The Americans: the National Experience Book

A worthy follow-up to volume one of this three volume series on American History, where Boorstin takes us behind the scenes of the typical textbook names and dates during the time from the American Revolution to the Civil War. Organized by topic rather than chronologically, and through the telling of anecdotes, we learn, among many other facts, that George Washington wasn't always the hallowed legendary figure he is today, that New Englanders had a flourishing business selling ice to nations in the south and the east, and that towns and cities in the West were promoted before those places even had a population. Myths are deflated and the role of "boosterism" in the growth of the U.S. cannot be overstated. Fascinating look at the people, ideas, and places important to Americans in the 19th century. Highly recommended.