and neither candidate captured the 270 electoral votes needed to
win. One undecided state, Florida, would give either candidate the
electoral votes needed to win. A recount of the votes there was
ordered by law, due to the close results which slightly favored Bush.
Florida became a battleground for the presidency as lawyers and the
media swarmed there to monitor the recount.
—A History of the United StatesBoth books choose the same image to represent the destruction of the World
Trade Center on 9/11/2001: three men in firemen’s hats raising the American
flag, reminiscent of the famous photo of the marines on Iwo Jima. Both give the
photo the same caption: “Rescue workers raise the American flag amidst the
rubble of the fallen World Trade Center towers,” although Boorstin and Kelley
append the date. The rest of their treatments of the 9/11 attacks are equally
similar. In Pathways, “the impact of the fully fueled jets caused both towers to
burst into flames,” while in A History, “the impact of the fully fueled jets
caused the twin towers to burst into flames.”
So it goes, page after page. The books describe our war in Afghanistan in
identical sentences, too. Both contain a section titled Department of Homeland
Security, although Pathways drops Department of. In both books, these
sections begin, “The President also moved quickly to combat terrorism at
home.” They continue:
Less than a month after the 9/11 attacks, Bush created the Office of
Homeland Security, to be headed by Pennsylvania Governor Tom
Ridge. Ridge took office amidst a new wave of mysterious attacks.
Anthrax spores, which can be deadly if inhaled, began turning up in
letters....
—Pathways to the Present
Less than a month after the 9/11 attacks, Bush created the Office of
Homeland Security, with Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge in
charge.
Ridge took office amidst a new wave of mysterious attacks.
Anthrax spores, which can be deadly if inhaled, began turning up in