Dr. Larry Schweikart Professor of U. S. History University of Dayton

Dr. Larry Schweikart

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Larry Schweikart was born in Arizona, went to Arizona State University, got terrible grades, and upon graduation promptly went on the road as a drummer in a rock band. His group became semi-famous, opening for “Steppenwolf,” the “James Gang,” and “Mother’s Finest,” and drew the attention of Billboard Magazine. After a few years, however, Schweikart tired of the road and wanted a more intellectual pursuit. After a single U.S. history course during a stint in summer school, he decided he wanted to be a professor.

Graduating from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1984, Schweikart had already written two books and several academic articles as a graduate student. After a year in the University of Wisconsin system, he took a position at the University of Dayton, where he teaches to the present.

Over the years, Schweikart has written nearly 30 books, dozens of articles and book reviews, and became an authority in antebellum banking and finance. In the 1990s, he wrote his own history of American business, The Entrepreneurial Adventure, then, with Michael Allen, began work on a larger project, a history of the United States.

Published in 2004 as A Patriot s History of the United States, this book became a best-seller and attracted the attention of the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and talk-show host Rush Limbaugh, who interviewed Schweikart for his newsletter in March 2004. Now in multiple editions and a fourth printing, Patriot s History continues to be the alternative history for parents disgusted with the dominant liberal-left textbooks.

In 2006, Schweikart followed up with the controversial America s Victories: Why the U.S. Wins Wars. Featured on BOOK TV and numerous television and radio shows, Schweikart was invited by the President of the United States to the Oval Office for an extended discussion of military history in August 2006.

Now, with his new book, 48 Liberal Lies About American History (That You Probably Learned in School) Schweikart is back in the culture wars. He has appeared on the “700 Club”, “Fox and Friends”, Fox News, Book TV, and dozens of national and local radio shows, including Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingraham, Hugh Hewitt, and many others. A novelist who has written a 9/11 thriller, September Day, and a World War II counterfactual military drama, Halsey’s Bluff, Schweikart brings history to life in a variety of venues. Read more

Dr. Michael Allen Professor of History and American Studies University of Washington, Tacoma

Dr. Michael Allen

“When I was a little kid growing up in eastern Washington State, one of my favorite toys was a jigsaw puzzle of the United States of America. I loved putting the different colored states together, learning their names, and dreaming of someday visiting them all and learning all about America. As it turned out, I have had the honor of being able to pursue a career in American History and do just that. I am still working with that American puzzle.”

Mike Allen was born and raised in Ellensburg, Washington. After serving with the U. S. Marines in Vietnam, he worked for three years as a towboat deckhand and cook on the Mississippi River. He earned his BA, MA, and Ph.D. in early American history from, respectively, Central Washington State College, University of Montana, and University of Washington. He has taught at Tennessee Technological University, Deep Springs College, Montana State University, Billings, and, since 1990, at UW Tacoma.

Mike Allen has published five books: WESTERN RIVERMEN, 1763-1861 (1990); FRONTIERS OF WESTERN HISTORY (1997, with Mary Hanneman); RODEO COWBOYS IN THE NORTH AMERICAN IMAGINATION (1998); A PATRIOT’S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES (with Larry Schweikart); and CONGRESS AND THE WEST, 1783- 1787 (forthcoming). Mike Allen is President of the Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame. He lives in Tacoma with his three children Jim, Davy, and Caroline. Read more