Ambrose takes on some of the prevailing myths of American history in this revisionist work. He argues that the founding fathers were not immoral for holding slaves; that American Indians were not nearly as environmentally minded as the modern environmental movement would have them portrayed. He lifts up President U.S. Grant as a good president for his record on Civil Rights. He applauds President Theodore Roosevelt even as Roosevelt is condemned by many current American historians as an imperialist. Ambrose defends the use of the Atomic Bomb in the last days of World War II reminding us that all sides were ruthless. The war was replete with racism, he says, and to call use of atomic weapons on Japan as racist is to misunderstand the nature of the whole conflict. Ambrose also sees General Eisenhower as the most valuable leader of the 20th century. After writing 3 volumes and 2,000 pages about Richard Nixon, Ambrose learned to appreciate Nixon’s abilities, if recognizing his significant flaws and his inability to understand the American people or tragically himself.

Stephen Ambrose ends his book with these words. “We’ve made the world a better place and we will continue to do so. Our American Spirit comes from the Founding Fathers, was developed by Jackson, Grant, and both Roosevelts, taken abroad. That Spirit got us through September 11, 2001, and it will see us through the future.”

Thomas A. Skrenes
Bishop