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How Capitalism Saved America: The Untold History Of Our Country, From The Pilgrims To The Present

Posted by ObjectiveAnalyst 8 years ago to Books
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How Capitalism Saved America: The Untold History Of Our Country, From The Pilgrims To The Present

Book Review, 5-11-16
Author, Thomas J. DiLorenzo
History, 256 pages, excluding notes, etc. ISBN 978-1-4000-8331-2

This book is listed as history, and it is-- specifically a history of America’s economic practice. The pages explore the economic practices that made a fledgling nation into a world leader in record time. While dispelling misinformation and correcting abuses and distortions of our language and history the author makes the case for Capitalism by virtue of the greatest real world example.

With quotes from Hazlitt, Rand and many proponents of Capitalism, giants of economic thought, this book should be well received by students of Objectivism. It should also be mandatory reading for every high school student. The language is plain and clear, making the distinction between market entrepreneurs and political entrepreneurs (cronies), between true free market capitalism and forms of mixed market mercantilism.

A quick read and a great handy reference for dispelling progressive histrionics, I highly recommend adding it to your library and sharing it widely. For years I have placed slips of paper in my books rather than dog-earing pages of particular import. My copy now has a lot of bookmarks. Much of this information was known to me, but nowhere have I found such a compact, impactful compilation specifically devoted to America. It reads like a great story, because it is.

Happy reading,
O.A.

All Comments

  • Posted by ObjectiveAnalyst 8 years ago in reply to this comment.
    Ah, Yes. Have you read The Forgotten Man, FDR's Folly, or New Deal or Raw Deal? The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Great Depression and the New Deal is short but good too.
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  • Posted by lmarrott 8 years ago in reply to this comment.
    The one that I've been wanting to look into lately was something around the Great Depression, the actions tried to resolve, and how those shortened or extended the recovery. I know there is probably more I could get into but that one is fresh in my mind lately.

    Thanks!
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  • Posted by ObjectiveAnalyst 8 years ago in reply to this comment.
    Hello Imarrott,
    Thank you.
    There is no specific history book list that I am aware of. However if you click on the "Categories..." button at the top of the page and then the "books" listing in the pull down you can scan through all of the entries and find several that are history related or at least tangentially related to history.
    Bias is ever-present... you must weed through the chaff I'm afraid. However, I like and can recommend the Politically Incorrect Guide series. http://www.regnery.com/imprint/politi...
    Also I have a copy of A Patriot's History of America that I found of value.
    http://www.patriotshistoryusa.com/
    There are now others in the series.
    At least they examine and expose alternative narratives.
    Respectfully,
    O.A.
    Edit: P.S. If you have any particular historical period, person or event you are interested in, I might have some other suggestions.
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  • Posted by lmarrott 8 years ago
    Thanks for this book review and recommendation. I have been trying to find more history books that I feel would be as unbiased as possible, but it's hard to know.

    Is there a good list of recommended history books around here?

    Thanks again.
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  • Posted by mspalding 8 years ago
    I also read the book and found it excellent. Both of my sons read it while they were home schooling and the examples have been invaluable in countering some of the garbage they get in college.
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  • Posted by ObjectiveAnalyst 8 years ago in reply to this comment.
    Hmmm... While I too appreciate doers (e.g., Judicial Watch) over talkers, I do a bit of talking myself... :) I have no knowledge of their deeds (Lakoff, DiLorenzo) outside of my limited exposure to them, but someone must get out the word and others must do the research and provide the facts, while others take action. So, I find they have some utility.
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  • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 8 years ago in reply to this comment.
    Is he ever going to do anything besides write books and like his fellow author George Lakoff make a ton of money while accomplishing nothing positive like an Amendment or mentioning Lakoff again hiring some Judge to do the job for him? I give more credence to the doers than the talkers especially ones that charge for it.

    Not that's my individual objectivist opinion when running into these secular 700 club money mills. Are they real? Yes. Are they useful? No.
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  • Posted by ObjectiveAnalyst 8 years ago in reply to this comment.
    Indeed. I believe Professor DiLorenzo is going to sell a few more books. This is a very interesting period of our history and while some of my books have touched on these details, I could use some that focus on these specific issues. It is much like the FDR/depression years. There has been much sanitizing and re-writing propagated. Fortunately I now have quite few excellent, reputable books that exposed the truth about that period. The statist, progressives have been shaping our perceptions with propaganda for too long. I feel as if I am building a Fahrenheit 451 library I will need to protect.
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  • Posted by freedomforall 8 years ago in reply to this comment.
    "Preserving the union" is covered in DiLorenzo's books, too. It was a fraud that really meant enslaving the southern states (who were Jeffersonian, while Lincoln's GOP were Hamiltonian statists), destroying states rights and centralizing power in Washington DC. Saving the union was destroying individual liberty in disguise. Slavery was disgusting and Lincoln's goals were closer to slavery than emancipation.
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  • Posted by ObjectiveAnalyst 8 years ago in reply to this comment.
    The truth is out there. I thought Lincoln was a great president when I was young, thank's to the public education system I suffered. Much unsavory truths were left out. It wasn't until a few decades ago that I looked deeper and found his adoration was only based on two legitimate things (emancipation and preserving the union). The rest was fairy-tale. Even emancipation turned out to be a tool for his machinations. Some say preserving the union was worth it. Today considering the shape of the union, I wonder. That is not to say that emancipation was not the right thing to do, just that his motivations were not as noble as the act.
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  • Posted by freedomforall 8 years ago in reply to this comment.
    The Real Lincoln and Lincoln Unmasked are both very good, too. They concentrate on the real causes of the war of 1860-1865: Lincoln and the GOP's mercantilist corporate welfare plan and the protectionist tariffs that funded it, putting the cost on the Southern states while the benefit was for Northern industry.
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  • Posted by ObjectiveAnalyst 8 years ago in reply to this comment.
    Hello freedomforall,
    Than you. I believe Mr. DiLorenzo has also written and co-written several other books of interest. One was about Lincoln. I look forward to reading more of his work. Hamilton's Curse... the title sounds quite apropos. I will add it to my list.
    Regards,
    O.A.
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  • Posted by freedomforall 8 years ago
    Thanks, OA! Excellent book from an author who does good research and supports liberty and free markets. Highly recommend DiLorenzo's Hamilton's Curse, too.
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