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A Patriot's History of the United States  By  cover art

A Patriot's History of the United States

By: Larry Schweikart, Michael Allen
Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
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Publisher's summary

Since the liberal revolution of the '60s and '70s, American history books have been biased toward the negative. They overemphasize America's racism, sexism, and bigotry while downplaying the greatness of her patriots. As a result, more emphasis is placed on Harriet Tubman than on George Washington, more on the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II than on D-day or Iwo Jima, more on the dangers we faced from Joseph McCarthy than those we faced from Josef Stalin.

This book offers a long-overdue acknowledgment of America's true and proud history. The authors reexamine America's discovery, founding, and development with an appreciation for the principles of public virtue, personal liberty, and private property that have made this nation so uniquely successful.

©2004 Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen (P)2007 Blackstone Audio Inc.
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

Critic reviews

"A welcome, refreshing, and solid contribution to relearning what we have forgotten and remembering why this nation is good, and worth defending." (National Review)
"There are a thousand pleasant surprises and heartening reminders that underneath it all America remains a country of ideas, ideals, and optimism: and no amount of revisionism can take that legacy away." (Humane Studies Review)
"Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen remind us what a few good individuals can do in just a few short centuries....A fluid account of America from the discovery of the continent up to the present day." (Wall Street Journal)

What listeners say about A Patriot's History of the United States

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

We are all Patriots

I’m pleasantly surprised with the intensity of passion and diversity of opinion from the reviewers who posted their comments here. It is an affirmation of what the author of this book is saying. The heart of American patriotism lies in our self proclaimed right to express ourselves. Right or wrong, Americans have had the strong will to stand up and take action. This book is an account of that American will. I highly recommend this read. We have a unique history. I chuckled at the account of how Europeans considered American colonists to be unrefined and lack class. As pioneers we have never dressed to impress. Our culture is rooted in a pragmatic approach to living, with special emphasis on the rights of the individual. Americans think differently than the rest of the world. History helps us recognize why. We protect our social freedoms and economic security with a 230 year old political system of checks and balances, laws, not kings, or dictators. Americans trust that system of laws where so many other nations have self destructed with violence. We don’t live in a perfect world. This book does not propagandize us as such. Mistakes and injustices are exposed. Men of genius and character are recognized. And just for the record, I am not of the politically right. I was not offended by this author’s perspective. My interest was kept as he explained how we created a system to challenge the unjust, employ reason and critical thinking to self analyze, to right the wrongs, to blunder, admit it, and pick ourselves back up, to be cautious when it came to starting the fight, but recognize when the time is right to come together with formidable strength to protect what we all know to be “self evident truths”. With eyes wide open, republican conservative, or liberal democrat, we are all patriots.

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51 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

This made me hungry for more

This is a history book that I did not want to end. This is the most balanced book covering America's history. I was concerned that it would be too glossy and put a positive spin on everything and everyone.

Every high schooler and college student should listen to this book before heading off to school. The narrator has great energy and is the best narrator that I have listened to.

I highly recommend this book for people that are tired of left/right wing spins on history and want the story of their nation.

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47 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A story worth your time

This book is long overdue, finally the other side of the story can be told, the one you always knew or hoped for would be true. We live in a great country and its not run by crooks or crazy men. This book is an excellent story and well worth your time. After hearing this story I hope you will be proud to live in this country again.

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41 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Evangelistic

Was suggested to me by audible after I bought a few libertarian titles. This book is NOT libertarian, it is an evangelistic look at American history. Republicans might like this, I did not.

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40 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Good beginning but rabidly biased approach

I am changing my rating from 5 stars to one star after reading the last chapters. I need to say that I utterly enjoyed listening and could not understand why others were pointing toward bias. But I became suspicious when there were disrespectful attacks on FDR and JFK whom I respect as much as I respect Ronald Reagan. I believe authors broke basic rule that historians true historians: they should not be partizan in their writing and try to be as objective as possible. Rabid hatred of Clinton family and painting everything dark is totally disgusting and unprofessional. Painting George Bush junior as somebody who astutely created "true democracy" in Irak and Afganistan is ...????. Should you write books to enlighten people in history when you are so naive??? Come on, only struggle between parties is an engine which catapults America into it's greatness. It is great because it embrace us all irrespective of race, religion or party preferences. The worst thing possible is that when only one party is in charge and there is no competition. "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely". Of course, as a person with moderate conservative views, I would prefer moderate republicans to rule our country. But for best results, moderate democrats should rule the country at least every 8-12 years. And I would not hesitate to vote for Hillary Clinton despite the fact that I do not agree with some of her ideas.

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29 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

Excellent book, and well read. Anytime the left is inflamed, as a few of these reviewers clearly are, you have something very near to truth. It is refreshing to listen to something bias free. Buy this book and learn the truth about your country.

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27 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Ok but biased

Overall it was a ok listen. As the books get closer to recent history some strong bias is applied to "history". The authors are heavily biased, and offensive, in favor of Republicans, religion and a women's place is the home. The last quarter of the book can make your first 25 hours seem like a waste. Once they get overly opinionated in the last 1/4 of the book you start to wonder how opinionated they were in the first 3/4's.

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27 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Objective? No.


I am being dishonest giving any stars to this book, as I didn't finish it, so ignore that part of the review.

I am a liberal, but a moderate and agree with the authors that, more times than not, history is taught with a relatively negative spin, though I counter their claims as to how much. I was interested in hearing the other side of the story.

The I listened the the authors' amazingly one-sided introduction. While they claim that liberal teachers are biased, they show themselves to e exactly the same, just on the other side of the coin. If you are a neo-con or a religious right-ist, then you'll sop it up.

However, if, like me, you were looking for maybe versions more tweaked to the center, then you will be sorely disappointed at the one-minded drivel spewing here.

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24 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Interesting Economic Slant

While I found most of the history interesting, towards the end, when areas of US History I am more familiar were discussed, I noticed several inaccuracies. Several facts mentioned during WWII were just wrong. This made me wonder if there were factual errors in the other areas.
At the beginning of the book, I was told by the author that history has usually been written by liberals, and that this book was not one of them. I didn't really understand that until I got further into the book. The author maintains a theme that if government limited it's pre-occupation with addressing social conditions and just let capitalist economic forces dictate social change, America society would be better today.
I'd like to see an updated editation as this book ends with the fall of Iraq. I would like to see how several years of occupation of Iraq since then has affected the author's viewpoint.

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22 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Thought Prevoking

It is amazing the USA became a nation and survived to its present time considering the ignorance and varied opinions of the general population and government leaders that dealt with events thoughout its history.
This book is laid out and paced well, it does not slog down with too much detail, and presents facinating stories of the events and leaders that directed this country.
All patriots are bound to find this book moving.

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22 people found this helpful