The United States stands to be one of the most successful countries in the modern world. With a GDP of nearly 53,000 USD (United States Census Bureau, 2013), the US outcompetes nearly every other nation. This profound success is backed by an extensive and rich history, spanning from the time of colonization to modern day. However, the history of the United States is not one that is filled with joyous and pleasant occasion. It is marked by streaks of mistreatment and exploitation, including slavery, racism, and the displacement of the Natives who lived upon the lands. Nonetheless, it is important to preserve these exploits as a part of the United State 's history. The question of "rewriting history to reflect modern understanding" is one that
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History should treated as concrete, not altered and ignored in a foolish attempt to cover mistakes of the past. The educational system of nearly every nation elaborates history as a core subject during schooling. The spread of knowledge to generations of students helps the people to understand the moral problems of what had been done in the past, and if one was to change this system, the mistakes of the past would be repeated. A prime example is the mistreatment of the Native Americans. When observed from a modern viewpoint, the oppression of the Indians by the colonizers can be seen as horrendous and a tragedy. However, as can be inferred by the accounts of Christopher Columbus, the colonizer thought nothing of their mistreatment of the …show more content…
By attempting to rewrite history to reflect modern ideas, the principality of democracy and freedom of speech is taken away from the citizens. An example of this ideal is the definition of a communistic government, which has proven to be an unsuccessful form of government for the past century as can be seen by the fall of the Soviet Union and the vapid attempts by North Korea to threaten the United States. Even China, an economically successful country, continues to keep its citizens in the dark about the revolt of Tiananmen Square. The underlying principle of controlling the spread of something as abstract as information is foolish. Under a democratic government such as ours, it can be argued that by changing the education and proliferation of history, one is infringing on the First Amendment, and taking away a freedom of the
History should treated as concrete, not altered and ignored in a foolish attempt to cover mistakes of the past. The educational system of nearly every nation elaborates history as a core subject during schooling. The spread of knowledge to generations of students helps the people to understand the moral problems of what had been done in the past, and if one was to change this system, the mistakes of the past would be repeated. A prime example is the mistreatment of the Native Americans. When observed from a modern viewpoint, the oppression of the Indians by the colonizers can be seen as horrendous and a tragedy. However, as can be inferred by the accounts of Christopher Columbus, the colonizer thought nothing of their mistreatment of the …show more content…
By attempting to rewrite history to reflect modern ideas, the principality of democracy and freedom of speech is taken away from the citizens. An example of this ideal is the definition of a communistic government, which has proven to be an unsuccessful form of government for the past century as can be seen by the fall of the Soviet Union and the vapid attempts by North Korea to threaten the United States. Even China, an economically successful country, continues to keep its citizens in the dark about the revolt of Tiananmen Square. The underlying principle of controlling the spread of something as abstract as information is foolish. Under a democratic government such as ours, it can be argued that by changing the education and proliferation of history, one is infringing on the First Amendment, and taking away a freedom of the