A Renegade History of the United States

[historyguy12485]

I found this video very interesting. Dr. Thaddeus Russell has recently written a book on American history looking at it from the perspective of the gutter up. He credits the urban lower classes for creating the free America that we know today by simply breaking the rules of 19th c. Victorian moralism. Really interesting thesis. Watch the video!

http://www.thaddeusrussell.com/ <-- Dr. Russell's website.

Edited February 9, 2011 by historyguy12485

[thepoorstockinger]

I found this video very interesting. Dr. Thaddeus Russell has recently written a book on American history looking at it from the perspective of the gutter up. He credits the urban lower classes for creating the free America that we know today by simply breaking the rules of 19th c. Victorian moralism. Really interesting thesis. Watch the video!

http://www.thaddeusrussell.com/ <-- Dr. Russell's website.

I haven't read his book but I've read enough interviews with him (particularly after the huffington post piece) and see some videos of him talking to say that I am honestly confused about what, if anything is new about what he's saying. Is this just a case where he's an excellent salesman of existing historical ideas or is there something to this that I don't get?

[historyguy12485]

Yeah I definitely want to buy this book for myself and see what type of sources he uses. It's an interesting thesis, it will be interesting to see how he builds it.

[rsldonk]

Didn't Kenneth C. Davis do something like this?