies about the president. In The 21 Biggest Lies about Donald Trump (and you!), you’ll learn: Why liberals cry “racism” at any argument they don’t like—when the real racists of American history have all been the Democrats How Trump “the warmonger” has actually given America a more realistic—and safer—foreign policy than any of his immediate predecessors Why the media refuses to understand the difference between legal and illegal immigrants (here’s a clue: Trump’s mother was a legal immigrant—and so is his wife) Why Trump and his supporters are infinitely more intelligent than a media that have gotten every major story of the Trump presidency wrong Trump’s great virtues (that too many Republicans lack): realism, courage, common sense, and an unapologetic determination to win conservative victories Tired of media and leftwing lies about Donald Trump? Then you’ll love this book. |
| biggest lies in american history: 48 Liberal Lies about American History Larry Schweikart, 2008 As he did in his popular A Patriot's History of the United States, Schweikart corrects liberal bias by rediscovering facts that were once widely known. He challenges distorted books by name and debunks 48 common myths. |
| biggest lies in american history: Lies, Damned Lies and History Graeme Donald, 2010-12-26 From cats, spats and catacombs to the Wall Street shuffle, this book looks at how historical events didn't always unfold as we think they did. It takes the readers on a journey, century-by-century, showing how the truth we take for granted is a far cry from the facts. It is suitable for those who want to see the past as it was. |
| biggest lies in american history: History's Greatest Lies William Weir, 2009-01-01 Get the real facts you weren’t taught in school and learn how these myths have survived for so long. Discover the stories behind history’s greatest lies and how—and why—the world’s biggest whoppers have survived textbooks and lesson plans for years. For instance, did you know the conquistador Hernán Cortés wasn’t as bloodthirsty as they say? Neither were the Goths, who were actually the most progressive of the Germanic tribes. Or, that a petty criminal with a resemblance to John Dillinger was probably assassinated instead of the notorious bank robber? In History’s Greatest Lies, Weir sets the record straight through a fascinating examination of historical lies and myths and the true stories behind them. Each chapter pinpoints a misconception held as common truth in history. For example: Emperor Nero did not fiddle as Rome burned Paul Revere had plenty of help in his midnight ride In terms of prisons, the Bastille wasn’t all that bad Weir explains why each lie persevered in our minds through ulterior motives, responsibility shirking, or exaggerations. You’ll also discover the common threads that make up these falsehoods: the scapegoats, the spin needed to cast undeserving in a better light, and the frightful oversimplification of facts. Praise for History’s Greatest Lies “Weir takes no prisoners—and tells no lies—in his continuously surprising and always fascinating new book. Great falsehoods have shaped history even more than great truths; the enduring fascination of this highly original volume is discovering how much of what we accept for fact is just plain wrong.” —Joe Cummins, author of The War Chronicles: From Chariots to Flintlocks and History’s Greatest Untold Stories |
| biggest lies in american history: Big Lies Joe Conason, 2004-06-15 A powerful rebuttal to the likes of Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity, this is essential reading in an era of right-wing bullying and political conformity. |
| biggest lies in american history: Chaining Down Leviathan Luigi Marco Bassani, 2021-03-28 As a distinguished historian of political thought at the University of Milan, Italy, Professor Marco Bassani brings a cosmopolitan perspective to the study of American political thought unencumbered by such self-congratulatory myths as American exceptionalism. He views America as an extension of European civilization. Having unleashed the modern state upon the world, Europeans now had the problem of how to control its inherent disposition to centralize power. In this they failed. This was not the case with the American founding. Whereas Europeans were burdened with heavy taxation, debt, and stood in fear of large standing armies, Americans, after 1800, paid no inland federal taxes, and by 1835 the national government was out of debt. By 1860, the national government had actually diminished in power to tax, spend, and incur debt from what it could do in 1790--while central power in modern European states grew continuously during that period. Yet Americans fought two major wars, built the industrial revolution, and more than tripled its territorial size. Bassani explains how the Constitution made this possible and how it was derailed by Lincoln's decision to invade and conquer eleven states that had lawfully voted to secede, rather than negotiate a separation. A combined majority of the House and Senate today is 269 (or 136 if both use a quorum). These small numbers will spend close to $5 trillion this year. Never has so much financial power been put in the hands of so few. Bassani's study shows that this did not have to happen. |
| biggest lies in american history: Native America Michael Leroy Oberg, 2015-06-23 This history of Native Americans, from the period of first contactto the present day, offers an important variation to existingstudies by placing the lives and experiences of Native Americancommunities at the center of the narrative. Presents an innovative approach to Native American history byplacing individual native communities and their experiences at thecenter of the study Following a first chapter that deals with creation myths, theremainder of the narrative is structured chronologically, coveringover 600 years from the point of first contact to the presentday Illustrates the great diversity in American Indian culture andemphasizes the importance of Native Americans in the history ofNorth America Provides an excellent survey for courses in Native Americanhistory Includes maps, photographs, a timeline, questions fordiscussion, and “A Closer Focus” textboxes that providebiographies of individuals and that elaborate on the text, exposing students to issues of race, class, and gender |
