U.S. History Textbook Project

We need a basic college-level textbook, or advanced high-school textbook, in United States history that is free from liberal bias and adequate to prepare students for AP, CLEP, or SAT II exams.

Analysis of Available Textbooks

• America: Pathways to the Present (2000). 1,194 pages. The ISBN of the student's edition is 0-13-435100-2.

This text is considered better than most, but still "Essentially a Propaganda Tract" according to Dr. John Fonte of the Hudson Institute. He cites numerous instances of false propaganda pushed by this text.

• Paul Johnson, A History of the American People. (Harper Perennial, 1999). Oriented more toward social history more than the "great man" approach, this 1100-page text tells the story of the United States as much from the viewpoints of the everyday men and women who built the country as it does from the perspectives of generals and politicians. While the author's love of his subject--and country--is evident, this does not keep him from honestly and critically dealing with those moments in American history when the country's actions and policies did not match up with its visions of liberty and equality; moreover, he shows how the American people have typically worked to ensure that those visions ultimately triumph.

George Tindall and David Shi, America: A Narrative HistorySeventh ed. New York: Norton, 2006. One of the best college level texts.

• I second the suggestion of Tindall and Shi. It is perhaps one of the most through and intelligently written US history texts.

• American Pageant - One of the most popular AP US History textbooks. Unfortunately, liberal bias is evident in key events.

• Kaplan Test Guide - Large amounts of personal opinion