or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
Express Checkout with PayPhrase
What's this? | Create PayPhrase
More Buying Choices
75 used & new from $6.12
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History
 
 
See all product images
See all 3 customer images
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book

The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History (Paperback)

~ Thomas E. Woods Jr. (Author)
3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (266 customer reviews)
List Price: $19.95
Price: $14.36 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $5.59 (28%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

30 new from $12.00 42 used from $6.12 3 collectible from $19.75

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
  Kindle Edition, January 1, 2004 $9.99 -- --
  Hardcover, December 31, 2003 -- $12.21 $11.70
  Paperback, December 31, 2003 $14.36 $12.00 $6.12
  Audio, CD, June 30, 2005 $29.95 $18.87 $18.00

Frequently Bought Together

The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History + The Politically Incorrect Guide(tm) to the Constitution (Politically Incorrect Guides) + The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Founding Fathers (The Politically Incorrect Guides)
Price For All Three: $41.50

Show availability and shipping details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Politically Incorrect Guide(tm) to the Constitution (Politically Incorrect Guides)

The Politically Incorrect Guide(tm) to the Constitution (Politically Incorrect Guides)

by Kevin R. C. Gutzman
4.5 out of 5 stars (56)  $13.57
33 Questions About American History You're Not Supposed to Ask

33 Questions About American History You're Not Supposed to Ask

by Thomas E. Woods
4.2 out of 5 stars (34)  $17.13
The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Founding Fathers (The Politically Incorrect Guides)

The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Founding Fathers (The Politically Incorrect Guides)

by Brion T. McClanahan
5.0 out of 5 stars (8)  $13.57
The Politically Incorrect Guide to Capitalism

The Politically Incorrect Guide to Capitalism

by Robert P. Murphy
4.1 out of 5 stars (49)  $14.36
The Politically Incorrect Guide to the South (and Why It Will Rise Again)

The Politically Incorrect Guide to the South (and Why It Will Rise Again)

by Clint Johnson
4.0 out of 5 stars (53)  $15.56
› Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Claiming that most textbooks and popular history books were written by biased left-wing writers and scholars, historian Thomas Woods offers this guide as an alternative to "the stale and predictable platitudes of mainstream texts." Covering the colonial era through the Clinton administration, Woods seeks to debunk some persistent myths about American history. For instance, he writes, the Puritans were not racists intent on stealing the Indians' lands, the Founding Fathers were not revolutionaries but conservatives in the true sense of the word, the American War Between the States (to even call it a civil war is inaccurate, Woods says) was not principally about slavery, Abraham Lincoln was no friend to the slaves, and FDR's New Deal policies actually made the Depression worse. He also covers a wide range of constitutional interpretations over the years, particularly regarding the First, Second, Ninth, and Tenth amendments, and continually makes the point that states' rights have been unlawfully trampled upon by the federal government since the early days of the republic. Though its title is more deliberately provocative than accurate, Woods' attack on what he sees as rampant liberal revisionism over the past 25 years proves to be an interesting platform for a book. He's as biased as those he rails against, of course, but he does provoke thought in an entertaining way even if he sometimes tries to pass off opinion as hard facts.

This quick and enjoyable read is packed with unfamiliar quotes, informative sidebars, iconoclastic viewpoints, and a list of books "you're not supposed to read." It is not a comprehensive or detailed study, but that is not its aim; instead, it offers ideas for further research and a challenge to readers to dig deeper and analyze some basic assumptions about American history--a worthy goal that Woods manages to reach. --Shawn Carkonen



From Publishers Weekly

This book is not so much politically incorrect as it is contrarian, as well as utterly contemptuous of anything supported by Liberals or "Intellectuals." At every opportunity, Woods quotes government leaders, media sources and "distinguished" academics who have said something that he feels backs up his view. That view is, by and large, classically conservative, with a focus on states’ rights and small government. Any flaws in or missteps by politicians become instant basis for rejecting them wholesale (i.e., Lincoln’s racial views; the fact that JFK’s two major books were ghostwritten), as Woods dredges up accusations both familiar and long-forgotten. The historical coverage is hardly comprehensive, since Woods focuses on telling the "truth" about issues Liberals have allegedly distorted, like the New Deal and the Civil Rights movement. Some ideas that he claims are controversial are anything but: most people know the Civil War was not fought primarily to abolish slavery, and it’s no secret that Stalin starved his people. Woods writes with zeal, and speckles his narrative with suggestions for further reading labeled "Books You’re Not Supposed to Read" (which are mostly Right-wing revisionist histories) and "PC Today" boxes containing a grab-bag of conservative gripes and assertions (i.e. "It is not true, as most people believe, that the Indians had no conception of land ownership and did not understand what they were doing when they sold their land to the Puritans"). Diehard Republicans may find this book an inspiring corrective to supposedly Liberal-biased history texts, but others will be put off by Woods’s cherry-picking approach and supercilious tone.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

  • Paperback: 270 pages
  • Publisher: Regnery Publishing, Inc. (January 1, 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0895260476
  • ISBN-13: 978-0895260475
  • Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.2 x 0.7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (266 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #9,209 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category: (What's this?)

