Writing

what is called History in high school classes would more accurately be called 'patriotism.'

There is a preference now for primary source materials -- diaries, logs, court documents, personal letters. I find that stuff much more enlightening than summaries of it. Researching history is often like solving a crime. You have to look for motivations, for what's missing and for what detractors had to say.

Two books I read recently are excellent in this respect:

1. Soul by Soul -- uses correspondence, ads, oral testimonies and business records to present an unflinching look at slavery in America.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/390812.Soul_by_Soul

2. A reprint of Louis Legrand Noble's "The Life and Works of Thomas Cole", first published in 1853 -- Remarkable for its use of Cole's diary entries and personal letters which provide a very modern, primary source, window onto Cole. As a writer currently obsessed with the genre and impact of biographies, the format of the book was as interesting as its subject. My knock is that Noble's interpretation and bridge materials often repeated what you could read for yourself more directly from Cole. To his credit, Noble does not soften or excuse some of Cole's rougher edges and allows the reader to take it all in. Cole presents himself very differently to clients, patrons, his parents and his landlord. It is a fascinating read and very modern in sensibility.