33 Questions About American History Youre Not Supposed to Ask by Thomas E. Woods Jr.

33 Questions About American History Youre Not Supposed to Ask Reviews

• 
  Laura Wilson-anderson

  I am surprised at the negative reviews of this book from people who have read it SINCE Sept '08. Quote from the book, in the chapter about the Great Depression:
  
  

  Austrian business cycle theory explains what causes the initial downturn, but just how long and severe the depression will be depends on the government's response. If out of misplaced humanitarianism or just plain ignorance the government hinders the liquidation process - by baling out failing businesses, propping up wages, or artificially stimulating consumption - the recovery will be much slower and more painful. Government-sponsered emergency loans merely prop up the unsound investment projects undertaken during the boom and the misdirected resources being squandered on them, and thus only intensify the problem. Wages and prices must be allowed to fluctuate freely so that labor and capital may be moved rapidly into lines that make sense in terms of prevailing economic conditions.

  
  
  This book was published in July 2007, and this chapter is just one of the 33, so it's not a "knee-jerk reaction" to current events. I find it absolutely fascinating. I did not find all of the chapters quite this interesting, but I did find the book on the whole interesting enough that it sparked more reading on my part.
• 
  John

  Those of us educated in the public school system have been told what the state wants us to know about our nation and its origins. Many would be surprised to learn that what we "learned" in the public school system is not always the truth, or as simple as it is portrayed in text books.
  
  This book tells the other side of much of our history and demonstrates that we all ought to be skeptical of what the state and those in power want us to know and believe. Pick this one up and begin the move toward freedom.
• 
  SoulSurvivor

  Middle-Right bias and dated references hurt this work.
• 
  David

  This is a book worthy of discussion, making a strong case for the fallacy of our public education system especially when it comes to the way history is taught. Just a few things that get preached as facts in school: The Civil War was primarily over the issue of slavery. The New Deal rescued us from the Great Depression. World War 2 was a time of economic prosperity. This book examines these questions, along with several other interesting ones such as what the founding fathers thought of immigration. There is a very enlightening chapter on S. B. Fuller, a remarkable black man who gets no mention during African American History month.
  
  In terms of a resource, this can't be faulted. It has a full twenty-seven pages of works cited broken down by chapter. While the material is, understandably, controversial, you would be hard pressed to say that Thomas Woods just threw this together. It is very well researched.
  
  In the end, I'd award this four stars at most, probably more like three and a half stars. The first reason for this is for its lack of disclaimer. I suppose a reader already familiar with Thomas E Woods Jr will know that he is an unabashed Libertarian, and won't be surprised to find that these questions are stockpiled to support this particular political cause. If you don't know the name, and I didn't, then it may be a surprise, As a political moderate who appreciates much of Libertarianism, I was not offended. However, I think the reader should have a clear disclaimer, even with a catchy subtitle on the front cover, but nothing except any possible previous experience with this author will clue you to the fact that this is a very biased book supporting one political perspective. The closest thing you do get is a back cover review from Ron Paul. Again, I don't dispute his findings, but again, the reader needs to know.
  
  My only other complaint is that, of those many pages of works cited, a high percentage are secondary sources. He quotes a lot of books where other authors have done the research. He's far more likely to quote a book ABOUT Alexander Hamilton's writings, than Alexander Hamilton's writings himself. To be fair, some of his sources are primary, but I'd feel better about his findings if it were even close to fifty percent.
  
  While this book is far from stupendous, it is at least eye-opening and can lead the reader to approach these questions with more open-mindedness.
• 
  Xenophon Hendrix

  33 Questions About American History You're Not Supposed to Ask by Thomas E. Woods Jr. is OK for what it is. I was looking for a book of historical misconceptions, and it does have some of those. However, it devotes more space to unsupported assertions that are a mix of libertarian and paleoconservative doctrine. This does not offend me; I suspect these positions are closer to the way the world works--and are more congenial to my personal preferences--than are most other current viewpoints. Unfortunately, when the author leaves the realm of well documented claims he never lets on that his personal opinions about matters of great debate among historians and economists might be incorrect. He does not attempt a balanced presentation.
  