| biggest lies in american history: A People's History of the United States Howard Zinn, 2003-02-04 Since its original landmark publication in 1980, A People's History of the United States has been chronicling American history from the bottom up, throwing out the official version of history taught in schools -- with its emphasis on great men in high places -- to focus on the street, the home, and the, workplace. Known for its lively, clear prose as well as its scholarly research, A People's History is the only volume to tell America's story from the point of view of -- and in the words of -- America's women, factory workers, African-Americans, Native Americans, the working poor, and immigrant laborers. As historian Howard Zinn shows, many of our country's greatest battles -- the fights for a fair wage, an eight-hour workday, child-labor laws, health and safety standards, universal suffrage, women's rights, racial equality -- were carried out at the grassroots level, against bloody resistance. Covering Christopher Columbus's arrival through President Clinton's first term, A People's History of the United States, which was nominated for the American Book Award in 1981, features insightful analysis of the most important events in our history. Revised, updated, and featuring a new after, word by the author, this special twentieth anniversary edition continues Zinn's important contribution to a complete and balanced understanding of American history. |
| biggest lies in american history: Myth America Kevin M. Kruse, Julian E. Zelizer, 2023-01-03 In this instant New York Times bestseller, America’s top historians set the record straight on the most pernicious myths about our nation’s past. The United States is in the grip of a crisis of bad history. Distortions of the past promoted in the conservative media have led large numbers of Americans to believe in fictions over facts, making constructive dialogue impossible and imperiling our democracy. In Myth America, Kevin M. Kruse and Julian E. Zelizer have assembled an all-star team of fellow historians to push back against this misinformation. The contributors debunk narratives that portray the New Deal and Great Society as failures, immigrants as hostile invaders, and feminists as anti-family warriors—among numerous other partisan lies. Based on a firm foundation of historical scholarship, their findings revitalize our understanding of American history. Replacing myths with research and reality, Myth America is essential reading amid today’s heated debates about our nation’s past. With Essays By Akhil Reed Amar • Kathleen Belew • Carol Anderson • Kevin Kruse • Erika Lee • Daniel Immerwahr • Elizabeth Hinton • Naomi Oreskes • Erik M. Conway • Ari Kelman • Geraldo Cadava • David A. Bell • Joshua Zeitz • Sarah Churchwell • Michael Kazin • Karen L. Cox • Eric Rauchway • Glenda Gilmore • Natalia Mehlman Petrzela • Lawrence B. Glickman • Julian E. Zelizer |
| biggest lies in american history: 33 Questions About American History You're Not Supposed to Ask Thomas E. Woods, Jr., 2007-07-10 Guess what? The Indians didn’t save the Pilgrims from starvation by teaching them to grow corn. Thomas Jefferson thought states’ rights—an idea reviled today—were even more important than the Constitution’s checks and balances. The “Wild” West was more peaceful and a lot safer than most modern cities. And the biggest scandal of the Clinton years didn’t involve an intern in a blue dress. Surprised? Don’t be. In America, where history is riddled with misrepresentations, misunderstandings, and flat-out lies about the people and events that have shaped the nation, there’s the history you know and then there’s the truth. In 33 Questions About American History You’re Not Supposed to Ask, Thomas E. Woods Jr., the New York Times bestselling author of The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History, sets the record straight with a provocative look at the hidden truths about our nation’s history—the ones that have been buried because they’re too politically incorrect to discuss. Woods draws on real scholarship—as opposed to the myths, platitudes, and slogans so many other “history” books are based on—to ask and answer tough questions about American history, including: - Did the Founding Fathers support immigration? - Was the Civil War all about slavery? - Did the Framers really look to the American Indians as the model for the U.S. political system? - Was the U.S. Constitution meant to be a “living, breathing” document—and does it grant the federal government wide latitude to operateas it pleases? - Did Bill Clinton actually stop a genocide, as we’re told? You’d never know it from the history that’s been handed down to us, but the answer to all those questions is no. Woods’s eye-opening exploration reveals how much has been whitewashed from the historical record, overlooked, and skewed beyond recognition. More informative than your last U.S. history class, 33 Questions About American History You’re Not Supposed to Ask will have you wondering just how much about your nation’s past you haven’t been told. |
| biggest lies in american history: Lies My Teacher Told Me James W. Loewen, 2018-07-17 Every teacher, every student of history, every citizen should read this book. It is both a refreshing antidote to what has passed for history in our educational system and a one-volume education in itself. —Howard Zinn A new edition of the national bestseller and American Book Award winner, with a new preface by the author Since its first publication in 1995, Lies My Teacher Told Me has become one of the most important—and successful—history books of our time. Having sold nearly two million copies, the book also won an American Book Award and the Oliver Cromwell Cox Award for Distinguished Anti-Racist Scholarship and was heralded on the front page of the New York Times. For this new edition, Loewen has added a new preface that shows how inadequate history courses in high school help produce adult Americans who think Donald Trump can solve their problems, and calls out academic historians for abandoning the concept of truth in a misguided effort to be objective. What started out as a survey of the twelve leading American history textbooks has ended up being what the San Francisco Chronicle calls an extremely convincing plea for truth in education. In Lies My Teacher Told Me, James W. Loewen brings history alive in all its complexity and ambiguity. Beginning with pre-Columbian history and ranging over characters and events as diverse as Reconstruction, Helen Keller, the first Thanksgiving, the My Lai massacre, 9/11, and the Iraq War, Loewen offers an eye-opening critique of existing textbooks, and a wonderful retelling of American history as it should—and could—be taught to American students. |
