Am I alone, or does anyone else wish that someone would just sit down and write- from beginning to end- an honest and all-inclusive history of the United States from the very first foreigner of this continent till now? Talking with various college history professors, they all claim how history is one of the most butchered subjects in the public education system- the textbooks almost on the verge of outright deception. History is actually one of the first forms of institutionalized propaganda a child will come across outside of television and the internet. The textbook manufacturer's do not seem to deny it. They claim that they are a business, and that none of the textbooks are actually organized by professional historians. There are some contributions by them, and for the sake of those contributions and a little pay the professional will lend his name- and credentials- to the front cover. They go to the length of saying that their textbooks must meet the demands of textbook commissions and public-interest groups, such as in the south, where they prefer to either omit or "soften" certain topics that do discredit to the good name and standing of their particular state. But I think people really like history when you tell them the truth. Some things do color the nation in a bad light, but history is meant to teach kids how to face the future by exploring the past. If a kid never learns of the wrongs of the past, he grows thinking his nation is the moral ideal and standard. He does not learn of the danger of rogue capitalism where American laborers were much more akin to the current day laborers of China. He doesn't learn the destructive power of hate in society. How not only can man be driven against each other, but it can be codified and institutionalized into state policy. he does not learn the true nature and the true cost of war. How the carnage of the American civil war effected it's people. Our history books worship individual icons- a parade of idealistic loners who supposedly built America into what it was. Our history books side-step the most important part of her history- the story of her people. It should be one of our strongest subjects. Is history important? That question can be answered with another question; are your memories important? What would happen if you lost your memory right now? You would be disoriented and confused, terrifyingly vulnerable to all sorts of dangers, misconceptions, and manipulations. I wish there was a national petition we could get in which we could commission the creation of a bonafide history book. Not a story book, a history book, and one that showed the progress of the American people. A bare bones account of us.
The issues you will need to decide. What current history should be removed to accommodate the teaching of the new material you suggest. How would you condense such an enormous and complex subject into something manageable in the school room. As a side note - many of the stories that make Amercia have been collected. Many with the same sense of history as you have made a point to interview eyewitnesses of some of the greatest moments in the countries history
you cant say what happened without speculating why. and the minute you do that, it becomes subjective. as would the choosing of the commission
In that case the entire curriculum would be void as history- as it's taught- tends to state speculations as absolute affirmations, or words it in such a way as to leave little room for another interpretation. However while a lot of history is speculation, there are a lot of facts involved also. Speculation is also an important part of history, when handled right. I don't suggest diverging too far into those things, but speculation is part of the thought process. It should at least be discussed. Sort of like how a math teacher- a good one- doesn't just teach you math formula's, but tests your ability to apply what you learned to real life problems, speculation allows a person to apply historical fact to the remaining historical questions of the time.
and who decides who is going to handle it right. japan has managed to remove all references to what happened in Nanjing. much to chinas disgust. when we were kids, natives were described as bloodthirsty savages in the textbooks.
That's a good point. But, really, the speculation part plays so minor a role in it. There are plain, provable, well-noted facts that are missing from history, and yes, it happens all over the world. The problem is that public education was never meant to be for the individual benefit of the student, but the state. They were not looking for highly educated, enlightened individuals, they were looking for people just smart enough to do the work required. So public education facilitates that need and, because it is financed through the state- even thought it's our tax money- they indoctrinate kids into a love/worship of the state. American text books are awful and I can only imagine what Indian (what's left of them), Black, Chinese, and Hispanic kids think of when they read about it.
the public is prepared to pay for the education it wants its citizens to acquire and how to learn. period. no one is stopping anyone from then digging deeper and finding out more about any subject they choose.
In reality, history is not that important. Realy... it is not. It is just someones account of what happened, and the rest is a lot of opinion and story telling. What kids realy need to do is to take a criticl look at history and question it vs trying to remember what is passed down from generation to generation. US pubic school history is more of a joke than a course. A rote memory thing where no intelect is involved. And it is boring as hell for most non-YT kids who DGAF about how slaves were treated by the YT. In fact history class in the USA angers most kids and humiliates them. It degrades all the races except the white. And that solidifies a kids perception on how the world real is. But in fact it is old outdated crap that american culture tries to revert to. And pubic school perpetuates that behavior.
