The Skeptic’s Guide to American History

An award-winning scholar and professor examines commonly held myths and half-truths about American history and invites you to think about what really happened in the nation’s past, as opposed to what many believe happened.

Overview Course No. 8588

Our understanding of American history is built on widely accepted beliefs that may not tell the whole story. This course challenges you to rethink these beliefs and offers a more accurate view of the nation’s past. Delivered in 24 lectures by Professor Mark A. Stoler of The University of Vermont, this course takes you on an intellectually stimulating journey through American history, replacing misconceptions with insightful truths.

Video Lectures

01: Religious Toleration in Colonial America?

Examine the origins of religious and racial tolerance in America and how they differ from long-held assumptions.

• Duration: 31 min

02: Neither American nor Revolutionary?

Explore the colonists’ efforts to defend their “rights as Englishmen” and the ironic role of European tyrannies in the Revolutionary War.

• Duration: 30 min

03: The Constitution Did Not Create a Democracy

Understand the Founders’ “original intent” and how their unresolved questions still persist today.

• Duration: 32 min

04: Washington-Failures and Real Accomplishments

Analyze George Washington’s military and presidential challenges along with his significant, lesser-known successes.

• Duration: 28 min

05: Confusions about Jefferson and Hamilton

Revisit the ideological conflicts between Jefferson and Hamilton and their relevance to modern political discourse.

• Duration: 29 min

06: Andrew Jackson-An Odd Symbol of Democracy

Learn about Andrew Jackson’s contradictions as a symbol of democratic reform.

• Duration: 31 min

07: The Second Great Awakening-Enduring Impacts

Discover how 19th-century evangelical movements still influence today’s social issues.

• Duration: 29 min

08: Did Slavery Really Cause the Civil War?

Explore the historiography of the Civil War and the role of slavery in its origins.

• Duration: 30 min

09: The Civil War’s Actual Turning Points

Identify more significant battles than Gettysburg in changing the Civil War’s course.

• Duration: 29 min

10: The Myth of Laissez-Faire

Debunk the idea that post-Civil War industrialization thrived under a hands-off government approach.

• Duration: 29 min

11: Misconceptions about the Original Populists

Analyze the complexities of America’s original populist movement and its modern implications.

• Duration: 31 min

12: Labor in America-A Strange History

Examine the historical shifting of governmental support for labor and the real break of the New Deal.

• Duration: 30 min

13: Myths about American Isolation and Empire

Investigate America’s historical self-image versus its expansionist actions.

• Duration: 28 min

14: Early Progressives Were Not Liberals

Learn how progressivism included ideas contrary to modern liberalism.

• Duration: 27 min

15: Woodrow Wilson and the Rating of Presidents

Explore how historical context influences presidential ratings, using Woodrow Wilson as a case study.

• Duration: 29 min

16: The Roaring Twenties Reconsidered

Uncover the complexities of the 1920s beyond the common narrative of isolationism.

• Duration: 30 min

17: Hoover and the Great Depression Revisited

Gain insights into Hoover’s misunderstood presidency during the Great Depression.

• Duration: 30 min

18: What Did Roosevelt’s New Deal Really Do?

Examine the New Deal’s achievements and its unintended consequences for modern America.

• Duration: 33 min

19: World War II Misconceptions and Myths

Reevaluate myths about WWII and their long-term effects on American policy.

• Duration: 30 min

20: Was the Cold War Inevitable?

Analyze the factors leading to the Cold War and challenge its perceived inevitability.

• Duration: 33 min

21: The Real Blunders of the Vietnam War

Understand why America failed in Vietnam and why this debate continues.

• Duration: 31 min

22: Myths about American Wars

Explore the common myths surrounding the reasons and judgments of America’s wars.

• Duration: 30 min

23: Who Matters in American History?

Reflect on lesser-remembered Americans whose impact may exceed more famous figures.

• Duration: 30 min

24: History Did Not Begin with Us

Appreciate historical antecedents to modern movements and technological advances.

• Duration: 36 min