A Renegade History of the United States: Sure to anger the Left and the Right

Matt K. Lewis Senior Contributor
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In America, there has always been a tension between virtue and liberty. Thaddeus Russell’s new book, “A Renegade History of The United States,” is about those who vigorously pursued the latter.

While some authors seek to please everyone, this is a history book almost guaranteed to anger and provoke both the political Left and the Right.

Highlighting contributions made by the “whores,” drunkards, “shiftless” slaves, hippies, and other renegade Americans of the past — Russell argues that democracy actually enslaves people (by forcing them to become responsible participants of society), while slavery and monarchy allowed people to remain free from cultural obligations (to pursue libertine impulses).

“The Founding Fathers,” Russell notes, “invented a way to make Americans think fun was bad. We call it democracy.”

(Listen to my full conversation with Thaddeus Russell here.)

Whether or not one agrees with Russell’s ironic theory, he makes some interesting observations that have largely been brushed under the historical rug. For example, he notes that, “In New York in the 1770s, there were enough taverns to allow every resident of the city to drink in a bar at the same time.”

Traditional conservatives will object to Russell’s glorification of indolence and sexual promiscuity, as well as his unorthodox retelling of history (including his observation that “prostitutes won virtually all the freedoms that were denied to women but are now taken for granted”).

But many liberals will also object to Russell’s politically incorrect conclusions.

His notion (which he buttresses with quotes and data) that being a slave was actually less demanding than being free will surely prove controversial. “The beautiful irony of slavery,” he writes, “was that it guaranteed food, shelter, clothing, health care, and child care for the enslaved — and even allowed for the acquisition of luxuries and money — without requiring the self-denial of ‘free’ labor.”

Just imagine if Michele Bachmann had written that

But one does not need to agree with all Russell’s personal conclusions to appreciate his factual historical revelations, as well as his larger argument: A lot of unconventional Americans (many of whom historians would just as soon forget) have made positive contributions to American culture.

In that regard, this book reveals historical facts our teachers never got around to teaching.

If this topic interests you, listen to our full conversation here.

Matt K. Lewis