Allie Morrill
Mr. Foti
March 7, 2011
AP US History Per. 2
Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong
An enlightening bundle of facts, blunders, and secrets of American history that
textbooks fail to teach students is examined by James W. Loewen in his book, Lies My
Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong. Loewen
spent two years reading American history text books only to discover predicable, boring
accounts of American history. As well as teaching race relations for twenty years, he is
also a sociologist. According to Loewen, Americans have lost contact with their past. By
examining accounts and events American history text books leave out explain why
history class is the least favorite of students subjects. The lack of any history that would
make America look bad from textbooks leaves students “incapable of thinking effectively
about our present and future” (Loewen 9). Sheltering students from America’s downfalls
raises a generation unprepared to use the past to solve the problems of today and the
future.
The textbooks students are required to use for American history courses “leave
out anything that might reflect badly upon our national character” (Loewen 5). Students
find history class to be “bor-r-ring” (Loewen 1). He is right, from a student’s point of
view, history is repetitive and never changes. All of the information given in our “average
1,150 page” books presents America to have a near perfect history (Loewen 3). The
books use a process called herofication to “turn flesh-and-blood individuals into pious,
perfect creatures” (Loewen 11). Loewen goes into detail about a former president,
Woodrow Wilson, revealing the things he did that textbooks just so happened to leave
out. “To the world, Wilson projected an image of professorial gravity as he led the nation
through World War I” (Farquhar 129). What many young students don’t know him for
are “his racial segregation of the federal government and his military interventions in
foreign countries.” (Loewen 16). Wilson was an openly racist and used his power to
segregate the federal government and the navy. Textbooks leave out almost everything
about Wilson being racist. Loewen’s examination of twelve textbooks on American
history confirm “only a sentence or two” are given about Wilson’s racism, if that
(Loewen 20). This right here is perfect evidence that textbooks leave out the parts of
history that aren’t positive about figures in history. There was another side to Wilson that
textbooks and Loewen fail to discuss. Wilson wrote love letters to Mrs. Edith Galt, acting
“like a giddy teenager” (Farquhar 129). The height of the scandal was ignited by the
Washington Post in 1915. On the front page they reported “the president spent much of
the evening entering Mrs. Galt.” This was not true however, it “was supposed to say that
he was entertaining her” (Farquhar 130). Although this does not have too much to do
with history, knowing this side of Wilson makes him look more like a regular person than
a hero and past leader of our nation. This would have been another great argument
Loewen could have made to prove textbooks don’t provide students with the
controversial history that would allow them to have an opinion of their own. To present
Woodrow Wilson as a hero is to pretend his racism, foreign relations and sex scandals
never occurred. Loewen used many primary and secondary sources that textbooks have
steered away from to support the theme of heroification. Loewen’s style of writing is
coherent and interesting. He presents the topic, stating what history books do include and
then talks about what they don’t include. Then he goes on to discuss the consequences.
As seen above he points out what students don’t really know about Wilson. Any
knowledge left out by textbooks supports that fact that history courses teach students
nothing to substantiate an opinion of their own about today’s history. Since students have
not lived through much of history that is taught, they have to rely on being taught what
went on in the past, but textbooks leave out the real emotions of history.
Generally speaking, students think of Christopher Columbus as the founder of
America. That is because our textbooks tell us to, and tell us without him, America would
not exist. Textbook authors use the word discover to describe Columbus’s findings of
America. Unfortunately, there is more to the story than him and his men finding America.
There were already people living there, yet textbooks don’t go out of the way to point
that out. We have a national holiday celebrated for Columbus, should we? A question
such as this would never be asked in a textbook because textbooks don’t provide anything
to encourage students to question Columbus. He was not even the first one to sail to
America. “The textbooks’ first mistake is to underplay previous explorers.” (Loewen 33).
Loewen points out where textbooks give students the idea that all the founders of
America were good people. It cannot be ignored that George Washington and Thomas
Jefferson both owned slaves. This is a very convincing argument, unfortunately
“textbooks do not discuss ideas” (Loewen 286). When Columbus was credited the
discovery of America, it planted the seed for Eurocentric thinking. The story textbooks
tell about Columbus “humanize Columbus so readers will identify with him.” (Loewen
32). The Europeans were able to dominate the Americas due to the aid of better military
technologies. By not thinking about how Europe became a world power makes it “seem
natural” (Loewen 37). Europe became a world power by conquering another race because
they were labeled as inferior. Race relations, slave trade and an underclass were all
created when Columbus inhabited the Arawaks, a group of people who dominated most
of the Caribbean islands. This is one story textbooks usually leave out, but it has
importance in teaching students the truth of who Columbus really was. Columbus’s
description of these people ended with “I could conquer the whole of them with fifty men
and govern them as I pleased.” (Loewen 54). This statement reveals a ruthless side of
him. As soon as he stepped foot on the islands he claimed almost everything to be his.