| biggest lies in american history: Black Reconstruction in America 1860-1880 W. E. B. Du Bois, 1998 The pioneering work in the study of the role of Black Americans during Reconstruction by the most influential Black intellectual of his time. This pioneering work was the first full-length study of the role black Americans played in the crucial period after the Civil War, when the slaves had been freed and the attempt was made to reconstruct American society. Hailed at the time, Black Reconstruction in America 1860–1880 has justly been called a classic. |
| biggest lies in american history: Debunking Howard Zinn Mary Grabar, 2019-08-20 Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States has sold more than 2.5 million copies. It is pushed by Hollywood celebrities, defended by university professors who know better, and assigned in high school and college classrooms to teach students that American history is nothing more than a litany of oppression, slavery, and exploitation. Zinn’s history is popular, but it is also massively wrong. Scholar Mary Grabar exposes just how wrong in her stunning new book Debunking Howard Zinn, which demolishes Zinn’s Marxist talking points that now dominate American education. In Debunking Howard Zinn, you’ll learn, contra Zinn: How Columbus was not a genocidal maniac, and was, in fact, a defender of Indians Why the American Indians were not feminist-communist sexual revolutionaries ahead of their time How the United States was founded to protect liberty, not white males’ ill-gotten wealth Why Americans of the “Greatest Generation” were not the equivalent of Nazi war criminals How the Viet Cong were not well-meaning community leaders advocating for local self-rule Why the Black Panthers were not civil rights leaders Grabar also reveals Zinn’s bag of dishonest rhetorical tricks: his slavish reliance on partisan history, explicit rejection of historical balance, and selective quotation of sources to make them say the exact opposite of what their authors intended. If you care about America’s past—and our future—you need this book. |
| biggest lies in american history: That's Not in My American History Book Thomas Ayres, 2004-04-27 This book tackles the messy details, reclaims disregarded heroes, and sets the record straight. It also explains why July 4th isn't really Independence Day. |
| biggest lies in american history: The Big Lie Jonathan Lemire, 2022-07-26 INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From the WHITE HOUSE BUREAU CHIEF OF POLITICO and the host of MSNBC's WAY TOO EARLY comes a probing and illuminating analysis of the current state of American politics, democracy, and elections. “[Lemire] has done his homework.” –The Guardian Jonathan Lemire uncovers that “The Big Lie,” as it’s been termed, isn’t just about the 2020 election. It's become a political philosophy that has only further divided the two parties. Donald Trump first tried it out in 2016, at an August rally in Ohio. He said that perhaps he wouldn’t accept the election results in his race against Hillary Clinton, that the election was “rigged.” He didn’t have to challenge the result that year, but the stage was set. When he lost in 2020, he started the lie back up again and to devastating results: an insurrection at the Capitol in January 2021. In the more than five tumultuous, paradigm-shifting years of Donald Trump’s presidency and beyond, his near-constant lying has become a fixture of political life. It is inextricably linked with how his party behaves, how the Democrats respond to it, and how he remains relevant, even after a decisive loss in 2020. Jonathan Lemire brings his connections, profile, and dogged reportorial instincts to bear in his first book that explores how this phenomenon shapes our politics. Written with sharp political insight and detailed with dozens of interviews, The Big Lie is the first book to examine this unprecedented and tenuous moment in our nation’s politics. |
| biggest lies in american history: Lying in State Eric Alterman, 2020-08-11 This definitive history of presidential lying reveals how our standards for truthfulness have eroded -- and why Trump's lies are especially dangerous. If there's one thing we know about Donald Trump, it's that he lies. But he's by no means the first president to do so. In Lying in State, Eric Alterman asks how we ended up with such a pathologically dishonest commander in chief, showing that, from early on, the United States has persistently expanded its power and hegemony on the basis of presidential lies. He also reveals the cumulative effect of this deception-each lie a president tells makes it more acceptable for subsequent presidents to lie-and the media's complicity in spreading misinformation. Donald Trump, then, represents not an aberration but the culmination of an age-old trend. Full of vivid historical examples and trenchant analysis, Lying in State is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand how we arrived in this age of alternative facts. |
| biggest lies in american history: 935 Lies Charles Lewis, 2014-06-24 Facts are and must be the coin of the realm in a democracy, for government of the people, by the people and for the people, requires and assumes to some extent an informed citizenry. Unfortunately, for citizens in the United States and throughout the world, distinguishing between fact and fiction has always been a formidable challenge, often with real life and death consequences. But now it is more difficult and confusing than ever. The Internet Age makes comment indistinguishable from fact, and erodes authority. It is liberating but annihilating at the same time. For those wielding power, whether in the private or the public sector, the increasingly sophisticated control of information is regarded as utterly essential to achieving success. Internal information is severely limited, including calendars, memoranda, phone logs and emails. History is sculpted by its absence. Often those in power strictly control the flow of information, corroding and corrupting its content, of course, using newspapers, radio, television and other mass means of communication to carefully consolidate their authority and cover their crimes in a thick veneer of fervent racialism or nationalism. And always with the specter of some kind of imminent public threat, what Hannah Arendt called objective enemies.' An epiphanic, public comment about the Bush war on terror years was made by an unidentified White House official revealing how information is managed and how the news media and the public itself are regarded by those in power: [You journalists live] in what we call the