Introduction
In an era of "alternative facts" and rampant misinformation, understanding the true history of the United States has never been more important. Julian E. Zelizer's "Myth America" takes on this challenge, assembling a team of renowned historians to examine and debunk some of the most pervasive myths about American history and society.
The book tackles a wide range of false narratives that have gained traction in right-wing circles and beyond. From claims about America's founding and expansion to misconceptions about immigration, socialism, and feminism, "Myth America" provides a much-needed corrective to the distorted version of history often peddled by pundits and politicians.
As we'll see, many of these myths serve to reinforce a particular worldview or political agenda. By exposing them to scrutiny, Zelizer and his fellow historians aim to promote a more nuanced and factual understanding of America's past and present. Let's explore some of the key myths addressed in the book and how they've shaped public discourse.
The Myth of American Exceptionalism
One of the foundational myths examined in "Myth America" is the idea of American exceptionalism - the belief that the United States is inherently superior to other nations and has a special destiny to lead the world. This narrative has deep roots in America's origin story and continues to influence foreign and domestic policy today.
The myth of exceptionalism often begins with a romanticized view of European arrival in the Americas. In this telling, brave explorers and settlers came to a largely empty continent, overcoming hardships to build a new civilization from scratch. This "blank slate" narrative conveniently ignores the fact that millions of indigenous people had been living in the Americas for thousands of years before European contact.
Politicians and pundits frequently invoke American exceptionalism to justify policies or rally support. For example, Newt Gingrich made it a centerpiece of his 1994 campaign messaging. More recently, Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan tapped into similar ideas of restoring American greatness and supremacy.
The book argues that while the U.S. has certainly achieved remarkable things, the myth of exceptionalism glosses over less flattering aspects of American history. It can also breed arrogance and a reluctance to learn from other nations. A more balanced view recognizes both America's strengths and its flaws.
The "Vanishing Indian" and Manifest Destiny
Closely related to exceptionalism is the myth of the "vanishing Indian" - the idea that Native Americans were destined to disappear in the face of European-American expansion. This narrative served to justify the brutal policies of forced relocation and cultural destruction inflicted on indigenous peoples.
"Myth America" highlights how this idea persists even today. In 2021, former senator Rick Santorum claimed in a speech that European settlers arrived to find "nothing here" - a blank slate waiting to be civilized. Such rhetoric echoes centuries of attempts to downplay or erase Native American history and culture.
The book traces how pseudo-scientific racism bolstered these myths in the 19th century. Figures like Josiah Nott, an Alabama physician, promoted the false idea that Native Americans were a separate, inferior race incapable of adapting to civilization. This provided a veneer of justification for policies of removal and extermination.
These myths of destiny and disappearance fed into the doctrine of Manifest Destiny - the belief that American expansion across the continent was divinely ordained. By portraying Native Americans as doomed to vanish anyway, it made their displacement seem natural and inevitable rather than the result of deliberate policy choices.
The Immigrant "Invasion" Myth
Another persistent myth tackled in the book is the idea of America being overrun by waves of immigrants, particularly non-white immigrants from the global south. This narrative has been used to stoke fears and justify restrictive immigration policies throughout U.S. history.
The book points out that concerns about immigrant "invasions" are nothing new. Even in colonial times, Benjamin Franklin worried about German immigrants overwhelming Pennsylvania's English character. Later waves of Irish, Italian, Jewish, and Asian immigrants faced similar rhetoric portraying them as threats to American society.
What's often overlooked is how the U.S. has historically encouraged immigration when it suited economic needs, while still denying immigrants full rights and acceptance. In the 19th century, Chinese laborers were actively recruited to work on railroads and farms. But when their labor was no longer in demand, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 barred further immigration and prevented those already here from becoming citizens.
Similarly, Mexican migrant workers were welcomed (unofficially) in the early 20th century to fill agricultural labor shortages. But they faced discrimination and were often denied paths to permanent residency or citizenship. The book argues this created a pattern of exploiting immigrant labor while simultaneously demonizing immigrants in public discourse.
More recently, Donald Trump made fears of immigrant "invasion" a centerpiece of his campaigns and presidency. From the Muslim ban to the border wall, his policies tapped into long-standing anxieties about immigrants changing the racial and cultural makeup of America.
