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Land of Hope is a history book that engrosses the reader like a good novel. Wilfred McClay has crafted a skillful yet comprehensive narrative of "the great American story" without glossing over the blemishes or minimizing our nation’s great achievements. As he points out in Chapter 1 "[H]istory always begins in the middle of things," meaning that no matter where a writer chooses to start a historical account, there is always "something essential that came before, some prior context that is assumed." Thus Land of Hope begins with Columbus’ discovery of the New World, which McClay calls "the signal event in the making of America," that neither the explorer nor the world grasped during his lifetime. An interesting note in the discovery story is the fact that even the indigenous peoples who populated the Americas at the time of Columbus had originally migrated from somewhere else. While generally a political history of the United States, McClay's work also provides a look at the developing culture. Particularly absorbing are the chapters surrounding the Civil War. The author includes all the nuances of the era: the battle over states rights and the many compromises made since the country’s founding that prolonged the struggle to end slavery. McClay also paints an in-depth portrait of Abraham Lincoln, his statesmanship and his persistence in trying to solve the complex problems of wartime, and the full extent of the tragic events that followed his assassination. The author profiles each U.S. President, starting with George Washington and culminating with the election of Donald J. Trump. He gives a generally unbiased view of each man and his politics, as well as each one’s personal strengths, weaknesses, and manner of governing. It’s a glimpse that many of us have never seen, even those who were properly schooled in U.S. History. We learn a lot about the various political movements, such as the Progressive and Eugenics movements, and their often negative impacts on our society and government. Along the way, we meet other historical figures who shaped our country for the good, such as frontiersman, folk hero, and Congressman Davy Crockett, who opposed the policies that forcibly removed American Indians from their lands. McClay also focuses in-depth on the two world wars and the Great Depression that occurred between them, describing the many political figures, events and social nuances surrounding these dark times. It’s interesting, for example, that only Prime Minister Winston Churchill seemed to fully understand the intentions of Soviet leader Josef Stalin, and that if General (and later President) Dwight D. Eisenhower had agreed with him, the world may not have experienced the partitioning of Germany or the Soviet conquest of eastern Europe to the extent that it happened following World War II. While Land of Hope broadly recounts the history of America over nearly three centuries, it leaves the reader wishing for more, as any single-volume work of this caliber and scope is wont to do. A more social studies approach, especially with regard to the storied settling of the great American West and the many discoveries and feats of bravery associated with it, would be more romantically satisfying. And although McClay discusses the religious influences throughout our nation’s history in a mostly unbiased fashion, he does not address its gradual eviction from the public square and how that development has impacted our politics and culture. Overall, Land of Hope does much to give readers just that, hope, with a truthful overview of where we began and where we are today. The author acknowledges the difficulty of writing an unbiased account of more recent history and admits he may not have succeeded in doing so. Nonetheless, his narrative is very eye-opening in that it brings home just how much the tensions of the past still exist today, and how the growth of the federal government has usurped anything the founders envisioned, even as our Constitution continues to be the law of the land. This book is a must-read for anyone seeking a fair and balanced view of U.S. History, and particularly for upper class high school students and college freshman to counteract the biased views of Howard Zinn and others who would completely distort our history. From cover to cover, McClay’s message comes through loud and clear that the United States of America, despite its problems and challenges, remains the envy of the world, founded on the principles of freedom and a God-given right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Encounter Books, 2019 |
As may be expected, he details the founding of the United States, bringing the characters and the era to life in both their glory and their flaws. It’s sobering to realize that generations to come may not know of the amazing feat the Founders accomplished in drafting our unique Constitution and Bill of Rights, and may not even know the names of such luminaries as Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, and the great leader George Washington.
