The Frontiersmen Who Couldn't Shoot Straight: The Army vs. the Pioneers 1815-1845

The years between 1815 and 1845 were marked by a comparative dearth of Indian "Wars." It was a time when the Army became professional, and when it learned that the frontiersmen, not the Indians, were the greater enemy. It was a time when the Government expanded its role as regulator and welfare provider; when some frontier people became terrorists; when our gun culture blossomed; when our racism, bigotry, and xenophobia exploded; when our anti-intellectualism soared; when the populist "common man" seized the political scene; and when our conception of American exceptionalism took root, based on the creation of the heroic frontiersman icon.

In this intriguing interpretation of western history, Michno deconstructs several American foundation myths while linking the past with the present in many thought-provoking vignettes. He reminds us that times do not shape peopleff,,f,,"ff,,f,,eff,,f,,"people shape the times. We also learn THE explanation of American History. That alone is worth the price of admission!