    #34 in  Books > Nonfiction > Politics > History & Theory

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

More About the Author

Thomas E. Woods
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

› Visit Amazon's Thomas E. Woods Page
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:
Inside This Book (learn more)
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:
Citations (learn more)
2 books cite this book:

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History
76% buy the item featured on this page:
The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History 3.6 out of 5 stars (266)
$14.36
The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Founding Fathers (The Politically Incorrect Guides)
8% buy
The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Founding Fathers (The Politically Incorrect Guides) 5.0 out of 5 stars (8)
$13.57
The Politically Incorrect Guide(tm) to the Constitution (Politically Incorrect Guides)
7% buy
The Politically Incorrect Guide(tm) to the Constitution (Politically Incorrect Guides) 4.5 out of 5 stars (56)
$13.57
End the Fed
5% buy
End the Fed 4.8 out of 5 stars (237)
$14.95
Explore similar items

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(46)
(36)
(32)
(19)
(19)
(18)
(8)
(7)
(7)
(4)
Agree with these tags?
See all 44 tags...

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags
 

Customer Reviews

266 Reviews
5 star:
 (138)
4 star:
 (25)
3 star:
 (19)
2 star:
 (20)
1 star:
 (64)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.6 out of 5 stars (266 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
72 of 82 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Pungent and Provocative. If you only read one book in the "Politically Incorrect Guide" series, this should be it. , September 3, 2006
There is very little in this book that I didn't know from other historical sources already, but with all the misinformation out there it will open your mind to examine what you read or think you know more critically. Dr. Woods has done us a big favor by putting it all together in this exceedingly readable volume. Don't expect it to be a comprehensive history. It's not meant to be. It's more like the "missing" books - in this case what's missing from standard American history texts.

Woods knocks off one myth and misperception after another - the Puritans "stole" Indian lands; and my favorites, as a long-term student of economics: Herbert Hoover "did nothing" about the market crash (he did way too much and hastened a depression); FDR changed all that (he continued and expanded on Hoover policies to give us another 10 years of depression), and so on. None of this should be news but apparently it is and that's why we need a book like this.

Moreover, Woods presents it - even some of the more arcane constitutional issues - with remarkable clarity. He has a facility to put facts in the context of contiguous events as well as fast forwarding to the "PC" of today. There's no sugar coating here. We see some of our treasured ideas and men - warts and all. You probably won't "agree" with (perhaps I should say like) all his findings (I didn't).

The organization of the book with highlights, bullet summaries and sidebars adds to comprehension and recall. While I found a few nits to pick here and there they are too insignificant to lower the rating of the book. Buy it. Read it! And have your kids read it when they study American history.
Comment Comment (1) | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
111 of 133 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Poor kid, February 23, 2006
I've never posted a review on Amazon before, but I couldn't help it after seeing the "Kid's Review" below. For one thing, he calls Woods a "jingoist." Sorry, kid, but you're a pretty crummy reader if you think Woods, a conservative who criticizes just about every war I can see, is a "jingoist."

1.) The argument that the revolutionaries were conservatives is a very old one, and supported by a lot of fairly smart people, so it probably can't be dismissed with the non-argument Junior gives here.

2.) The Civil War was obviously not over slavery at first, given that Lincoln himself said it wasn't. Woods nowhere says that the Union's unfair taxation caused the war. He makes a brief point about tariffs, but if you blink you'll miss it.

3.) This is such a ridiculous caricature it's not worth dignifying.

4.) Obviously the kid's review knows nothing about the history of land purchases from the Indians. Only a moron thinks the New England tribes were "kicked off" in the seventeenth century, which is all Woods is saying. The poor kid is thinking of nineteenth-century Indian removal.

5.) Well, FDR DIDN'T get us out of the Depression! Even mainstream historians concede that! Just look at the employment statistics for goodness sake. And I have absolutely no idea what the kid means by FDR "sold us out to the Japanese," but I am absolutely sure nothing Woods says could possibly be described that way.

6.) Again, Woods takes a nuanced view and the kid writes a caricature. Woods says the McCarthy matter is a complicated one to sort out, but he does quote some liberals of today who admit that McCarthy was more right than his critics. Or did our kid skip those pages?

