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Welcome to Dr. Hartnell's American History class! Over the course of the year, you will be given a chance to study history in a whole new light. According to Kenneth C. Davis, author of Don't Know Much About History, "Much of what we remember about our history is either mistaken or fabricated... that is, if we remember it at all!" Davis also stated, "For all those who dozed through history class before, the Mayflower Compact may as well be a small car. Reconstruction has something to do with silicone implants. And the Louisiana Purchase means dinning at a Cajun restaurant."

So often what we learn as "history" comes from Hollywood and has been cleaned up to fit into a nice red, white, and blue package. History is much more than some actor uttering a catchy one-liner in a historically inaccurate blockbuster. History is made by people like you and me. Myths have been told and re-told so often that they are eventually mistaken as facts and dished out to the public. Our job as historians is to sift through these myths, look at history from multiple perspectives, uncover what really happened, and learn from its lessons.