History In The Very Broadest Of Strokes
I was excited about America: The Story of Us when it was first announced, and eagerly awaited the series. I began watching with the understanding that not all events in American history would be covered. Indeed, even a thirty to forty hour series wouldn’t be able to do that. Still, I was very upset by just how much was left out.
Rather than present a labored review of all episodes in the series, I’ll focus on the episodes that covered the1840s to the Civil War because they represent all problems I had with the entire series. In the episode, “Westward,” the story unfolds about how the pioneers moved west trying to reach California. The series relates some brief, interesting anecdotes and there are promising introductions of significant people, but after these quick mentions most are not brought up again. One major claim I found very troubling in the episode was the description of Mexico as a “super power.” Mexico was far from it at the time, and had experienced nothing but unrest since its independence from Spain in the 1820s. In fact, the government had changed hands over twenty times in twenty years. Even Mexican historians acknowledge that it was not prepared for a war with the United States and that factions in Mexico could not even unite properly during the conflict. None of this is explained in the episode, and the war is only mentioned in passing in a later episode. This was a great injustice, as it follows the path of other failed series which overlooked a pivotal war in American history. Nor does the show talk about the major political figures such as Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, or James K. Polk, or social movements and shifts in public opinion of the time that led to the war and shaped the period. Rather, it uses the broadest of brush strokes to barely touch on the topic, and seems to rely more on special effects to make the episode interesting. Finally, speakers like Donald Trump, Brian Williams, Tom Brokaw, New Gingrich, Sheryl Crow, and Michael Stratham have nothing important to add to the subject. The series did interview Pulitzer Prize winning author Daniel Walker Howe about the period, but only briefly.
The series does devote an entire episode to the buildup to the Civil War, and another episode to the fighting in the Civil War, and it does talk about the evils of slavery and the several innovations such as embalming and the increased use of telegraph lines and trains, which occurred during the war. However, the episodes never refer to the Compromise of 1820 or the Compromise of 1850 and provide no profiles of either abolitionists or those who favored slavery. Once the war begins, the series does not give an overall strategic view of what happened during the war, or any events on either home front. The episode doesn’t even mention Gettysburg! Grant and Lee are introduced, but with the exception of a few more short anecdotes in no particular order, the episodes concluded with a great deal of important material left unexamined. Given the fact that the History Channel has interviewed such noted Civil War historians as James McPherson, Gary Gallagher, and William Davis for past shows, it’s very surprising that they were not included in this one.
Overall, the series grossly oversimplifies American history and does very little to add to it, carelessly skipping over essential events and people. If you are just starting to learn about American history, this show may be a useful tool. However, if you are like me and wanted a little more depth, with notable theories and evidence about why things occurred, you will find this series very disappointing and may likely be reminded of the worst substitute history teacher you ever had.
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