RATED TEXTBOOK

Myths Perpetuated:

122: It’s “Samuel Adams,” not “Sam.” See Founding Myths, chapter 3. (Other than the name, however, the rest of the piece on Samuel Adams is very well done.)

129: Treats John Hancock as the “leader” of the Massachusetts rebellion of 1774. See Founding Myths, chapter 4. (This is one of the few texts, however, that even mentions the “full-scale rebellion” of 1774.)

131: “Do not fire until you see the whites of their eyes.” See Founding Myths, chapter 9.

134-137: The July 4 “Unanimous” Declaration of Independence. (This is a doctored version.) See Founding Myths, Conclusion.

138, 141: The “brutally cold,” “bitter cold,” and “savage” winter at Valley Forge. See Founding Myths, chapter 5.

142: George Rogers Clark “[gave] Americans control of the region.” See Founding Myths, chapter 13.

142: “These battles destroyed the power of the Iroquois people.” See Founding Myths, chapter 13.

145: “The war was over” after Yorktown. See Founding Myths, chapter 12.

150: “Molly Pitcher” was a real person. See Founding Myths, chapter 2.

151: “10,000 slaves earned their freedom” in Virginia for fighting in on the American side in the Revolution. Seven paragraphs devoted to slaves gaining freedom by siding with the patriots, and actual numbers given; only one paragraph on slaves gaining freedom with the British, and no numbers cited. See Founding Myths, chapter 10.

Critical items neglected, which change our understanding of the Revolution:

Over ninety state and local declarations of independence, which set the stage for the congressional declaration. See Founding Myths, chapter 6.

The winter the Continental Army spent at Morristown — far colder than that spent at Valley Forge, and the harshest in 400 years. See Founding Myths, chapter 5.

The global context for the American Revolution — why the war continued after Yorktown. See Founding Myths, chapter 12.