Comparative History
and Critical Thinking
Review Guide
I. Unit Four Reconstruction
Mix and Match these items of Comparative
History by drawing a line through three
categories. Group work.
Booker T. Washington
Comparative History features historians
who disagree with each other. One says X,
and the other says Y (or not X).
Their interpretations clash.
They are logically inconsistent
Who are you going to believe?
They cannot both be right.
a) Discussion Packets
b) Progressive Historians
c) New Left Historians
1) Reconstruction: With
Malice Toward None and
Charity for All
Consensus Historian
William E. Woodward
claims that the KKK made
threats, but did not use
violence to achieve their
ends
WEB DuBois demands
equality now
2) White and Black
Reactions to
Reconstruction.
William E. Woodward
claims that negroes cannot
understand politics
Kenneth Stampp argues that
the Reconstruction
Amendments were vital 80
years later
3) Rise and Fall of
Reconstruction
Booker T. Washington
(moderate, not Progressive)
suggested that blacks forgo
political agitation and
concentrate on being good
farm workers
James W. Loewen stated
that the Klan killed one
person a day during their
reign of terror
4) Reconstruction
Historiography.
John Garraty argued that
Boss Tweed's New York
Ring was more corrupt than
Reconstruction
governments
James Kirby Martin states
that Negro leaders were
educated and literate, and
black voters understood
what they were doing
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II. Unit Three Civil War
Robert E. Lee
a) Discussion Packets
b) Progressive Historians
c) New Left Historians
1) Women and the Civil
War
James Roark argues that
with one exception, EuroAmericans never used
biological warfare
William E. Woodward
argues that women were put
on a pedestal, which is
where they belonged
Gary Nash points out that
slave owners branded their
initials into the faces of
some of their slaves.
James M. McPherson
argues that slavery was the
central cause of the Civil
War
U.B. Phillips argues that
slavery was a benign,
kindly and friendly
institution. Slaves were
treated like family
members.
William E. Woodward
argues that slavery was not
the cause of the Civil War
Dorthea Dix and Mother
Bickerdyke argue that
women must step in and
clean up the mess that men
have created
2) Social History of
Slavery The Peculiar
Institution.
3) Causes of the Civil War
4) Native American
Genocide?
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Ward Churchill argues that
there is "proof positive" of
germ warfare and genocide
III. Unit Two: Nation Building.
Thomas Jefferson
a) Discussion Packets
b) Progressive Historians
c) New Left Historians
1) Mexican American War
John A. Garraty claimed
that Native Americans
received "fair prices" for
their lands.
Ken Burns and William
Lloyd Garrison claim that
the US Constitution was a
compact with hell because it
sanctioned slavery
2) Big Ideas Behind the
Constitution
John A. Garraty argues that
the Lowell Mill Workers
were not an "urban
proletariat."
Adlai Stevenson argues that
compromise and the loyal
opposition are the glue that
holds our government
together
3) Native American
Property Law; or the Trail
of Broken Treaties.
David Saville Muzzey
claims that the acquisition
of Texas as a "perfectly
fair" transaction
James Kirby Martin notes
that Horace Greeley
calculated that men's
earnings brought family
income up to half of the
poverty line.
4) Social Equality and the
Declaration of
Independence
George Bancroft argues that
the Bill of Rights "springs
from eternal justice"
Anthony F.C. Wallace
argued that whites hired
drunken Indians to pose as
landowners and the real
Native American owners
were swindled out of their
land.
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IV. Unit I: Colonial America
Susan B. Anthony
a) Discussion Packets
b) Progressive Historians
c) New Left Historians
1) Big Battles of the
Revolutionary War
Eleanor Flexner argued that
male clergy pointed out that
men were superior to
women due to the "Sin of
Eve."
Angie Debo argued that the
murder of friendly Indians
pointed to CaucasianAmerican racism
2) Origins of Democracy
George Bancroft argues that
Washington won the Battle
of Trenton because God
was on our side
James W. Loewen argues
that Columbus was a brute
because he introduced
slavery to the New World
3) Women’s Rights in
Colonial America
George Bancroft argues that
Indians deserved what they
got because they savagely
murdered innocent white
settlers
Matilda Joslyn Gage argued
that women were never
intended to be doormats, the
male clergy misinterpreted
and rewrote the Bible. God
was not a man, but the
he/she superior being
4) You Call It Corn,
We Call It Maize:
The Ethnocentric Legacy
Of Columbus.
