Although identifying the book Prairie Republic as "regional," the Mile High MSM credits authorship to John E. Miller rather than the actual author, Jon K. Lauck. Here's the review as it appeared on Feb. 20 (highlights mine):
History is constantly changing. A generation ago, the "new" Western historians rejected the John Wayne Manifest Destiny idea of westward expansion. They emphasized the crass nature of opportunists, who were greedy for gold and land, happy to annihilate native inhabitants, who treated minorities and women like, well, minorities and women.
"Prairie Republic" rebuffs that view of history, at least in South Dakota. Author John E. Miller posits that settlers in that state were Christians who put the good of the many ahead of their own interests. They rejected class conflict, he writes, in favor of Christian ideals, putting aside "irresponsible freedom" in favor of building communities safe for women and children.
Scholars might consider this a "Little House on the Prairie" view, but then, Miller is a Laura Ingalls Wilder scholar.
Lauck, whose academic background is in history, is a staffer for Senator John Thune (R-SD).
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