In this course, Patrick Allitt gives us a broad overview of American history through a series of 48 lectures, each one a mini-biography of a wide variety of notable and representative American figures, from John Smith all the way through Betty Friedan. Along the way, he introduces us to religious figures (from Mother Ann Lee to Brigham Young to Jesse Jackson), war heroes (Frances Marion, William T. Sherman, Douglas MacArthur), explorers and pioneers (Lewis and Clark, John Wesley Powell, Charles Lindbergh), inventors and entrepreneurs (Benjamin Franklin, Eli Whitney, Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford), artists and entertainers (Frederick Law Olmsted, Harry Houdini, Duke Ellington, Roberto Clemente), and more.

Professor Allitt is British, and it's interesting hearing a foreigner's take on America. That puts him in a long tradition going back to Alexis de Tocqueville, and he agrees with many of de Tocqueville's observations. In the end, he concludes, what defines Americans is our shared belief in progress and a sense of idealism that drives it, even if we don't always agree on or live up to those ideals. If nothing else, this keeps us moving forward.

Professor Allitt is a wealth of knowledge and an excellent lecturer. I learned a lot while at the same time he kept me entertained. I highly recommend this or any of his lecture courses.

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