I socialize almost exclusively with friends who are politically liberal, spanning the spectrum from left-of-center progressive to the more radical fringe. Frequently, among ourselves, political conversation drifts inevitably toward variations on this theme:

"The history of our country has always proven liberalism correct and conservatism incorrect. The principles of those on the left have been validated over and over again, while those on the right have been proven wrong by the progress of history."

While I admit that this hypothesis is selfishly pleasing (I'm a liberal too, after all), it seems to me that it can't be completely true. But I don't have a strong enough grasp of American history to prove it wrong. So what am I missing? What have liberals been proven wrong about? [more inside]
posted by AngerBoy on Dec 24, 2009 - 63 answers

Americans: if you had to represent the USA with only three things, what would they be? [more inside]
posted by lapsangsouchong on Oct 22, 2009 - 95 answers

I'm too ignorant to properly evaluate a historical claim that I just read. [more inside]
posted by prefpara on Mar 28, 2009 - 34 answers

What was a "Modern European Hotel" in the US in 1920? [more inside]
posted by tnygard on Mar 2, 2009 - 6 answers

Can you recommend a good historical atlas of the United States? [more inside]
posted by BradNelson on Nov 3, 2008 - 1 answer

Freemasons and the Founding Fathers of America/ links to early American history?! [more inside]
posted by Funky Claude on Oct 27, 2008 - 8 answers

Please recommend me some great books about the home front during WWI or WWII. [more inside]
posted by booksandlibretti on Jul 21, 2008 - 26 answers

Does America's religious history have a parallel in England? Give me the details. [more inside]
posted by gregb1007 on Jul 16, 2008 - 14 answers

Seeking DVDs for a European to learn American history. Learning Company comes to mind, but your minds are more varied than mine. Any advice greatly appreciated.
posted by IndigoJones on Jun 13, 2008 - 12 answers

Does anyone know the link to a website that displays a list of terms that are used by the president at speeches as a sort of cloud? For example: blah blah blah blah blah WAR blah blah TERROR blah blah TAX I've seen it before, I just can seem to find the link. The website also archives terms used in past speeches. Thanks! [more inside]
posted by meta.mark on Dec 10, 2007 - 5 answers

Help me create a comprehensive reading list on American history [more inside]
posted by dead_ on Jul 17, 2006 - 37 answers

Help me understand Honduras. [more inside]
posted by airguitar on Jan 25, 2006 - 7 answers

Good books to read before wandering about Central and South America for a few months? [more inside]
posted by airguitar on Nov 11, 2005 - 19 answers

Has data ever been assembled showing the religous convictions of Americans over time, starting at the countries conception? A sort of compendium of the religious history of the United States... It seems as though such a thing should certainly exist, but I've yet to find it.
posted by phrontist on Feb 23, 2005 - 8 answers

AskMefi provided some great answers a few weeks ago to my solicitation for book recommendations. Now for a similar but unrelated question. I have a friend at law school who is an exchange student from Europe. He has had none of the mandated high school U.S. history curriculum that had been drilled into the heads of the rest of us years ago. As such, he would like some background on American political history to supplement our constitutional law lectures and McCloskey and Levinson's The American Supreme Court, which has been assigned for the class. Any suggestions?
posted by PrinceValium on Feb 5, 2004 - 5 answers