Not only does Woodard fail to acknowledge David Hackett Fisher, he fails to learn from his example. The depth of research, care in analysis, subtlety of thought and magisterial reach of Albion's Seed show how this kind of thinking can be done, and how suggestive it can be. Woodard paraphrases Fischer badly in those places where their work overlaps. Elsewhere he trades glibly on questionable assertions, intermixed with bouts of self-righteousness. Not a recipe for insight.
I realized this morning what really bothers me about this piece: it claims that there is no national narrative that does not acknowledge the realities of slavery. This is not true. There is a national narrative of struggle, setback and further struggle, rooted in the founding documents. Eric Foner's college text Give Me Liberty! is a fine example. Woodard fits into the lineage of Howard Zinn and Nikole Hannah-Jones, popularizers of denunciation whose plausibility masks profound distortions.
David Hackett Fischer deserves an acknowledgement.
Not only does Woodard fail to acknowledge David Hackett Fisher, he fails to learn from his example. The depth of research, care in analysis, subtlety of thought and magisterial reach of Albion's Seed show how this kind of thinking can be done, and how suggestive it can be. Woodard paraphrases Fischer badly in those places where their work overlaps. Elsewhere he trades glibly on questionable assertions, intermixed with bouts of self-righteousness. Not a recipe for insight.
I realized this morning what really bothers me about this piece: it claims that there is no national narrative that does not acknowledge the realities of slavery. This is not true. There is a national narrative of struggle, setback and further struggle, rooted in the founding documents. Eric Foner's college text Give Me Liberty! is a fine example. Woodard fits into the lineage of Howard Zinn and Nikole Hannah-Jones, popularizers of denunciation whose plausibility masks profound distortions.