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Missouri Senator Thomas Hart Benton was father of the dubious Manifest Destiny doctrine and uncle of the renowned 20th century painter of the same name. The elder Benton and future U.S. President Andrew Jackson once fought savagely in a bar room brawl. Whether this type of historical minutia is your thing, or if you just want to get a better feel for the broad sweep of American history, you’ll want to read William J. Bennett’s compelling book America: The Last Best Hope. The first installment of the two volume set is subtitled From the Age of Discovery to a World at War (the second volume is due out in the Spring of 2007). Bennett was concerned that many modern history books had a tendency to portray our past, not “warts and all”, but rather “warts, that’s all”. While admitting the failings and shortcomings of our predecessors, he also shows the heroic qualities that shaped America. While it was not perfect, if we can remember and emulate the best things about our history, we hold out great hope for a world in chaos.