Beginning with the discovery of America, a chapter in which he describes Queen Isabella and her advocacy of Christopher Columbus' famous voyage in lighter vein, Bill Nye takes a tongue in cheek look at Balboa, Cortez and the discovery of moonshine whiskey. He further delves into such serious matters as the Drawbacks of Being a Colonist, The Personality of Washington, The Dutch at New Amsterdam, The American Civil War and its alleged causes and the final Reconstruction by Johnson and Grant.
Nye maintains his sly humor and irreverence for honored figures like Stonewall Jackson, Generals Lee, Grant and Sherman, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and others. Bill Nye's technique of taking hold of the facts and dressing them up with his own brand of playful banter is quite amusing and entertaining. The Comic History of the United States is quite appealing to readers of all ages, especially when they know the "real facts."