Myth-Understood America The Most Entrenched Myths about Columbus, the Puritans, Slavery,The Declarat

Resource person: Audra Bullard - office@clehighlands.com

Description:

It can be astonishing to step back and notice just how much of what Americans think they know about their history turns out not to be true. Columbus’s contemporaries didn’t disagree with him about whether the earth is round, just about how wide it is. And had he realized that he was wrong and they were right, he might never have sailed west into the Atlantic. Puritans were not puritan in the modern sense; by the time of the American Revolution, a third of New England couples were pregnant on their wedding day. The Continental Congress intended the Declaration of Independence as an ordinance of secession; it would take decades of activism on the part of anti-slavery and pro-women’s rights activists to transform the Declaration into the freedom document we revere today. Of course, one person’s myth is another person’s established fact, so this course will be as much a discussion as it is an illustrated lecture. We will not only debate individual myths but discuss the functions myths serve in society and how America’s mythology compares to its counterparts overseas.

Presenter: Woody Holton is the Peter and Bonnie McCausland Professor of History at the University of South Carolina where he teaches and researches Early American history, especially the American Revolution, with a focus on economic history and on African Americans, Native Americans, and women. He is the author of several books, including Abigail Adams, which was awarded the Bancroft Prize, considered to be among the most prestigious awards in the field of American History writing. His second book, Unruly Americans and the Origins of the Constitution, was a finalist for the National Book Award.

Notes: Cancellation Policy Please let us know immediately if you are unable to attend a class. There is no refund for cancellations within two (2) weeks prior to a scheduled class. Programs that include food, beverage or art materials must be canceled within three (3) weeks prior to receive a refund. CLE reserves the right to cancel a program if the minimum enrollment has not been met or for circumstances beyond our control, and participants will be notified, a complete refund will be issued. All classes are held in the CLE Lecture Hall at the Peggy Crosby Center unless otherwise noted. In the event information has changed from the published brochure, it will be posted on our website and in our e-blasts. Addresses for “private home” venues will be provided to registrants within 2 days of the program date.

Share this activity: