MYTHS ABOUT THE FOUNDING OF THE UNITED STATES

Like rumors, fables are too good not to be told. They are carefully crafted to fit a time-tested mold. Success stories have heroes or heroines, clear plots, and happy endings. Good fights evil, David defeats Goliath, and the wise overcome the foolish. "Myths About the Founding of the United States" dissects these fairy tales, where American revolutionaries were better and smarter than decadent Europeans. "This invented past, consecrated as 'patriotic,' paints a flattering self-portrait of our nation. We pose before the mirror in our best clothes," it concludes.