The authors of "Myth America" contend that this recurring myth ignores the vital contributions immigrants have made throughout U.S. history. It also overlooks how immigration has consistently enriched American culture rather than eroding it. By examining the long history of anti-immigrant paranoia, the book provides valuable context for today's debates.
The Myth of American Non-Imperialism
Many Americans like to believe their country stands apart from the empires of old Europe - that the U.S. doesn't engage in colonialism or imperial conquest. "Myth America" argues this is largely a comforting fiction that ignores the reality of American global power.
The book points out a striking statistic: in the past 75 years, there have only been two years (1977 and 1979) when U.S. forces were not actively fighting or invading another country. This near-constant military engagement belies the myth of a purely defensive, non-interventionist America.
Beyond direct military action, the U.S. has frequently used its economic and political clout to shape events in other nations. The book examines how during the Cold War, the U.S. intervened in at least 64 foreign elections, often to install or prop up authoritarian regimes friendly to American interests.
A prime example is the 1954 coup in Guatemala. When democratically-elected president Jacobo Árbenz pursued land reforms that threatened U.S. business interests (particularly the United Fruit Company), the CIA helped orchestrate his overthrow. The U.S.-backed replacement, Carlos Castillo Armas, reversed the reforms and jailed political opponents.
Even when not directly overthrowing governments, American aid and diplomacy often come with strings attached. The Marshall Plan that helped rebuild Europe after World War II also served to open markets to U.S. goods and discourage leftist movements in recipient countries.
The book argues that while the U.S. may not hold formal colonies like the British Empire did, its network of military bases, economic influence, and cultural exports amount to a form of "soft imperialism." As Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau once put it, living next to America is "like sleeping with an elephant" - even when it's friendly, you feel every twitch and movement.
By examining this history, "Myth America" challenges readers to think more critically about America's role on the world stage. It suggests that acknowledging past imperialism is necessary to make more ethical foreign policy choices in the future.
The Socialist Bogeyman
In recent years, "socialism" has become a favorite boogeyman of right-wing politicians and media figures. They portray it as a dangerous foreign ideology at odds with American values. But as "Myth America" demonstrates, socialist ideas and movements have been part of the American political landscape since the country's early days.
The book points out that in the early 19th century, Welsh industrialist Robert Owen - who coined the term "socialism" - was invited to speak before Congress about the dangers of unchecked capitalism. His ideas were met with interest rather than scorn. Even in conservative states like Oklahoma, socialist candidates enjoyed significant support in the early 20th century. Eugene Debs won one-sixth of the state's presidential votes in 1912 running as a Socialist Party candidate.
During the Great Depression, American communists played a key role in organizing unions and pushing for social welfare programs. Many of the policies we now take for granted - Social Security, minimum wage laws, workplace safety regulations - were initially championed by socialists before being adopted by mainstream politicians.
The book highlights how many revered American figures had socialist leanings or sympathies. These include writers like Ralph Waldo Emerson, artists like Orson Welles, and musicians like Woody Guthrie. Even Francis Bellamy, who wrote the Pledge of Allegiance, was a Christian socialist.
While socialist parties have rarely held major political power in the U.S., their ideas have often influenced mainstream politics. In recent years, politicians like Bernie Sanders have helped bring democratic socialist ideas back into the political mainstream. The Democratic Socialists of America, founded in 1982, has seen a surge in membership and electoral success.
"Myth America" argues that portraying socialism as un-American ignores this long history. It suggests that rather than being a foreign threat, socialist movements have often pushed America to live up to its ideals of equality and opportunity for all.
The Myth of the Lost Cause
One of the most pernicious myths addressed in the book is the "Lost Cause" narrative about the American Civil War and its aftermath. This ideology, which took hold in the defeated South, reframes the Confederacy's fight to preserve slavery as a noble stand for states' rights and a distinctly Southern way of life.
The Lost Cause myth downplays the centrality of slavery to the Confederate cause and instead portrays the South as victims of Northern aggression. It romanticizes the antebellum South, glossing over the brutalities of the slave system. In this telling, Reconstruction is cast as a period of corrupt misrule rather than an attempt to secure rights for freed slaves.
"Myth America" traces how this false narrative was deliberately constructed and promoted in the decades after the Civil War. Confederate memorial associations, particularly groups like the United Daughters of the Confederacy, played a key role in spreading Lost Cause ideology. They funded monuments, wrote textbooks, and organized commemorative events that enshrined their version of history.
