A short story by Ira Tabankin.
An old man tells his children about America, in the days before the U.N. conquest and wealth-redistribution, after they become curious about the technologies described and some police showed up to investigate when one of them said the dirty and dangerous word "America."
A History Lesson contains examples of:
- Author Tract: Very much so, and not remotely trying to hide it.
- Commie Land: America in the present of the story.
- Crazy Survivalist: The father seems to have been one before, not that it helped. His wife continues to mock him for having stockpiled so much food and ammunition.
- Expo Speak: Especially noticeable in the children, who ask questions and answer them and make fun of their father for things he hasn't mentioned.
- Fallen States of America: As seen by how America is only spoken of in the past tense, and the mere mention of the name led to a lesson in the unfortunate history of the U.S. and a witch-hunt investigation.
- How We Got Here: What the father is explaining.
- Lost Technology: Refrigeration, microwaves and washer/dryers have gone the way of the dinosaur, as have cell phones and cameras. Only government buildings even have electricity, a concept the father needs to explain to his children.
- Rouge Angles of Satin: Comes up a lot in this and other works by this author.
- United Nations Is a Superpower: Their goons are everywhere, they conquered and disbanded America, and have apparently sworn to never again let a country go without paying it's fair share.
- The War on Straw: The United Nations not only is anti-American, but also opposed to some of the most commonly technological devices on Earth? Sure, Ira.
