Written by Loewen James, the text finds basis in the errors made in the records of American History. Consequently, the author argues that school syllabuses focus on irrelevant if not the wrong details of certain events recorded in the country’s history. Consequently, students fail to understand the true origins of the United States. Therefore, the situation has led to a misconception of certain traditions and cultures in present day America. As evidence to his arguments, the author incorporates different texts within the book as he tackles one subject after another. There is some legitimacy in Loewen’s findings and his inclusion of examples and experiences with American students in a classroom setting cements the arguments made in his book.
The reasons behind discovered alterations in the American historic accounts appear to vary with each report. However, the country is interested in American History and factors that affected Americans should be passed down through generations. In other words, if an event did not have a direct effect on the Americans, it had little value to its people. For example, the American Civil War affected the Social, Political, and Economic status of the United States. Since it had the aforementioned direct impact, it is very hard to find distorted facts of America between 1861 and 1865. With such factors in mind, it is safe to assume that textbooks used in schools do not lie; rather, they omit certain information that is deemed unimpressive for the students.
In the case of “The Truth about the first Thanksgiving”, it is safe to argue that the American fore fathers appear to be a barbaric nation that rejoices in other peoples’ misfortunes. Said barbarianism is evident in the apparent rejoicing among Americans after the death of many Indians due to a plague. Details on the exact type of plague are unclear but the devastation left behind is unmistakable. Loewen argues that the distortion of facts surrounding thanksgiving is because of America’s shame on their reactions towards the massive deaths of the Indians. For instance, the then governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony, Winthrop John, wrote a letter in which he praises God for the smallpox that wiped out all the Indians (Loewen 72). Taking into account the present day America, where racism is abhorred among the diversified communities that make up the United States, Loewen’s arguments are well founded.
In addition, the previously mentioned oversight in written information has led to the failure of the American school system. Graduated individuals ought to have the right facts and knowledge to claim the status of an educated lot. However, not all students are equipped with the necessary information, especially in the history of the United States. Loewen concurs with this notion as he records an incident in which students attested to having no knowledge of the plague that wiped off most of the Indian population (68). It can be argued that the information was deemed unnecessary to the education system. If the students learn on the roles Squanto played in aiding pilgrims migrating to America, then that is enough. There is no need to include the reasons behind the Indian’s existence among said pilgrims. Conclusively, it is evident that there is some truth in Loewen’s arguments. With the many oversights in American History comes a gap in the knowledge passed to students by their respective teachers.
Work Cited
Loewen, James W. Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong. New York: Touchstone, 2007. Print.