  For instance, Dr. Woods declares that Austrian Economics can explain the causes of the Great Depression. He states this as a fact. He doesn't mention that few economic hypotheses are ever empirically tested and that the hypotheses of the Austrian school have been even less tested than most. He merely asks the question: did capitalism cause the Great Depression? Then he answers himself: no, government intervention in the economy caused it. He "solves" this great debate in six pages of text. The result is less than satisfying. The question is far too big for such a short treatment.
  
  In general, these blithe answers to huge questions are the biggest flaw of the book. His discussions are too short to convince the unconvinced or to provide much education to the ignorant. Most of the book, therefore, consists of preachments to the choir. At best, it will let those with poor knowledge of history know that what they learned in secondary school is not the whole story. In my opinion, the book would have been better if the author either stuck to smaller questions or dealt in more depth with larger ones.
  
• 
  David Robins

  Great list of "taboo" questions that the political establishment (primarily on the left) wants people to be afraid to ask, substituting their version for the actual facts. Things which surprised me the most: the founders weren't pro-immigration, liberals got the US into most of its wars, desegregation didn't narrow the black-white gap (and discrimination isn't responsible for it either), WWII didn't help the economy, the whiskey rebellion was a successful tax rebellion (we need more like it), unions are violent and repressive to liberty, US foreign aid not only doesn't help but hurts, S. B. Fuller was a great man, and Clinton helped the butchers in Kosovo. (Stuff I already knew: Social Security is a scam, states' rights is a moderate idea, Constitutional clauses like the "general welfare" clause are abused horrifically, the "Civil War" was a war for independence.) Good roundup of questions that all US history buffs should read.
• 
  Daniel Moss

  Tom Woods doing what he does best: smashing myths. The chapters on MLK Jr., George Washington Carver, and S.B. Fuller were really interesting. I had no idea that the conservative spin on MLK Jr. was wrong, that he wasn't for liberty, that he was a socialist. I didn't know a myth about Carver even existed. And I had never heard of Fuller; what an awesome man (he was in a sense what I thought MLK Jr. was)!
• 
  Jeff McCormack

  Books like this need to be read by all America students - of course if this information were more widely propagated, we wouldn't have such a messed up nation and government as we do. Tom Woods tackles so many various issues that most anyone should walk away learning something new.
  
  He covers topics relating to the Founding Fathers, the Constitution, the War Between the States, States Rights, slavery, the wild west, the American Indians, Presidential powers, Social Security, FDR, Teddy Roosevelt, the Whiskey Rebellion, Capitalism, Foreign Aid, the Depression and economy, Herbert Hoover, Bill Clinton, and so much more.
  
  Dealing with everything from what have become stories of mythological proportion, to clear details covered up about many famous people and leaders. Tearing away decades and centuries of false facts that have spread, this book peels away the layers to expose what many historians have written about for years, but the general public has all but ignored or be ignorant of.
  
  Sadly it may be another century before any textbooks actually pick up on and correct these errors - if they ever do. For me, the information and logical rundown of the depression, wages and the economy were very enlightening and make me realize that either our current political regime is clueless to how things work, or are intentionally destroying things.
  
  
• 
  Bradley Brock

  Run, don't walk, to your nearest library or bookstore
  and get this book. Now. The health of your country
  may depend on this antidote to big government. Sure the title is sappy, and the cover looks amateurish, but don't judge a book by its cover; the book is a serious scholarly work. Although copyrighted 2007 it explains
  the 2008 financial meltdown in Chapter 22, and what
  the New Deal didn't accomplish in Chapter 24.
  Woods also explains the Ponzi scheme known as Social
  Security in Chapter 13 and what the Constitution does
  and doesn't say, at least in the view of the framers,
  in Chapters 4, 11, 15, 17, 25, 26, 27, ...
  I hope there's a volume two planned.
  
