Michael Allen

Who is Michael Allen?

Michael Allen is an American historian. He is a professor of history and American studies at the University of Washington Tacoma, book-review editor for Pacific Northwest Quarterly and president of the Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame. He served in the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. He has three children, Jim, Davy and Caroline Allen.

His work in American history ranges from the early-republic period to the present, with a particular emphasis on the trans-Appalachian West and western history as it is broadly defined. His 1994 article, "The 'New' Western History Stillborn," published in The Historian, called into question the intellectual underpinnings and originality of the popular school of thought dubbed "New Western History." In 2004, he co-authored, with historian Larry Schweikart of the University of Dayton, A Patriot's History of the United States. The book was marketed as a rebuttal to A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn. A Patriot's History of the United States has appeared at the top of the Amazon.com and New York Times bestseller lists.