The Lies that we teach in the name of history, History


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The Lies that we teach in the name of history

The Lies that we teach in the name of history High school history textbooks are seen, by students, as presenting the last word on American History. Rarely, if ever, do they question what their text tells them about our collective past. According to James W. Loewen's Lies My Teacher Told Me, they should be. Loewen has spent considerable time and effort reviewing history texts that were written for high school students. In Lies, he has reviewed twenty texts and has compared them to the actual history. Sadly, not one text measures up to the author's expectation of teaching students to think. What is worse, though, is that students come away from their classes without "having developed the ability to think coherently about social life"(Lies p.4). Loewen blames this on the way that today's texts are written. This paper will compare one text, The American Pageant, to Lies. One of the biggest problems with today's texts is the process of heroification. This process turns real people, from our past, into "pious, perfect creatures without conflicts, pain, creditability, or human interest"(Lies p.9). Several examples, including the lions from our history, in Pageant include Christopher Columbus, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Woodrow Wilson. Others are defamed, like Stephen A. Douglas, and John Brown. In Pageant Christopher Columbus is one of the first people named as relevant to our history. He is built up as a hero, with words such as "a man of vision, energy, resourcefulness, and courage" used to describe him (Pageant p.4). We are told that he knows the world is round, but that nobody will believe him. Finally he convinces Spain's monarchs to fund him, and is given "three tiny but seaworthy ships manned by a motley crew"(Pageant p.4). With these, and not much else, he makes a "sensational achievement," but one that turns out to be one of the "most successful failures of history," because he was convinced until his death that he had found the Indies, not a new continent(Pageant p.4). According to Loewen they got his name right, and not much else. Lies points out that there were many groups of explorers that had "discovered" America before Columbus. He probably used some of their information as a basis for his plans to sail west. A full eight pages are devoted to other possible explorers. These groups include ancient groups from Indonesia, Japan, China, and Phoenicia. More recent groups include the Vikings, British Islanders, West Africans, and Portuguese fishermen. There are varying levels of evidence connecting these groups to pre-Columbian America, but still enough to throw doubt into the mix. Columbus got the credit because of the way in which Europe responded to his "discovery." Other false ideas taught about Columbus deal with what is left out. His original motivation may have been to find another trade route to the Orient, but his real motivation, in subsequent expeditions to America, was money. By 1493 Columbus had planned to plunder Haiti, according to Michele de Cuneo, who had been on Columbus's first voyage. Columbus, himself, said to Ferdinand and Isabella that his motivation was gold, and " gold constitutes treasure; and he who has it does all he wants in the world, and can even lift souls up to Paradise" (Lies p34). Another side of Columbus that is left out of text books is that of Columbus the conqueror. It is estimated that Haiti had a population of 8,000,000 before European contact. By 1542 only 200 Arawaks were still alive, and "by 1555 they were all gone"(Lies p.54). This is a direct result of Columbus's, and his successors, legacy of slavery, torture, and disease among the natives. There in no one "right" view of Columbus, he can be seen as a heroic and brave navigator, a man of imagination, and even an empire builder. He can also be seen as a bloody plunderer and a ruthless conqueror whose legacy is that of slavery and genocide. Both of these views are valid and should be taught to students, so that they can decide for themselves. Instead he is portrayed as a pious and heroic man that did no wrong. Thomas Jefferson is also misrepresented in text books. In Pageant he is shown as "free thinking," (p.128) a brilliant politician, and a foreword thinking president who bought Louisiana territory. Yes, he did own slaves, but he treated them well and thought that one day he would free them. Lies paints a different picture of Jefferson. It points out the contradiction between "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" and his ownership of "175 human beings at the time he wrote those words"(p.139). His ownership of slaves affected almost every part of his life, from his politics, opposition of internal improvements in America, and his foreign policy. During his administration he pushed for expansion in the deep South, and thus for an expansion of slavery. Because of his lifestyle and actions, and those of similar wealthy Virginians, their ideology became the ideology of society as a whole, thus ingraining racism and slavery on our society. This is a much different view of Jefferson and slavery than the text provides. Abraham Lincoln is also represented, in Pageant, as "Honest Abe," the "Rail splitter," and rose from a very modest beginning to the White House. He is also portrayed as a staunch abolitionist. He is almost exclusively shown in a positive light. The few times that his weaknesses are shown, they serve to show that he was human, and able to rise above them. Lies tells of Lincoln differently. There are many quotes that show a racist side to Lincoln. In a debate with Stephen Douglas Lincoln is quoted as saying that he was not in favor of abolition, and is not and never will be "in favor of bringing about the social and political equality of the white and black races..."