The story of American history that most students have encountered for at least the past several decades amounts to a series of drearily predictable clichés ... From the colonial settlements through the presidency of Bill Clinton, this book, in its brief compass, aims to set the record straight ... This book is intended to be an introduction to some of the more controversial aspects of American history, and is aimed in particular at those who find the standard narrative or the typical textbook unpersuasive or ideologically biased.-Pref.;Colonial origins of American liberty -- America's conservative revolution -- Constitution -- American government and the "principles of '98" -- North-South division -- War between the states -- Reconstruction -- How big business made Americans better off -- World War I -- Misunderstood twenties -- Great Depression and the New Deal -- Yes, communist sympathizers really existed -- Approach of World War II -- World War II, consequences and aftermath -- Civil rights -- JFK and LBJ -- Decade of greed? -- Clinton.