In general I think your synopsis is correct, but these are just generalities about some nebulous control freaks that really have no bearing. It’s not specific like our own story. That’s what makes it so stark. We had an actual king and actual Americans.
The problem I have is that American history always gets pushed to the side. We only have 24 hours in a day. We only have 7 days in a week. We only have 365 days in a year. By the time we get recommendations for “the classics”, by the time we get recommendations for great European leaders, by the time we get recommendations and end up reading socialist works, and by the time we get recommendations for some stupid hollywood movie that someone thought they saw some sliver of conservatism in one single line of the movie, by the time we are inundated with tales of World War II, by the time we spend a week discussing the latest media outrage, by the time we discuss the latest outrage from congress, there’s not much time and ability left. I have little doubt you could on your own come up with 5 different and unique distractions, from sports to big tech to other corporate chicanery.
I have very little doubt that many users around here have more knowledge about various Russian czars and Charlemagne(Charles the Great) than they do our own Founders say John Hancock, James Otis, or General Warren, and most importantly the role of King George III and Parliament in the entire situation. Keep an eye on FR, you’ll see it.
About the only thing that’s left that anybody can make time for is the Federalist Papers. That’s really the one and only thing that I see a distinct general knowledge of. Which is heartbreaking considering how in-depth and illuminous America’s founding history actually is in its totality. America’s founding history just gets pushed aside. And with the Federalist often times its not even a full throated discussion of the papers, let’s just get some quotes and fit them into our own views(many out of context) instead of us molding our views in the 21st century to the Founders.
And then we have the lack of recommendation about the Abolitionist era and the even worse recommendation coverage of the progressive era.
This problem is a widespread and systemic cancer. We can’t defend our country this way!
That’s why progressives own history. There’s no opposition, certainly not from us. This is simple addition:
__
No knowledge of the founders
+
No knowledge of the abolitionist era
+
No knowledge of the progressive era
=
______________________________
The 1619 Project.
I have been a reader of 19th century historical novels for many years.
Novels that essentially have a plot overlay of real historical fact and factual descriptions of conditions. Russian and slavic novels for example, were really an eye opener for explaining Russian and eastern european behavior and attitudes today.
There is absolutely a large hole in classic literature regarding American history. There is so much that could be written that could explain how we got here, teaching historical fact without the “teaching.”
I agree most anything written today is no more than fluff, and movies are mostly useless for teaching anything.
As for the federalist papers, everybody should have read them at least before they graduate college. I think even more important are the anti-federalist papers. The cynic in me finds that they predicted actual outcomes far better than the federalists.