I read James Loewen’s book my first semester at my four-year university. When my professor gave us the reading list, I was more than a little curious about the book primarily because of the title. Through spending the semester reading this book chapter by chapter and discussing it thoroughly in class I have grown to think about it even outside of the classroom and while I am writing this during my summer break, I find this book to compel me to dive deeper into the forgotten history of America. Below is my analysis of Loewen’s book and the link where you can buy it. A big thanks to Dr. Daniel Byrne for putting this book on his Approaches to History reading list, for without him I may never have found Loewen’s book.
Published by Simon & Schuster (October 2007)
Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong, written by James Loewen. Notes, bibliography, index. $17.99 (paper), ISBN 987-0-7432-9628-1
An Unknown Ignorance
The late Historian James Loewen wrote several books relating to the topic of the historical untruths that Americans have come to hold dear. Unfortunately, many of these untruths have become the “historical facts” that Americans have adopted out of ignorance. While ignorance is not the gravest sin one can commit, many problems have risen out of the American lack of knowledge regarding their historical truth. Readers of Loewen’s book Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong are led to understand how this misunderstanding of history occurred throughout time and gives critical insight into America’s lost or forgotten history through his well-researched information. Loewen being a historian and professor at many Universities, had a strong understanding of the lack of knowledge students have of the past; his book brings to life a renewed sense of truth to what one has heard (or, in many cases, has never heard of) and read throughout the American high school history classes.
In Loewen’s writing, he mentions the lack of complexities the American high school students see within the people who shaped America into what it is today. Loewen brings up many examples of this cookie-cutter ideal we place upon the leaders of America. American high school history classes tend to avoid the meat and potatoes of incredible people who built and maintained the country and instead skip straight to the dessert course by providing the fluffy stories of these individuals. People such as early Presidents who founded America and who are placed upon pedestals for being morally good and just for fighting for the freedoms of others, and this was and still is highlighted in the classroom. But while many of these men were fighting for freedom, they held human beings captive and worked them as slaves. Also, they were withholding freedoms and rights to their partners, women, by denying them voting rights and the ability to establish careers without a male partnership. For many years this was not spoken about in the classrooms, and it was not until recently that this topic of American Presidents enslaving people became a common topic (pp. 146). Maybe the issue of American Presidents enslaving people is an outdated example of how American history has been sugar-coated. In that case, let us look at another example of American history that is not talked about. If Americans were asked to look back a little further into history to the 1620’s many would recall the pilgrim’s story and the plays first-grades put on around Thanksgiving. However, Loewen brings up an interesting point about these pilgrims we have come to love a celebration, and the beginning of the civilization Americans are taught they came from. Readers of Loewen’s book see that the Pilgrims were not as wholesome as Americans may have been taught. Most Americans today probably understand the enslavement of the Native and African Americans and the generalized mistreatment of Natives. Still, few know the full extent the Pilgrims went to, such as murdering Natives and robbing graves (86). Other people, such as Hellen Keller, only have one side of their person seen. As Loewen brings up, everyone remembers Keller for being a blind and deaf girl at the water pump and for her Philanthropy through donating funds to the NAACP if one is lucky. But many textbooks indicate that she was a staunch socialist who “praised the USSR,” which caused her to receive much backlash (pp. 15). Textbook writers wished to keep this hidden from high school students but why when we ask students to prepare for their futures and build up their own belief systems at this time? Narratives are forced upon students in high school not to show them an accurate history but to create a line of ignorant people about the world's facts and differing ideas. Ideas are dangerous tools that have been used for years which bring revolts and change to societies; with these hazardous tools in hand, high school students would be given the ability to think for themselves and develop an understanding of differing beliefs. American culture is so focused on Democrat versus Republican beliefs that the school rooms are incapable of carrying a constructive discussion of other ideas. This leads further to the ignorance of the American public. However, it does not stop at pure ignorance. This ignorance is bred into the stupidity of the citizens as they believe the lies that were taught to them without reservation and carry them throughout the generations because of the belief that a school system or textbook would never put personal agenda or misinformation to the youth of our great nation. This is what Loewen is stating and brings out in his chapter Watching Big Brother shows that textbook writers are typically not solely in the business of educating students textbook authors and publishers author these books to sell and make a profit. Often the authors of these books write for the most populated state. This way, they can sell more books and cater to the wants of the state board of education of those same highly populated states while selling these textbooks to other states that must accept them. As with most things in life, the goal of American history education is not one of sharing valuable information but a way to share narratives for profit. Which does nothing but continue the inaccurate reports played by those in the textbook industry and state school boards (pp. 220-243).
In his chapter Red Eyes, Loewen mentions that students may be disheartened by some of the histories that are avoided being discussed in the classroom. The point of hiding history is supposedly to protect the hearts and minds of America’s youth. In the chapter “Red Eyes,” Loewen examines the information that some are concerned may cause a white child to be brought to tears by how Americans have treated one another. A few examples he brings forth in this chapter are the treatment of Native Americans by white Europeans. However, Loewen’s book is written and speaks about high school students. This “Red Eye” concern seems to be one-sided as he brings up that hiding the treatment of these people groups’ American history causes more harm to those of Native American descent, ignoring their past (94). While some of the events in history are disturbing, to say the least, one could argue that the students of this age are capable of reading, hearing, and discussing history in a manner that, yes, could provoke tears but also change the injustice Americans see in modern time systems throughout the country; which history is supposed to do.
Loewen mentions that most Americans only take a history in high school, and many only take one college class outside of their high school career (pp. 1-9). With much of the high school history curriculums glazing over facts of the past or altogether leaving them out, ignorance is continued. Students’ lack of interest ensues as this bland and uninteresting narrative portrays an unrealistic version of humankind. This, however, does not inspire the up-and-coming generation. This curriculum does the opposite, as is seen through college students seemingly avoiding history classes because what they learned at the high school level is not relevant to their lives today. Looking at the stories Loewen tells of history in his book, one can see why so many do not know the relevance of history when so much is left out.
Loewen, through his book, Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong, combats the “lies” that so many of us have been told throughout the generations and have taken as gospel truths when in reality, what we have received is a watered-down telling of events that make America seem like the perfect nation. However, if Americans look around, they see the results of the mistruths they have been taught. If America is as perfect as many textbooks promote, why do Americans see so much injustice today? Why are there many individuals in the lower-class system and extreme poverty, or why are there organizations that promote racism and are allowed to perform hateful acts against other humans? When humans try to hide history, such as in America, there are great consequences from the lack of information. Yet, not much has changed since Loewen wrote this book in 1995. There is still racism, hiding the truth, and hero-worshiping of the well-known people in history. But through Historians such as Loewen, Americans have the opportunity to turn from their ignorance and even their stupidity and become knowledgeable about America’s past. This knowledge will supply the needed information to transform the American culture into a society that can be free from political narratives and be filled with facts that will aid the next generation to be a stronger and greater nation. Indeed, we may never agree with history or historical actions, but America will never be able to grow into a better future without acknowledging the complete past.
I hope you have enjoyed reading this analysis of Loewen’s writings and I encourage you all to get this book and check it out yourself. Of course, I always recommend going to your public or institutions library to support them however, if you are like me and love to have the physical copy on your shelves then below is the Barnes and Noble link (no unfortunately I do not get a kickback for saying that I just found it easier to link here). With that, I think this is a good place to end the post and say goodbye for now.
Have a great day!
Savanah
Link to the Book - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lies-my-teacher-told-me-james-w-loewen/1100185227
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