reality-based community. [But] that's not the way the world really works anymore. We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality . . . we're history's actors . . . and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do. And yet, as aggressive as the Republican Bush administration was in attempting to define reality, the subsequent, Democratic Obama administration may be more so. Into the battle for truth steps Charles Lewis, a pioneer of journalistic objectivity. His book looks at the various ways in which truth can be manipulated and distorted by governments, corporations, even lone individuals. He shows how truth is often distorted or diminished by delay: truth in time can save terrible erroneous choices. In part a history of communication in America, a cri de coeur for the principles and practice of objective reporting, and a journey into several notably labyrinths of deception, 935 Lies is a valorous search for honesty in an age of casual, sometimes malevolent distortion of the facts. |
| biggest lies in american history: A Right to Lie? Catherine J. Ross, 2021-11-30 Do the nation's highest officers, including the President, have a right to lie protected by the First Amendment? If not, what can be done to protect the nation under this threat? This book explores the various options. |
| biggest lies in american history: Mein Kampf Adolf Hitler, 2024-02-26 Madman, tyrant, animal—history has given Adolf Hitler many names. In Mein Kampf (My Struggle), often called the Nazi bible, Hitler describes his life, frustrations, ideals, and dreams. Born to an impoverished couple in a small town in Austria, the young Adolf grew up with the fervent desire to become a painter. The death of his parents and outright rejection from art schools in Vienna forced him into underpaid work as a laborer. During the First World War, Hitler served in the infantry and was decorated for bravery. After the war, he became actively involved with socialist political groups and quickly rose to power, establishing himself as Chairman of the National Socialist German Worker's party. In 1924, Hitler led a coalition of nationalist groups in a bid to overthrow the Bavarian government in Munich. The infamous Munich Beer-hall putsch was unsuccessful, and Hitler was arrested. During the nine months he was in prison, an embittered and frustrated Hitler dictated a personal manifesto to his loyal follower Rudolph Hess. He vented his sentiments against communism and the Jewish people in this document, which was to become Mein Kampf, the controversial book that is seen as the blue-print for Hitler's political and military campaign. In Mein Kampf, Hitler describes his strategy for rebuilding Germany and conquering Europe. It is a glimpse into the mind of a man who destabilized world peace and pursued the genocide now known as the Holocaust. |
| biggest lies in american history: Donald Trump and His Assault on Truth The Washington Post Fact Checker Staff, 2020-06-02 A NATIONAL BESTSELLER In perilous times, facts, expertise, and truth are indispensable. President Trump’s flagrant disregard for the truth and his self-aggrandizing exaggerations, specious misstatements, and bald-faced lies have been rigorously documented and debunked since the first day of his presidency by The Washington Post’s Fact Checker staff. Donald Trump and His Assault on Truth is based on the only comprehensive compilation and analysis of the more than 16,000 fallacious statements that Trump has uttered since the day of his inauguration. He has repeated many of his most outrageous claims dozens or even hundreds of times as he has sought to bend reality to his political fantasy and personal whim. Drawing on Trump’s tweets, press conferences, political rallies, and TV appearances, The Washington Post identifies his most frequently used misstatements, biggest whoppers, and most dangerous deceptions. This book unpacks his errant statements about the economy, immigration, the impeachment hearings, foreign policy, and, of critical concern now, the coronavirus crisis as it unfolded. Fascinating, startling, and even grimly funny, Donald Trump and His Assault on Truth by The Washington Post is the essential, authoritative record of Trump’s shocking disregard for facts. |
| biggest lies in american history: Lying and Deception in Everyday Life Michael Lewis, Carolyn Saarni, 1993-02-05 I speak the truth, not so much as I would, but as much as I dare....-- Montaigne All cruel people describe themselves as paragons of frankness.' -- Tennessee Williams Truth and deception--like good and evil--have long been viewed as diametrically opposed and unreconcilable. Yet, few people can honestly claim they never lie. In fact, deception is practiced habitually in day-to-day life--from the polite compliment that doesn't accurately relay one's true feelings, to self-deception about one's own motivations. What fuels the need for people to intricately construct lies and illusions about their own lives? If deceptions are unconscious, does it mean that we are not responsible for their consequences? Why does self-deception or the need for illusion make us feel uncomfortable? Taking into account the sheer ubiquity and ordinariness of deception, this interdisciplinary work moves away from the cut-and-dried notion of duplicity as evil and illuminates the ways in which deception can also be understood as a adaptive response to the demands of living with others. The book articulates the boundaries between unethical and adaptive deception demonstrating how some lies serve socially approved goals, while others provoke distrust and condemnation. Throughout, the volume focuses on the range of emotions--from feelings of shame, fear, or envy, to those of concern and compassion--that motivate our desire to deceive ourselves and others. Providing an interdisciplinary exploration of the widespread phenomenon of lying and deception, this volume promotes a more fully integrated understanding of how people function in their everyday lives. Case illustrations, humor and wit, concrete examples, and even a mock television sitcom script bring the ideas to life for clinical practitioners, behavioral scientists, and philosophers, and for students in these realms. |
