From kindergarten onward, school children across the United States learn about the major figures and conflicts that defined America, from George Washington’s battle against the British to Martin Luther King’s struggle for voting rights. The script is always the same: Slowly but surely, the US citizenry triumphs over moral, political, and scientific backwardness. But what do we find when we dig a bit deeper? Are our most triumphant histories based on fact or myth? And what happens when we cast aw