The Skeptic's Guide to American History

{For many|For the majority of|For some} Americans, the history of the United States {is made|is created} on a set of long-accepted beliefs about {occasions|situations|incidents}, each {which|that} resonates in the nation's collective {memory space|storage|recollection}. But what if those beliefs--however familiar--don't really {inform|notify} the whole story? {The|Each of our} {understanding of|familiarity with} history--or what we believe to be history--is the lens through which we view and {translate|understand|read} the world. And when that lens is {altered|unbalanced} with misleading information, it has powerful effects {how} we perceive the present and how we make decisions in the future, from choosing whom to vote for to expressing the latest developments in today's news and {view|judgment} pieces.