• 
  John

  The Amish do not believe in the use of insurance. SSI is whatever it has to be in order to secure compliance: to get people to accept the program in the first place, the payment is an insurance premium, but when religious scruples prevent some people from taking part in it, it is a tax. In 1965 the Federal government finally exempted the Amish from the SSI program.
  The most dangerous man, to any government, is the man who is able to think things out for himself, without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane and intolerable, and so, if he is romantic, he tries to change it.
  No free people ever survived on a constant diet of official propaganda.
• 
  Sharon Wilbur

  Woods ends with "For this reason alone the state's official version of history is always and everywhere another such apologia of itself deserves not the benefit of the doubt but an abiding and informed skepticism. No free people ever survived on a consistent diet of official propaganda."
  
  Not lacking footnotes if you're interested in researching the answers to the questions or further study, he takes on the stories being taught in schools and hands the intelligencia a few blows.
  
  Well documented, well picked, full of things people need to understand.
• 
  Kevin Stephens

  I thought this might be a reasonable conservative counterpoint to Lies My Teacher Told Me or similar books, but Woods just uses the "common misconceptions about U.S. history" format to espouse a bunch of rightwing claptrap and gripe about affirmative action, unions, desegregation, social security, centralized government, foreign aid, and so on. I read it so you don't have to, not that you would ever be foolish enough to consider such a thing.
• 
  Alisa Kester

  It seems like most people today have such a superficial understanding of our history. We'd be a lot better off as a society if everyone read a copy of this book, and stopped believing the myths. Real history is so much more interesting, and makes so much more sense.
• 
  Andrew

  Excellent and thoroughly researched subjects with properly annotated sources. Does not hold back punches and leaves both sides properly bruised.
  
  Highly recommended for the high school history buff and especially the brainwashed college student!
• 
  Sacha Valero

  I'll admit that it's Tom Wood's who really brought me into libertarianism and introduced my to the works of Murray Rothbard and Mises. I've learned that our textbooks are generally propagandistic garbage, and if you want the truth you have to go look for it.
  
  That said, through my own reading I've discovered the answers to many of the questions the author asks. There are so many others that are invaluable, as is this book, to a proper understanding of US history.
  
  Hollywood and books portray the early “Wild West” as a lawless place of random violence in the streets every day. Yet, the facts, with openly armed men everywhere, dispute this claim.
  
  Samuel Fuller seems to be one of the more fascinating American individuals, yet I'd never heard of him before. How is that a black man, porn into poverty and became one of the richest men in America during his life isn't mentioned in a single history textbook?
  
  When people discuss Bill Clinton's presidency the infamous blue dress comes up but nobody ever talks about the tragedy of the Balkans.
  
  In short, if you want a quick disabusing of 33 things you've been taught, but would prefer to know the truth, read this book.
• 
  Greg Mcneilly

  33 QUESTIONS ABOUT AMERICAN HISTORY: You're Not Supposed to Ask | Thomas E. Woods, Three River Press, 306p.
  
  Did the Founding Fathers Support Immigration? Did MLK oppose Affirmative Action? Did the Iroquois influence the U.S. Constitution? Did the Indians aid the Pilgrims' agricultural knowledge?  
  
  Like any cornucopia of topics, interest in the presented topics will vary. I was less interested in learning about native American's horrible ecological practices or how the Wild West was less violent than most cities today. I was intrigued in issues like Did the Founders support Jury Nullification (spoiler, they did). The New Deal as a failed Depression remedy or how States Rights (the Kentucky Resolutions) helped fight slavery.  
  
  The chapter on the Congressional War Powers Act is a must for anyone concerned with the destruction of our Article I branch of government.  
  