| biggest lies in american history: The Big Lie Dinesh D'Souza, 2017-07-31 Of course, everything [D'Souza] says here is accurate... But it's not going to sit well with people on the American left who, of course, are portraying themselves as the exact opposite of all of this. —RUSH LIMBAUGH The explosive new book from Dinesh D'Souza, author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers Hillary's America, America, and Obama's America. What is the big lie of the Democratic Party? That conservatives—and President Donald Trump in particular—are fascists. Nazis, even. In a typical comment, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow says the Trump era is reminiscent of what it was like when Hitler first became chancellor. But in fact, this audacious lie is a complete inversion of the truth. Yes, there is a fascist threat in America—but that threat is from the Left and the Democratic Party. The Democratic left has an ideology virtually identical with fascism and routinely borrows tactics of intimidation and political terror from the Nazi Brownshirts. To cover up their insidious fascist agenda, Democrats loudly accuse President Trump and other Republicans of being Nazis—an obvious lie, considering the GOP has been fighting the Democrats over slavery, genocide, racism and fascism from the beginning. Now, finally, Dinesh D'Souza explodes the Left's big lie. He expertly exonerates President Trump and his supporters, then uncovers the Democratic Left's long, cozy relationship with Nazism: how the racist and genocidal acts of early Democrats inspired Adolf Hitler's campaign of death; how fascist philosophers influenced the great 20th century lions of the American Left; and how today's anti-free speech, anti-capitalist, anti-religious liberty, pro-violence Democratic Party is a frightening simulacrum of the Nazi Party. Hitler coined the term the big lie to describe a lie that the great masses of the people will fall for precisely because of how bold and monstrous the lie is. In The Big Lie, D'Souza shows that the Democratic Left's orchestrated campaign to paint President Trump and conservatives as Nazis to cover up its own fascism is, in fact, the biggest lie of all. |
| biggest lies in american history: Oration by Frederick Douglass. Delivered on the Occasion of the Unveiling of the Freedmen's Monument in Memory of Abraham Lincoln, in Lincoln Park, Washington, D.C., April 14th, 1876, with an Appendix Frederick Douglass, 2024-06-14 Reprint of the original, first published in 1876. |
| biggest lies in american history: The Federalist Papers Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, James Madison, 2018-08-20 Classic Books Library presents this brand new edition of “The Federalist Papers”, a collection of separate essays and articles compiled in 1788 by Alexander Hamilton. Following the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776, the governing doctrines and policies of the States lacked cohesion. “The Federalist”, as it was previously known, was constructed by American statesman Alexander Hamilton, and was intended to catalyse the ratification of the United States Constitution. Hamilton recruited fellow statesmen James Madison Jr., and John Jay to write papers for the compendium, and the three are known as some of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Alexander Hamilton (c. 1755–1804) was an American lawyer, journalist and highly influential government official. He also served as a Senior Officer in the Army between 1799-1800 and founded the Federalist Party, the system that governed the nation’s finances. His contributions to the Constitution and leadership made a significant and lasting impact on the early development of the nation of the United States. |
| biggest lies in american history: Here Lies America Jason Cochran, 2019-08-29 Here Lies America is a fast-paced, hilarious travel narrative in which Jason Cochran visits the major American tourism attractions that exist because something really horrible happened there. He romps through disaster zones, battlefields, terrorist attack sites--as long as it has a parking lot and a gift shop, he put it on the itinerary, no gravestone unturned. Along the way, he takes a look at the motivations of the people who installed the monuments, and when he pauses to seek the meaning behind the early demise of one of his own ancestors, he uncovers a tragic race-based murder plot that had been buried for a century. This is an American journey that could only be undertaken in our turbulent times, celebrating the absurd while surveying the country's teetering patriotic mythology from a healthy position on the margins. Jason chases newspaper clippings in dusty archives to inscriptions on rusty plaques to get to the truth, and in doing so, creates a moving miniature portrait of what it really means to be an American: what's fact, what's history, and what really matters. |
| biggest lies in american history: How to Hide an Empire Daniel Immerwahr, 2019-02-19 Named one of the ten best books of the year by the Chicago Tribune A Publishers Weekly best book of 2019 | A 2019 NPR Staff Pick A pathbreaking history of the United States’ overseas possessions and the true meaning of its empire We are familiar with maps that outline all fifty states. And we are also familiar with the idea that the United States is an “empire,” exercising power around the world. But what about the actual territories—the islands, atolls, and archipelagos—this country has governed and inhabited? In How to Hide an Empire, Daniel Immerwahr tells the fascinating story of the United States outside the United States. In crackling, fast-paced prose, he reveals forgotten episodes that cast American history in a new light. We travel to the Guano Islands, where prospectors collected one of the nineteenth century’s most valuable commodities, and the Philippines, site of the most destructive event on U.S. soil. In Puerto Rico, Immerwahr shows how U.S. doctors conducted grisly experiments they would never have conducted on the mainland and charts the emergence of independence fighters who would shoot up the U.S. Congress. In the years after World War II, Immerwahr notes, the United States moved away from colonialism. Instead, it put innovations in electronics, transportation, and culture to use, devising a new sort of influence that did not require the control of colonies. Rich with absorbing vignettes, full of surprises, and driven by an original conception of what empire and globalization mean today, How to Hide an Empire is a major and compulsively readable work of history. |