When the Arawaks got fed up with Columbus and his men, they revolted. Columbus
responded by slaying their people. When students don’t know this side of him, they view
him as a hero, who without, America would not be here today. By omitting these facts it
offends Native Americans as well. Loewen’s discussion of Columbus rightfully puts him
in the place he belongs. If students don’t know the truth of the past, how can they learn
from our countries mistakes? This being the first one, is most important.
A huge problem that effects today’s society is racism. American history textbooks
make racism in our past invisible. This gives students the attitude that racism isn’t a
problem today, thus no one will make any effort to solve the problem. The generation
being taught like this is going to emerge in society clueless as to what is really going on.
Supporting this is the fact “Race is the sharpest and deepest division in American life.”
(Loewen 136). Most textbooks don’t even have the word racism in their index. They fail
to teach students the connection between slavery and racism. Loewen gives an adequate
introduction and discussion about what textbooks do and don’t leave out about slavery
and the effect it has on students. He uses outside sources, a primary source to be specific,
a quote by Thomas Hart Benton, a senator from Missouri. This quote compared slavery to
a biblical plague, “We can see nothing, touch nothing, have no measures proposed,
without having this pestilence before us.” The last line of his quote portrays slavery the
way it should be. Loewen utilized the sources all around him, that are available to
everyone, to make his claims. The importance of pointing out racism to students lies in
making connections between the past and present. Because slavery is over, most people
look past the discrimination that is still around today. It is true “Were it not for
discrimination, blacks and whites would have equal incomes and be distributed equally
across the professions.” (Woods 143). Thomas E. Woods Jr,’s 33 Questions About
American History You’re Not Supposed to Ask supports Loewen’s main points that
racism still effects society today. Students don’t learn what causes racism so they don’t
learn how to fix the problem. The distilling of racism in society lead to “Black students
may conclude that all whites are racist, perhaps by nature, so to be anti-white is alright.”
(Loewen 145). Here Loewen presents a problem in society that will not be able to even
be detected by the generation being taught with these books. He continues to support the
inequalities today with statistics about different races. “In 2000 African American and
Native American family median incomes averaged only 62 perfect of white family
income” (Loewen 170). This is perfect evidence there is still discrimination lingering in
society today, but by not leading students to make a connection between slavery and
racism, makes it just seem apart of society.
American history textbooks are written from a white perspective. “In 1925 the
American Legion declaimed that the idea textbook: must inspire the children with
patriotism…must be careful to tell the truth optimistically” (Loewen 302). Providing this
primary source shows that some actually want American history textbooks to be they way
they are. On the other hand, another perspective on textbooks, “in 1986 Shirley Engle and
Anna Ochoa’s ideal textbook should: confront students with important questions and
problems for which answers are not readily be available” (Loewen 302). By providing
two different perspectives it can be assumed textbooks are written from the American
Legion’s view. All of the information Loewen used in his book is all around us, but it has
not “made its way into our textbooks,” (Loewen 303). Loewen not only makes his main
point that students don’t learn history adequately the way it is being taught, he backs it up
with solid facts “two-thirds of American seven-teen-year-olds cannot place the Civil War
in the right half-century” (Loewen 342).
James W. Loewen’s Lies My Teacher Told Me reveals how American history is
really taught. Students are not getting the education on history to prepare them for the
problems they will soon have to face in society. “To succeed, schools much help us learn
how to ask questions about our society” (Loewen 356). His book is more valid than
textbooks are! Loewen presented what textbooks included, didn’t include, the effects on
students, and what textbooks should do to fix with problem. As a student myself, I
learned more about American history than my textbook has taught me. After reading this
book Loewen has successfully made me become a critical reader and inspired me to
asked questions and form my own opinions in today’s day in age.
Works Cited
Farquhar, Michael “A Treasury of Great American Scandals: Tantalizing True
Tales of Historic Misbehavior by the Founding Fathers and Others Who Let
Freedom Swing” Penguin Group (USA) Inc., USA, July 2003
Loewen, James W. “Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History
Textbook Got Wrong” The New Press: New York, 2007
Woods, Thomas E. Jr. “33 Questions About American History You’re Not
Supposed
to Ask” Three Rivers Press, imprint of the Crown Publishing Group,
division
of Random House, Inc., New York, 2007