In James W. Loewen’s Lies My Teachers Told Me, Loewen contradicts information and the way it is presented in average high school American history textbooks. United States History is taught in American high schools to inform students of the mistakes made in the past, hoping they will learn from them and not make those mistakes again. Traditionally, American students are taught the history of their nation by reading from textbooks that list and group together important facts, dates, and events. Unfortunately, students relentlessly read these groupings of facts, not taking much consideration to the content they are reading. Frequently, textbooks use heroification, archetypes, and the absence of ambiguity to cloud and omit history. By doing
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One dangerous archetype is that those who control others are more intelligent than those working under them. Bill Bigelow, a teacher, believed that sailors are “stupid, superstitious, cowardly, and sometimes scheming” and that Columbus was “brave, wise, and godly” (53). It is believed that Columbus’ crew was incompetent and that he single-handedly made their journey a success. Another archetype introduced by American history text books is that the United States is better than all other nations. This is displayed when textbooks misleadingly inform readers that the pilgrims had “just the right combination of hopes and fears, optimism and pessimism, self-confidence and humility” and that there settling was “one of the most fortunate coincidences in our history” (84). Truthfully speaking, the pilgrims could control the Indians due to epidemics that had wiped out their populations. One of the most innocent archetypes is that Betsey Ross sewed the original flag of our country,” And Betsey promptly brings forth-from her lap!- the nation itself, and the promise of freedom and natural rights for all of mankind” (25). Social archetypes can cloud history, or provide a wrongful connotation to an individual or event, and ambiguity ceases to exist in
One dangerous archetype is that those who control others are more intelligent than those working under them. Bill Bigelow, a teacher, believed that sailors are “stupid, superstitious, cowardly, and sometimes scheming” and that Columbus was “brave, wise, and godly” (53). It is believed that Columbus’ crew was incompetent and that he single-handedly made their journey a success. Another archetype introduced by American history text books is that the United States is better than all other nations. This is displayed when textbooks misleadingly inform readers that the pilgrims had “just the right combination of hopes and fears, optimism and pessimism, self-confidence and humility” and that there settling was “one of the most fortunate coincidences in our history” (84). Truthfully speaking, the pilgrims could control the Indians due to epidemics that had wiped out their populations. One of the most innocent archetypes is that Betsey Ross sewed the original flag of our country,” And Betsey promptly brings forth-from her lap!- the nation itself, and the promise of freedom and natural rights for all of mankind” (25). Social archetypes can cloud history, or provide a wrongful connotation to an individual or event, and ambiguity ceases to exist in