Gustavus Myers was a social reformer who used meticulous historical research to criticize the failure of American society to live up to its expressed ideals of freedom, democracy, and tolerance. He attacked those who he believed corrupted these values and celebrated the struggle of the American people to improve their nation. Myers wrote for a popular audience, rather than fitting into mainstream academic historiography, although he only received widespread acceptance for his works near the end of his life. He focused on the rigorous collection of facts and the organization of narrative rather than on synthesis or argument; many of his works are voluminous compilations. His studies of Tammany Hall and of the American elite have been recognized as classics. While he was not a direct influence on modern social or radical historians, both his concern for the critical lessons of the past and his convictions had an...