The book points out how the spread of Lost Cause myths coincided with the rollback of civil rights for Black Americans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As Confederate monuments went up across the South, Black voting rights were stripped away and racial violence increased. The Lost Cause narrative provided a veneer of historical justification for white supremacist policies.
This mythology has proven remarkably durable. Defenders of Confederate symbols today often echo Lost Cause talking points about "heritage not hate." The recent battles over removing Confederate monuments show how deeply this narrative remains embedded in parts of American culture.
By exposing the deliberate construction of the Lost Cause myth, "Myth America" challenges readers to think critically about how history is shaped and whose stories get centered. It argues that truly reckoning with America's racial history requires dismantling these comforting fictions about the Civil War and its aftermath.
Feminism and Family Values
Another myth the book tackles is the idea that feminism is inherently at odds with family values and seeks to undermine traditional family structures. This narrative, promoted by conservative figures like Phyllis Schlafly, portrays feminists as radicals intent on destroying the nuclear family.
"Myth America" argues this is a fundamental mischaracterization of feminist goals. In reality, many feminist initiatives have aimed to strengthen families by giving women more control over their lives and reproductive choices.
The book examines the history of Planned Parenthood as an example. Founded by Margaret Sanger in 1921 (initially as the American Birth Control League), the organization's goal was to help families by allowing them to plan and space out births. Sanger, who had eleven siblings and watched her mother suffer through multiple miscarriages, saw birth control as a way to improve family health and stability.
While Planned Parenthood is now a favorite target of the religious right, the book points out that it initially enjoyed broad support, even from conservatives. Republican President Dwight Eisenhower served as an honorary chair of Planned Parenthood in 1964. Many evangelical leaders, including Billy Graham, spoke in favor of birth control in the mid-20th century.
The anti-feminist backlash gained steam in the 1970s, particularly around the issue of abortion rights. Conservatives framed Roe v. Wade as an attack on the family rather than an expansion of women's healthcare options. This fed into a broader narrative of feminism as a destructive force in society.
"Myth America" argues that this caricature of feminism ignores the movement's actual goals and achievements. Feminist activism has fought for policies that benefit families, like paid family leave, affordable childcare, and protections against domestic violence. Modern feminist movements often explicitly focus on supporting diverse family structures rather than undermining them.
The book also challenges the idea that there's one traditional family structure to defend. It points out that throughout American history, families have taken many forms - from multigenerational immigrant households to matriarchal Black families to same-sex partnerships. The idealized 1950s nuclear family held up by conservatives was more exception than rule in the broader sweep of history.
By examining this history, "Myth America" shows how the supposed conflict between feminism and family values is largely manufactured. It argues that empowering women ultimately strengthens families and communities rather than weakening them.
Conclusion: The Importance of Historical Accuracy
As "Myth America" demonstrates, many of the most cherished narratives about American history and identity don't stand up to scrutiny. From the myth of a empty continent awaiting European "discovery" to false notions about socialism being un-American, these stories often serve to reinforce particular political agendas rather than reflect historical reality.
The book argues that in an age of misinformation and "alternative facts," it's more important than ever to approach history with a critical eye. The myths it debunks aren't just harmless stories - they shape policy debates, influence voting patterns, and affect how Americans view themselves and their place in the world.
By exposing these myths, "Myth America" aims to promote a more nuanced and factual understanding of U.S. history. This doesn't mean ignoring America's achievements or unique characteristics. Rather, it involves seeing the country's past clearly, acknowledging both triumphs and failures.
The book suggests that a more honest reckoning with history can actually strengthen American democracy. By understanding where we've really come from, we can make better choices about where we want to go. Dismantling comforting myths opens the door to addressing long-standing injustices and building a more inclusive vision of what it means to be American.
In the end, "Myth America" is a call for historical literacy as a civic duty. In a complex world where the past is often weaponized for political gain, the ability to separate fact from fiction is an essential skill. By arming readers with historical context and critical thinking tools, the book hopes to create a more informed and engaged citizenry.
The myths examined in "Myth America" have deep roots and won't disappear overnight. But by shining a light on them, Zelizer and his fellow historians have taken an important step toward a more honest national conversation. In challenging readers to question received wisdom about American history, the book opens the door to a richer, more complex, and ultimately more accurate understanding of the nation's past, present, and possible futures.