From lies of History to reality
“History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
I have come to find out that the stories our teachers and historians tell us is different from what truly happened, so that we could feel good about ourselves and believed it had to happen and feel good that it happened. In Lies My Teacher Told Me by James Loewen, and The People History of United States by Howard Zinn, this two authors have studied and compared the history that they know and what teachers teaches students. As Leowen says, “The stories that history textbooks tell are predictable, every
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I have learn that in truth, The History of America is always full of important things that happened in which we do not know, but historian and teachers the important and interesting things out in order to please readers. As Loewen Says, “Conversely, textbooks seldom use the past to illuminate the present. They portray the past as a simple-minded morality play. “Be a good citizen” is the message that textbooks extract from the past. “You have a proud heritage. Be all that you can be. After all, look at what the United States has accomplished” (Loewen …show more content…
“But from this from this text the thing the I found interesting that upon the arrival of Columbus that Indies welcome them with open arms giving them food, parrots, etc. but they were backstab at the very ends that destroy they whole decadence. The most important source that I receive was from ‘in such a world of conflict, a world of victims and executioners, it is the job of thinking people, as Albert Camus suggested, not to be on the side of the executioners’” (Discussion Board 2). And it is truly interesting that humans have not learn from the past, but instead people are growing more wild and becoming brutal killers and
Dealing with the historical record can be challenging at times, especially for scholars and historians. Most information about past events have either been lost or have been tampered with over the years. Some information has also been exaggerated or some have been too vague. The chapter, “The Indiens Was Upon Us!” from Paul E. Kopperman’s book, “Braddock at the Monongahela,” is any example of how challenging it is for scholars to deal with the historical record.
Another of Equiano’s descriptions is of a sailor who took pity on him and his curiosity. The nearest similarity in Columbus's journal is his run in with the natives. Columbus tells of them sharing with him to fulfill his curiosity about the various other islands around the caribbean. These descriptions have once again shown what is important to the authors to Columbus it is the funding that he thinks he should receive, and to Equiano it is help for him and his enslaved
In the late 1400's, conquistadors started their first voyages to the “New World”. They sought gold, resources, and to convert any indigenous peoples they came across. The Spanish, the conquistadors were heroes for spreading Catholicism and returning new resources. Yet, from the point of view of the natives and Bartholome de Las Casas, they were villains. The conquistadors massacred the natives; enslaving those who escaped.
American History is blatant for shedding positive light on the victory of the Patriots in the American Revolution. The spotlight the patriots find themselves in is by no means wrong or undeserving. These are the people we can thank today for our freedom. They spoke against British rule and demanded their own government apart from Britain. They despised being ruled, the taxes and the control.
After reading the essay by David McCullough, one could have a much better understanding of what it really means to learn about history. He wrote about how most people do not know everything they should already know or at least have an idea about of our history. Many people are not taught about the little details of certain situations that make our history more interesting and true. If the generations and people of today are not taught right, then the younger generations will know even less. This could possibly continue going on until all of what 's taught about history is just a guess or completely wrong.
The Age of Exploration occurred from 1400 to 1700 C.E. It is famously known as the Age of Exploration because it was a time when explorers from Europe travelled by sea to explore west of them, and make many geographical advances. Exploration was motivated by gold, glory, and God. Along with their motivation, the Europeans also wanted to find trading partners, new goods, new trade routes, and simply find new land. With exploration, there were many good effects and many bad ones.
“A Triumph for Moral Authority,” by Isabel Hilton was published in an issue of the Independent (November 15, 2010) as part of the opinion column. This work discusses the impact of a protester’s moral authority and what kind of change (if any) it may lead to. It gives a look into what the possible outcomes may result because of activist actions. The article addressing moral authority by Isabel Hilton is astonishing and very informative due to the author’s ability to present well-structured ideas for each paragraph along with a strong and appropriate use of evidence.
In the prologue, President Obama states, “America was made by ordinary people; who kept their moral compass pointed straight and true when the way seemed treacherous, the climb seemed steep, and the future seemed uncertain” (Movie). However, as captivating as this statement is, America: The Story of Us - Episode One: Rebels presents United States history in a manner that largely avoids controversial or sensitive events and blurs the line between fact and fiction. Large portions of history, such as the effects of religion and elitist control, are exempted. These omissions significantly impacted the development of America, and shaped it into what it is today. This is all done in an attempt to generate profit and glorify the American story, resulting
How much of American history do you know? Black history is a part of America’s history, but why is it not deeply taught in schools? In schools we often talk about white American leaders or wars America has won, but not much history of other cultures in America. We may hear a little information about certain minority leaders who fought for a change, but not much facts. If today’s youth aren’t being taught about the thing’s their ancestors have gone through and all the things that has happened and why, many will grow up ignorant.
Amerigo Vespucci - 2nd Degree Murder It is May 14, 1501 and Amerigo vespucci has started searching for a new and faster trade route to Asia, to his surprise he had landed in the soon to be realised Americas. Amerigo lands, him and his men start to explore the diverse islands to see if they were inhabited. One day they discovered an island with the most amazing natives. Themselves, the food, and the trade was wonderful.
The settlement of the Americas was a brutal and cruel undertaking done by the Spanish and English, and destroyed the Native American population and parts of their culture. The bloodshed and deceit from Columbus, Cortes, Pizzaro, and the Puritans was not a necessity for the human race to progress from savagery to civilization. Historians have seen that, throughout history, many civilizations have developed from more peaceful actions and circumstances. The Roman Empire is one example of a society that was not created through “brutal efficiency”, yet still had a thriving economy and culture. By killing off the Natives, the Spanish and English built a society that had its roots in unnecessary death and destruction that had only a negative impact
History does not always convey the absolute truth. It offers only one side of the story. The strong and powerful voices always drown out the sounds of the weak and beaten. The winner’s word will always be taken over the loser’s. The content that lies within the textbooks was not written by the defeated.
“Being an atheist means coming to grip with reality. A meaningless universe does not mean we live our lives without purpose. The pointlessness of life is not a thing to be overcome, it is to be celebrated.” This is the exact quote that I saw while scrolling through Instagram, from an atheist friend. “When you start to think in universal time spans, your perception of humanity must necessarily change.
“Columbus, the Indians, and Human Progress”, chapter one of “A People’s History of the United States”, written by professor and historian Howard Zinn, concentrates on a different perspective of major events in American history. It begins with the native Bahamian tribe of Arawaks welcoming the Spanish to their shores with gifts and kindness, only then for the reader to be disturbed by a log from Columbus himself – “They willingly traded everything they owned… They would make fine servants… With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want.” (Zinn pg.1) In the work, Zinn continues explaining the unnecessary evils Columbus and his men committed unto the unsuspecting natives.
During my junior year of high school I decided to take an Advanced Placement course on American History, a class that would soon be the highlight of my educational career. It was the first time I was taught how understanding our past allows us to understand the present. It isn’t just about dates, places and wars. History shows us why and how things happen, who drives the change and certain human actions have consequences. I was challenged to understand preconceived notions, one-sided accounts and the realization that history is not always pleasant.