History: Out of the Woods

Dr Thomas Woods has done it again. The man who set us straight on the role the Catholic Church played in the development of Western civilization (well, set you straight, actually, 'cuz I already knew about the Galileo thing), has come out with a new book entitled 33 Questions About American History You’re Not Supposed to Ask, published by Random House/Crown Forum. In his announcement, he lists some of the questions. Here are a few of them, with my answers. Just off the top of my head, of course:

* Were the American Indians really environmentalists?

If they were, the mound builders would not have disappeared by the time Columbus had arrived. The Adenas and the Hopewells were gone, their lands inhabited by the Miamis and the Shawnees, and the great mound city of Cahokia was completely deserted.

* Was the U.S. Constitution meant to be a "living, breathing" document that changes with the times?

No.

* Did the Iroquois Indians influence the United States Constitution?

Yes. The treaty among the five nations (later expanded to six when the Oniedas joined them, at least I think it was them) which formed the "people of the longhouse," was said to have inspired the Constitution. [I have since been apprised by one of our commenters, that it was the Tuscaroras which later joined the Iroquois Confederacy. The Oniedas were already included at the time. I stand corrected.]

* Did school desegregation narrow the black-white achievement gap?

If an opinion piece in last Sunday's Washington Post is any indication, no.

* Did the Founding Fathers support immigration?

Yes. Up to a point. They were also adamant about assimilation.

* What was "the biggest unknown scandal of the Clinton years"?

You mean we don't know all of them????

* Does the Constitution really contain an "elastic clause"?

No.

To find out how I did, and how you could do, you have to get the book. It's out now. From the announcement, I learned a few things about the Western expansion which surprised even me, so imagine what this book could do for you. Click on the title to learn more.
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