| biggest lies in american history: When America Stopped Being Great Nick Bryant, 2021-03-04 'Nick Bryant is brilliant. He has a way of showing you what you've been missing from the whole story whilst never leaving you feeling stupid.' – Emily Maitlis 'Bryant is a genuine rarity, a Brit who understands America' – Washington Post In When America Stopped Being Great, veteran reporter and BBC New York correspondent Nick Bryant reveals how America's decline paved the way for Donald Trump's rise, sowing division and leaving the country vulnerable to its greatest challenge of the modern era. Deftly sifting through almost four decades of American history, from post-Cold War optimism, through the scandal-wracked nineties and into the new millennium, Bryant unpacks the mistakes of past administrations, from Ronald Reagan's 'celebrity presidency' to Barack Obama's failure to adequately address income and racial inequality. He explains how the historical clues, unseen by many (including the media) paved the way for an outsider to take power and a country to slide towards disaster. As Bryant writes, 'rather than being an aberration, Trump's presidency marked the culmination of so much of what had been going wrong in the United States for decades – economically, racially, politically, culturally, technologically and constitutionally.' A personal elegy for an America lost, unafraid to criticise actors on both sides of the political divide, When America Stopped Being Great takes the long view, combining engaging storytelling with recent history to show how the country moved from the optimism of Reagan's 'Morning in America' to the darkness of Trump's 'American Carnage'. It concludes with some of the most dramatic events in recent memory, in an America torn apart by a bitterly polarised election, racial division, the national catastrophe of the coronavirus and the threat to US democracy evidenced by the storming of Capitol Hill. |
| biggest lies in american history: Failure to Quit Howard Zinn, 2002 A selection of Howard Zinn's most popular and accessible essays on history and politics. In this lively collection of essays, now with a new afterword, Zinn discusses a wide range of historical and political topics, from the role of the Supreme Court in U.S. history to the nature of higher education today. |
| biggest lies in american history: A Bright Shining Lie Neil Sheehan, 2009-10-20 One of the most acclaimed books of our time—the definitive Vietnam War exposé and the winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. When he came to Vietnam in 1962, Lieutenant Colonel John Paul Vann was the one clear-sighted participant in an enterprise riddled with arrogance and self-deception, a charismatic soldier who put his life and career on the line in an attempt to convince his superiors that the war should be fought another way. By the time he died in 1972, Vann had embraced the follies he once decried. He died believing that the war had been won. In this magisterial book, a monument of history and biography that was awarded the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction, a renowned journalist tells the story of John Vann—the one irreplaceable American in Vietnam—and of the tragedy that destroyed a country and squandered so much of America's young manhood and resources. |
| biggest lies in american history: On Bullshit Harry G. Frankfurt, 2009-01-10 #1 New York Times bestseller Featured on The Daily Show and 60 Minutes The acclaimed book that illuminates our world and its politics by revealing why bullshit is more dangerous than lying One of the most prominent features of our world is that there is so much bullshit. Yet we have no clear understanding of what bullshit is, how it’s distinct from lying, what functions it serves, and what it means. In his acclaimed bestseller On Bullshit, Harry Frankfurt, who was one of the world’s most influential moral philosophers, explores this important subject, which has become a central problem of politics and our world. With his characteristic combination of philosophical acuity, psychological insight, and wry humor, Frankfurt argues that bullshitters misrepresent themselves to their audience not as liars do, that is, by deliberately making false claims about what is true. Rather, bullshitters seek to convey a certain impression of themselves without being concerned about whether anything at all is true. They quietly change the rules governing their end of the conversation so that claims about truth and falsity are irrelevant. Although bullshit can take many innocent forms, excessive indulgence in it can eventually undermine the bullshitter’s capacity to tell the truth in a way that lying does not. Liars at least acknowledge that the truth matters. Because of this, bullshit is a greater enemy of the truth than lies are. Remarkably prescient and insightful, On Bullshit is a small book that explains a great deal about our time. |
| biggest lies in american history: American Sphinx Joseph J. Ellis, 1998-11-19 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER Following Thomas Jefferson from the drafting of the Declaration of Independence to his retirement in Monticello, Joseph J. Ellis unravels the contradictions of the Jeffersonian character. He gives us the slaveholding libertarian who was capable of decrying mescegenation while maintaing an intimate relationship with his slave, Sally Hemmings; the enemy of government power who exercisdd it audaciously as president; the visionarty who remained curiously blind to the inconsistencies in his nature. American Sphinx is a marvel of scholarship, a delight to read, and an essential gloss on the Jeffersonian legacy. |
| biggest lies in american history: These Truths: A History of the United States Jill Lepore, 2018-09-18 “Nothing short of a masterpiece.” —NPR Books A New York Times Bestseller and a Washington Post Notable Book of the Year In the most ambitious one-volume American history in decades, award-winning historian Jill Lepore offers a magisterial account of the origins and rise of a divided nation. Widely hailed for its “sweeping, sobering account of the American past” (New York Times Book Review), Jill Lepore’s one-volume history of America places truth itself—a devotion to facts, proof, and evidence—at the center of the nation’s history. The American experiment rests on three ideas—“these truths,” Jefferson called them—political equality, natural rights, and the sovereignty of the people. But has the nation, and democracy itself, delivered on that promise? These Truths tells this uniquely American story, beginning in 1492, asking whether the course of events over more than five centuries has proven the nation’s truths, or belied them. To answer that question, Lepore wrestles with the state of American politics, the legacy of slavery, the persistence of inequality, and the nature of technological change. “A nation born in contradiction… will fight, forever, over the meaning of its history,” Lepore writes, but engaging in that struggle by studying the past is part of the work of citizenship. With These Truths, Lepore has produced a book that will shape our view of American history for decades to come. |