7.) The kid knows nothing about Woods, apparently. Woods has written endlessly on economics and on the inefficiencies and immorality of socialism. THAT was what brought down the Soviet Union. Woods would be the last person to give credit to a politician.

But the fact that the kid calls the book "jingoist" really takes the cake. The book is a systematic indictment of the U.S. government, not a celebration of it, as anyone who actually read it (as opposed to reading the front and back covers) would know.

Buy this book for all the kids in your life, so they won't grow up like little Mr. Propaganda.
Comment Comment (1) | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
91 of 109 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The proof is in the doofuses, June 12, 2006
All you need to do is read the one-star reviews to see why you should read this book. We get told by one reviewer that it's "inaccurate," but, SURPRISE, no actual examples. Another reviewer thinks he has an example of an error when he says Woods calls Jefferson a Republican, when he was a Democrat. Why I am even bothering to reply to such an idiotic misunderstanding I do not know, but Jefferson was a Democratic-Republican, and his party was nearly always called the Republicans. No, it isn't the same Republican Party as today, but that WAS the name of Jefferson's party. Where do these doofuses come from?

I like the criticism that Woods condemns Woodrow Wilson and his decision to enter WWI. Is there anyone around still defending that decision? Hilarious. I also like "Woods blames the Great Depression on liberal social programs." Woods actually blames the Federal Reserve for the Great Depression, and Hoover and FDR's interventionist policies for making it so long. So what that a zillion other scholars are now saying the same thing. To a liberal today, this is enough to make you an "extremist," regardless of the evidence you have in your favor or the credentials you can boast.

I don't see any page on which Woods defends an abstract "right" to hold slaves. That would be a strange position for a libertarian like Woods to hold. But this is the kind of hysteria and irrationalism you can expect when you dare, like Woods, to ask serious and important questions. Even worse is that Woods is obviously quite prepared to ask and to answer these questions. He is a Harvard Ph.D. and holds his other degrees from Columbia. So instead of carefully answering Woods, he needs to be crushed, smeared, and destroyed. That is how these enemies of the truth operate. They hate their propaganda being exposed to the light.

It seems to me you have three choices: you can passively accept the establishment version of American history, you can actively defend that establishment view, like a good robot, against anyone who dares to question it, or you can THINK FOR YOURSELF, and go wherever the evidence takes you. Woods has more than enough qualifications to guide you through.

You can read about him at ThomasEWoods.com, though I don't know if he blogs anywhere.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling logic
A lot of people trash the book and the author using terms such as "biased," "fringe," and..."Catholic" (???). Yes, the book is biased! Read more
Published 10 days ago by K. Krueger

2.0 out of 5 stars Less than honest
While I appreciated the readability of the book, in the end I found it frequently annoying due to the author's:

* Constant use of half-truths and unsubstantiated... Read more
Published 2 months ago by R. J. McCabe

1.0 out of 5 stars A phenomenal waste of money
This book looks at American History from the very conservative, almost lunatic fringe, viewpoint. Ron Paul endorses this book on the front AND back covers. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Frank

4.0 out of 5 stars Fills in a lot of gaps...
I have always enjoyed digging under the surface of controversial issues... especially ones that were glossed over in the "history" books I used in school. Read more
Published 4 months ago by D. Pompilio

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Survey for a fuller view of American History
In a time where people only know racism, homophobia, xenophobia and more left wing free speech restricting reasons this book is a much needed alternative to what the teachers... Read more
Published 5 months ago by I. Erickson

1.0 out of 5 stars This is one confused southerner
Magical free-market thinking from a fundamentalist Christian, uber-conservative, free-market windmill-chaser, whose heroes are Joe McCarthy and the Catholic Church, who thinks... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Manu

2.0 out of 5 stars Gross distortion of American history

Saying you are politically incorrect isn't an argument. There is a line of far rightwing books parroting this line that they are politically incorrect and courgerously... Read more
Published 7 months ago by C. Kronquist

2.0 out of 5 stars For Home School Student to borrow from Library
Interesting concepts are presented but lack any scholarly documentation. I had considered having one of our students read the book but after reading it myself am returning it to... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Fun Life

3.0 out of 5 stars Very Enlightening but has some Strange Bias
I read this without knowing anything about Thomas Woods. I think the book is very enlightening and will probably shock people who learnt their history through the school system... Read more
Published 8 months ago by W. Ludlow

2.0 out of 5 stars American History
The title of the book suggests a far more incisive commentary than is presented. The reader is informed, but yet will be disappointed that many of the well-known atrocities to the... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Keith J. Ascough

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
Welcome to the Politically Incorrect Guide to American History forum 5 April 2008
› See all discussions...  
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
   

Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)

Look for Similar Items by Category

Look for Similar Items by Subject

Search Books by subject:




















i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...
 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.