(p. 147). Loewen argues that if Lincoln could be racist, then we could also be. But if he could transcend racism, then we could too. Lies also shows that Lincoln's views on race were always in a state of flux. He would move back and forth on the subject, and several instances on both sides of the issue are discussed. If this view was shown to students they would see that Lincoln really was human, that he made mistakes, he was able to make decisions, and change his ideas over time. This is the kind of role model that students need to relate to, not a stiff, unrecognizable person that they cannot relate to. On the other side of this non-racist view is Woodrow Wilson. He is portrayed in Pageant as a scholar, an educator, a progressive, and a reformer, who had his faults but stepped forward when our country needed him. Lies tells of a man born in Virginia shortly before the Civil War, sympathized with the Confederacy, was a racist through and through, and who meddled in the affairs of Central America as an imperialist, instead of pushing for self-determination. Pageant does point out that he was born in the Confederacy, but says that this "partly inspired his ideal of self-determination for minority people around the world"(p.656). It also says that he hated imperialism (p.661) and he "reluctantly" sent troops to Haiti to protect American lives and property. Lies describes him as a man with "anti-democratic policies"(p.13), that brought racial segregation of the federal government, and intervened in Latin American countries more often than any other time in our History. These incursions included sending the Marines to Mexico 11 times, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Panama, and into Russia during their revolution. Wilson's racism is totally left out of the text. Lies points out that Wilson had a private showing of Birth of a Nation in the White House, and sang its praises. He not only had anti-black feelings, but feelings against all hyphenated-Americans saying that they " carrie[d] a dagger that he is ready to plunge into the vitals of the Republic whenever he gets ready" (Lies p.19). Also, because of these views he became very unpopular during his second term. He lost the 1920 election, in a landslide, to Warren G. Harding even though he did not campaign. Not until after WWII was Wilson seen in a positive light. Now textbooks take the blame away from Wilson, saying that he was not to blame for his political problems, it was the isolationist Senate's fault. He is now seen in a positive, even adulatory tone. Other historical figures are shown, in texts, in minimized or negative tones. Stephen A. Douglas is one of these men. In Pageant he is described with terms such as "The Little Giant," with the "energy and breezy optimism" of a self-made man, and that he was the best debater of his time(p. 386). It also talks a little about his background, and political ideals, but these are mostly breezed over. He is mostly talked about during the Lincoln-Douglas debates. What is told about him is that he was not for or against slavery, he underestimated the country's feelings on the issue, and supported the Union when the war broke out. Lies says that although Douglas is not treated as a major hero, he is treated with "sympathy"(p. 145). Nothing in Pageant gives us even a clue that Douglas was at least as racist as Lincoln. In 1858 Douglas stated that our government was" founded on the white basis", and that although he was not opposed to blacks and Indians receiving privileges and protection in this country, he was opposed to them receiving equality(Lies p147). Lies wonders why they do not bring this up? It cannot be for lack of space, because in Pageant there is a picture, and a cartoon of Douglas, and even space to describe his wardrobe. Again, texts are hiding racism from students and only showing people we can see as heroes in their best light. No such time or effort is given to John Brown. In Pageant wild pictures are shown of this "gaunt, grim figure"(p. 404). He is described with words like terrible, insane, culprit, deplorable, murderer, and " an apostle of treason"(p. 405). Lies points out that although Brown used violence as a means to his end, his end was anti-racism. Brown's idealism was something that he stuck with until his death, a trait that would probably be good to teach to students. On the charge of insanity that is brought up against Brown, Lies spends several pages defending Brown. Loewen concludes that it is text authors that label Brown crazy, not because of his state of mind but, because he gave his life for blacks. The text also ignores the popularity of Brown, especially with blacks and abolitionists. Pageant gives part of the lyrics to John Brown's Body, but fails to explain why this song was so popular. In this case not giving all of the facts about a historical figure is to that person's detriment. The lengths that many textbook writers go to keep our history on a positive note, and to make heroes out of many of our historical figures comes at a high cost, according to Loewen. These costs include incorrect history, and boring history. The end results are students who hate history class, and who come out of those classes not equipped to think about our past in a rational or coherent way. Bibliography: Works Cited Thomas A. Bailey and David M. Kennedy. The American Pageant, A History of the Republic. Eighth edition. D.C. Heath and Company: Lexington, Massachusetts, 1987. James W. Loewen. Lies My Teacher Told Me, Everything Your American History Teacher Got Wrong. The New Press: New York, 1995.

Word Count: 1889