They wrote history for their own satisfaction and to explain to the enlightened world the success of men like themselves: free, bold, intelligent, and ambitious. Thomas Jefferson's Notes on the State of Virginia is a highly evolved product of this rationalist tradition. ... The Anglo-Saxons developed the most distinctive tradition of free institutions. ... A series of books culminating in The Rise of America Civilization, which Beard wrote with his wife, elaborated the thesis that American history was a succession of conflicts between economic interest groups. ...

• Word Count: 2043
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

If the "note" was inserted into Nietzsche's work, his entire life's work would convey a different message and his readers would be none the wiser. ... One cannot discuss the issue of fact and fiction in history books without discussing the most read book in the world, the Bible. ...

• Word Count: 2408
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: Undergraduate