| biggest lies in american history: Why Leaders Lie John J. Mearsheimer, 2013 Presents an analysis of the lying behavior of political leaders, discussing the reasons why it occurs, the different types of lies, and the costs and benefits to the public and other countries that result from it, with examples from the recent past. |
| biggest lies in american history: The Clansman: An Historical Romance of the Ku Klux Klan Jr. Thomas Dixon, 2024-04-29 Prepare to journey into a controversial and tumultuous period of American history with Jr. Thomas Dixon's The Clansman: An Historical Romance of the Ku Klux Klan. Delve into the heart of the Reconstruction era as Dixon weaves a gripping tale of love, betrayal, and racial conflict. Follow the intertwined fates of two families against the backdrop of post-Civil War America, as they grapple with the profound social and political changes sweeping across the South. Through vivid prose and rich historical detail, Dixon paints a vivid portrait of a society torn apart by violence and prejudice. Explore the themes and motifs that permeate Dixon's narrative, from the struggle for power and dominance to the enduring legacy of slavery and segregation. His portrayal of the Ku Klux Klan and its role in shaping the course of history offers a provocative and sometimes unsettling glimpse into a dark chapter of American history. Embark on a comprehensive character analysis as Dixon brings to life a cast of complex and conflicted individuals, each grappling with their own moral dilemmas and personal demons. From the fiery rhetoric of the Klan leader to the quiet courage of those who resist its tyranny, Dixon's characters resonate with depth and authenticity. The overall tone of The Clansman is one of tension and suspense, as Dixon explores the volatile dynamics of race, class, and power in the aftermath of the Civil War. His narrative is both provocative and thought-provoking, challenging readers to confront the legacy of slavery and its enduring impact on American society. Since its publication, The Clansman has been the subject of intense controversy and debate, with critics condemning its glorification of racism and violence, while others defend it as a work of historical fiction. Regardless of where one stands on the issue, Dixon's novel remains a compelling and provocative exploration of one of the darkest periods in American history. As you immerse yourself in Dixon's narrative, you'll find yourself drawn into a world of passion, intrigue, and moral ambiguity. His vivid storytelling and evocative prose make The Clansman a gripping read that will leave a lasting impression on readers long after the final page is turned. Don't miss your chance to explore the complexities of race and power in post-Civil War America with Jr. Thomas Dixon's The Clansman. Whether you're drawn to its historical significance or its controversial themes, this provocative novel is sure to spark conversation and inspire reflection on the enduring legacy of slavery and segregation in America. |
History's Greatest Lies - ia800804.us.archive.org
Perhaps the biggest cause of history’s lies is over-simplification. Hernán Cortés was brave, chivalrous, ruthless, and faithless—a complicated human being, but not like his lieutenant, …
“Lies, Damn Lies, and Democracy” - American University
Only recently have we seen the blatant public lying by leaders which poses a visible threat to democracy. This paper reviews the manipulation, deception, and now overt lies that have …
An anthropology of lying - College of Education
The 21st-century political lie has its own history, which consists of a new global populism and demagoguery, the Internet’s immediacy, and social media’s selection biases
48 Liberal Lies About American History - cdn.bookey.app
In “48 Liberal Lies About American History,” Larry Schweikart embarks on a profound exploration aimed at dismantling widely-held liberal interpretations of American history that he argues are …
Lies My Teacher Told Me - Central Bucks School District
Students consider history "the most irrelevant" of twenty-one subjects commonly taught in high school. Bor-r-ing is the adjective they apply to it. When students can, they avoid it, even …
Lying About the Past - digitalpedagogy.mla.hcommons.org
Because instead of focusing all of our attention on the truth of what happened in the past, we’ll be focusing our attention on the lies told about what happened—lies told with the specific …
The Age of American Unreason in a Culture of Lies PDF
In "The Age of American Unreason in a Culture of Lies," Susan Jacoby meticulously dissects the pervasive elements of anti-intellectualism and misinformation that have deeply rooted …
The 21 Biggest Lies About Donald Trump
American dream. By all objective standards, President Trump is leaving his mark as a great American president. But when your goal is power, why concern yourself with facts, evidence, …
Lies My Teacher Told Me: The True History of the War for …
history. When we talk about the War it is our history we are talking about, it is a part of our identity. To tell libellous lies about our ancestors is a direct attack on who we are. It is right and …
“The Lies of Donald Trump: A Taxonomy” - George Mason …
This chapter will begin with some data on lies told by Donald Trump as candidate and as president and then distinguishes four types of his lies: 1) trivial lies, 2) exaggerations and self …
F ake News Nation: The Long History of Lies and …
how lies and misinformation have played a crucial role in a number of important events in American history. Readers will gain insight into the social construction of information, the …
Lies My Teacher Told Me - cdn.bookey.app
"Lies My Teacher Told Me" is a compelling and eye-opening examination of how American history is portrayed in school textbooks. Authored by sociology professor James W. Loewen, this …
Lies My Teacher Told Me reading group guide - The New Press
Loewen claims history is the least-liked subject in high school in most districts. Is he right? Do you agree with his explanation? 1. Handicapped by History: The Process of Hero-making. What is …
5.10 ConspiraCy theories in ameriCan history - uni-tuebingen.de
This chapter therefore relates the history of American conspiracy theories in three steps. The first part focuses on the time from the seventeenth to the middle of the twentieth century.