  Woods does a great job documenting and footnoting his claims; his positions are well documented. For anyone interested in America's full history, this is a must-read. 
• 
  Jacob

  Required reading for all Americans, especially those who were pressed into line in public schools. The info within is well researched and is written in Woods' inimitable voice.
  Although the questions and answers are entertaining and illuminating in themselves, the best reason for this book is that it stands as an easily accessible case against the establishment, calling it out on its lies and atrocities in a way all can wrap their minds around. Superb.
• 
  Christopher Ganiere

  Everyone has gaps in their knowledge. Did you know that the government school system actively avoids some historic events or miss characterizes them? Government schools pretend to give both sides of the stories and generally they create a cartoon of what happened. Since we have access to original documents and writings created during these events, why not have those in government schools? This book goes a long way to explain why.
• 
  Shane Hawk

  Good stuff albeit biased and unnecessary at times. Despite never hearing some questions here asked before I could understand the taboo or stigma behind them. I read about a question and answer per day over the last month. Easy read to pass time.
• 
  Tim

  A solid book from a libertarian perspective. Whenever I read anything by Woods I always wonder what someone o the opposite end of the political spectrum would say. Many of these questions I have answered myself so it was comforting to find that someone else had reached the same conclusions.
• 
  Duncan Smith

  This book should be more widely read as an antidote to general foolishness.
• 
  Jose Guerra

  Great book. Definitely learned new things. Some items seemed to drag just a bit but maybe cause im not interested in the individuals or subjects discussed but a gread read overall.
• 
  Jacob Aitken

  While the title may suggest a random theme, Woods notes that most of what you have learned in history (or in the media) is toilet paper. Woods ask 33 questions that when answered give the lie to American history and American foreign policy.
  
  The questions range from states rights to busing to America's bombing Christian churches on behalf of Muslim sex slavers. The very answering of Woods questions destroys the State's *mythos,* its story of salvation.
  
  Two chapters that stuck out for me: the stuff on Monica's dress is not the biggest scandal of Clinton's presidency. The biggest scandal was Clinton importing thousands of Muslim terrorists from Central Asia, including Osama bin Laden, funding them, and then giving them free ride to kill Christians in Bosnia and Serbia. At your tax dollar expense.
  
  The other issue is that Clinton did not stop a genocide in Bosnia. The victims at Srebenica were not innocent women and children for the most part, but rather members of the 28th Bosnian Muslim Army. And while the current official figure is 8,000 deaths, keep in mind the original numbers were well over 500,000. At this point, I wouldn't believe anything the state told me.
  
  all in all a good book.
• 
  Evan Kostelka

  This book gets five stars from me for two reasons: it is supported by lots of data for the most part and it was interesting to read. So often, history or economics can be sooooo boring (think school textbooks). However, Tom Woods does a great job showing the reason each question is 'controversial' and explains the data to support his reasoning. He is a libertarian whose main criteria for US government success is the Constitution and for economics the Austrian theory. Being a proponent of limited government, he does much to show why the private sector is more trustworthy than government. The most eye opening chapter to me was on Foreign Aid. I never realized how harmful and ineffective foreign aid is. On one of Tom's podcast episodes, he interviews the maker of the Poverty, Inc. documentary which first cracked my eyelids, though I have yet to watch it. This chapter delves into the data to support why it is ineffective and actually harmful. Overall, lots of information for someone looking to get an alternate version of many school subjects.
• 
  Holly

  I enjoyed this book alot. Being a Founding Fathers/Civil Rights fanatic (I know - geek) the chapters on these topics really appealed to me and really did dispell myths that are now second nature in the telling of American History. However, with a topic as broad as "American History," there were some subjects I wasn't that interested in, and it was difficult to keep my attention while reading detailed chapters on the economy during the First World War and how the Government did little to help the American labour. I'd definitely read a Thomas Woods, Jr book again, and there are some that do sound interesting and worth a read, but I'll make sure they are more focussed on a certain aspect of history and politics rather then being on such a broad subject, like this one. One for the know-it-alls and history buffs.