Thomas F. Mcgann
An associate professor at the University of Texas, Thomas F. McGann specializes in the history of Latin America. He is the author of Argentina, the United States and the Inter-American System, 1880–1914 , and many articles, including “Prescott’s Conquests” ( AMERICAN HERITAGE , October, 1957).
For further reading: The Journey and Route of Álvar Núñez, Cabeza de Vaca , by Cleve Hallenbeck (Arthur H. Clark Co., 1939); The Narrative of Álvar Núñez Cabeça de Vaca , edited by Frederick W. Hodge (Scribner’s, 1907); The Odyssey of Cabeza de Vaca , by Morris Bishop (Century, 1933).
Articles by this Contributor
October 1957
The great historian who so eloquently described the taking of Mexico and Peru won a great private victory of his own in the quiet of his study on Beacon Hill.
December 1960
Marooned on the coast of Texas, he wandered for eight years in a land no European had ever seen

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Why do we need a national nonprofit membership society for American history?
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“Save America’s Treasures” has been totally eliminated—the largest Federal program supporting preservation of such treasures as the original Star Spangled Banner and George Washington’s tent.
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65% of Americans don’t know what happened at the Constitutional Convention, according to a recent survey by Newsweek.
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The “Teaching American History” grants—the largest Federal program supporting history education—have been completely eliminated.
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Visits to the Top 20 Civil War battlefields have dropped in half from 1970 to 2009 according to official National Park Service statistics.
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40% of Americans can’t identify whom we fought in World War II, according to a recent survey by Newsweek.
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A quarter of Americans believe Congress shares power over U.S. foreign policy with the United Nations, according to a recent Annenberg survey.
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“There is little that is more important for an American citizen to know than the history and traditions of his country,” John F. Kennedy wrote in American Heritage.
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The “We the People Program,” which touched some 30 million students and 90,000 teachers over 25 years, has been completely eliminated.
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Two-thirds of Americans could not correctly name Yorktown as the last major military action of the American Revolution, according to a recent national Gallup survey.
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The National Heritage Areas and Scenic Byways program, the only major Federal program encouraging visits to historic places, has been completely eliminated in Congressional committee.




