American Origins and the Western Myth
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

The American Origin Story and the mythology we created to support it is a romance that has captured the imagination of the entire world. The truth of our nation's founding and the people whose land we took to establish it is shrouded in legend and fable, a fog of myth that obscures the reality of our heritage as Americans. Manifest Destiny was a tale told in public policy, newspapers and magazines, popular song, dime novels, and classic literature, and eventually, in movie theaters and on television. It made heroes and villains of people who were more complex and more interesting than the characters they were made to portray. Coming of age with that mythic legacy is what this class explores.