A WORLD AWASH WITH LIARS - American Psychological …
Earlier in America’s history, an accusation that someone was a liar was the central insult leading to most duels (Greenberg, 1990). The prevail-ing view was that, among men of honor, to have …
James Loewen--Lies My Teacher Told Me--Introduction
Our situation is this: American history is full of fantastic and important stories. These stories have the power to spellbind audiences, even audiences of difficult seventh graders. These same …
Table of Contents - Wakefield Country Day School
bestseller for the History and Quality Paperback Book Clubs. In paperback, Lies has gone through more than thirty printings at Simon & Schuster. From the launch of Amazon.com, Lies has …
Racial Justice Lunch and Learn Meetings - Children's Institute
Loewen wrote “Lies My Teacher Told Me,” “Lies across America” and several other books challenging white supremacy in history textbooks and the general teaching of American …
Lying in Politics and the Rise of Post-Truth: Philosophical ...
All through history, political figures have often lied, misled, distorted, and otherwise deceived—during times when it was deemed necessary or advantageous. In the United …
The Biggest Lie in the History of Christianity - cdn.bookey.app
In *The Biggest Lie in the History of Christianity*, bestselling author Matthew Kelly explores the profound possibility of achieving lasting happiness beyond fleeting moments. He argues that …
History's Greatest Lies - ia800804.us.archive.org
Perhaps the biggest cause of history’s lies is over-simplification. Hernán Cortés was brave, chivalrous, ruthless, and faithless—a complicated human being, but not like his lieutenant, …
“Lies, Damn Lies, and Democracy” - American University
Only recently have we seen the blatant public lying by leaders which poses a visible threat to democracy. This paper reviews the manipulation, deception, and now overt lies that have …
An anthropology of lying - College of Education
The 21st-century political lie has its own history, which consists of a new global populism and demagoguery, the Internet’s immediacy, and social media’s selection biases
48 Liberal Lies About American History - cdn.bookey.app
In “48 Liberal Lies About American History,” Larry Schweikart embarks on a profound exploration aimed at dismantling widely-held liberal interpretations of American history that he argues are …
Lies My Teacher Told Me - Central Bucks School District
Students consider history "the most irrelevant" of twenty-one subjects commonly taught in high school. Bor-r-ing is the adjective they apply to it. When students can, they avoid it, even …
Lying About the Past - digitalpedagogy.mla.hcommons.org
Because instead of focusing all of our attention on the truth of what happened in the past, we’ll be focusing our attention on the lies told about what happened—lies told with the specific …
The Age of American Unreason in a Culture of Lies PDF
In "The Age of American Unreason in a Culture of Lies," Susan Jacoby meticulously dissects the pervasive elements of anti-intellectualism and misinformation that have deeply rooted …
The 21 Biggest Lies About Donald Trump
American dream. By all objective standards, President Trump is leaving his mark as a great American president. But when your goal is power, why concern yourself with facts, evidence, …
Lies My Teacher Told Me: The True History of the War for …
history. When we talk about the War it is our history we are talking about, it is a part of our identity. To tell libellous lies about our ancestors is a direct attack on who we are. It is right and …
“The Lies of Donald Trump: A Taxonomy” - George Mason …
This chapter will begin with some data on lies told by Donald Trump as candidate and as president and then distinguishes four types of his lies: 1) trivial lies, 2) exaggerations and self …
F ake News Nation: The Long History of Lies and …
how lies and misinformation have played a crucial role in a number of important events in American history. Readers will gain insight into the social construction of information, the …
Lies My Teacher Told Me - cdn.bookey.app
"Lies My Teacher Told Me" is a compelling and eye-opening examination of how American history is portrayed in school textbooks. Authored by sociology professor James W. Loewen, this …
Lies My Teacher Told Me reading group guide - The New Press
Loewen claims history is the least-liked subject in high school in most districts. Is he right? Do you agree with his explanation? 1. Handicapped by History: The Process of Hero-making. What is …
5.10 ConspiraCy theories in ameriCan history - uni …
This chapter therefore relates the history of American conspiracy theories in three steps. The first part focuses on the time from the seventeenth to the middle of the twentieth century.
A WORLD AWASH WITH LIARS - American Psychological …
Earlier in America’s history, an accusation that someone was a liar was the central insult leading to most duels (Greenberg, 1990). The prevail-ing view was that, among men of honor, to have …
James Loewen--Lies My Teacher Told Me--Introduction
Our situation is this: American history is full of fantastic and important stories. These stories have the power to spellbind audiences, even audiences of difficult seventh graders. These same …
Table of Contents - Wakefield Country Day School
bestseller for the History and Quality Paperback Book Clubs. In paperback, Lies has gone through more than thirty printings at Simon & Schuster. From the launch of Amazon.com, Lies has …
Racial Justice Lunch and Learn Meetings - Children's Institute
Loewen wrote “Lies My Teacher Told Me,” “Lies across America” and several other books challenging white supremacy in history textbooks and the general teaching of American …
Lying in Politics and the Rise of Post-Truth: Philosophical ...
All through history, political figures have often lied, misled, distorted, and otherwise deceived—during times when it was deemed necessary or advantageous. In the United …
The Biggest Lie in the History of Christianity - cdn.bookey.app
In *The Biggest Lie in the History of Christianity*, bestselling author Matthew Kelly explores the profound possibility of achieving lasting happiness beyond fleeting moments. He argues that …