Francis Jennings argues that
the US Constitution sprang
from European roots
James L. Stokesbury argues
that we won the Battle of
Trenton because the
Hessian soldiers were drunk
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V. Critical Thinking
Fill in the blanks.
Mix and Match these pegs.
Draw Lines matching jargon to definitions.
Pair up logical combinations
Critical Thinking is the art of deciding
which side is right, which there are
conflicting authorities?
Who should you believe when there are
competing truths?
How can you tear down opposing
arguments?
And build up your own interpretation?
What factors can you point to that suggest
your chosen interpretation is right and a
contrary reading is wrong?
My critical thinking categories, are pegs to
hang your hat on. They are a nonexclusive
list that help you get started.
a. Terminology
b. Definition
c. Fill in the Blank
General
Balanced accounts, sees both the pro and con
sides of the argument
Biased
Value neutral communications intended to help
the reader to decide for themselves
Mythology
Footnotes (preferably citing participants or
primary sources)
Secondary
Eloquent and simplified accounts, which are
designed to support some lesson or higher truth
Admissions
against interest
People who were directly involved in the events
in question.
Information
God-like accounts that attempt to answer metaquestions, like what does this all mean? How
did Robert E. Lee change the course of history?
Specific
Self-serving statements. Accounts by
slaveowners telling you how kind they were to
their servants
Participants
False rumors designed to prejudice the listener
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against the speaker
Primary
Quotes, newspaper accounts and diaries, which
were written during the time period in question
Propaganda
Historical writings written long after the events
took place.
Interpretations
Statements made by participants, which put
them in a bad light
Objective
Tall tales, which depict heroes and villains,
good guys and bad guys.
Historical Proof
or Evidence
Polarized, selected and politically motivated
and spun communications that from my
viewpoint prove that I am right and you are
wrong
Fallacy
Vague statements that build up an
interpretation, but give you no understanding of
what they actually did.
Facts
Actual events as they happened.
General Denials
Detailed accounts, which answer all of the 5Ws.
VI. Art of Teaching.
Fill in the blanks
a. Terminology
b. Definition
c. Fill in the Blank
Red Herrings
A made up category designed to confuse
students and to needlessly complicate
introductory coursework
Comparative
History
A, B, C, D, F
Multiple Choice
Exams
Cleverly designed teaching tools that give you
full credit for doing an assignment, without
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artificially inflating your grades.
Due Process
The art of deciding who is right and who is
wrong.
Lecture and Note
Taking
A sneaky, unethical and unprofessional way to
get students to do work, without giving them
credit for it.
Critical Thinking
False multiple choice answers that sound good
Diversity
Training
Spurious arguments designed to distract
opponents from the main issues.
Essay Tests
Comparatively meaningless measures of
memory and regurgitation
Peer Review
A meaningless forum designed to allow male
students to feed their own egos
Discussion
Silly written answers designed to boost the ego
of college professors, what they are doing has
meaning in the real world.
Political
Correctness
The tried and true teaching method that all
competent instructors use
Negative Grades
An unbiased account of American History that
we teach our children, because it is the truth.
Distracters
A crucial job skill for managers and
professionals
Collaborative
Management
An educational teaching tool designed to
inculcate group learning, shared meaning and
deeper understanding.
Letter Grades
An upbeat, flag waving American History
narrative that tells you what a great country you
live in and how wonderful the American
government is.
American Grand
Narrative
History's three Ws
Who,
When,
Where
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As what happened and why are subject to
dispute
Memory
Authentic assessments of student
understanding, deep meaning and true learning
Affirmative
Action
A lower form of pedagogy designed to foster
and support the Grand American Narrative,
study skills, memory and conformity. It
answers the meaningless question of what does
the professor think, instead of the real question,
of what does the student think.
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