Debunking American Myths
ACTIVITIES / PROCEDURES:
1. WARM-UP/DO-NOW:
"Do you think an accurate account of the past is necessary for understanding the present
or future?
Why or why not?
How do some events or people in history become "mythologized" or distorted?"
2. As a class, read and discuss "Debunking America's Enduring Myths," using the
following questions:
a. What are some examples of "old myths" people like to debunk, or correct, around
Independence Day?
b. Who actually wrote the Declaration of Independence, according to the article?
c. How did Benjamin Franklin and John Adams edit Thomas Jefferson's writing?
d. What documents inspired the Declaration of Independence?
e. Who wrote "Virginia's Declaration of Human Rights"?
f. What is the difference between "liberalism" and "classical republicanism," according to
the article?
g. Why, according to the article, do traditional American historical accounts of the
Revolution focus on "liberalism" over "classical republicanism"?
h. How did the Revolution create "social upheaval," according to the article?
i. How has the British defeat in the Revolutionary War been misrepresented?
j. Why might the notion of "isolation" in colonial America not be considered accurate?
k. What parts of the world, outside of the colonies, were of interest to colonists?
l. As what nationality did colonists identify themselves, according to the article?
3. Students create and play a game, "American History: Fact or Fiction?"
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Inspired by the myths they read about in the article, students will work in
small groups to create two challenging statements regarding different eras,
people, or events from American history.
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One statement must be "fiction" widely regarded as fact, and the other
statement must be fact not widely known or covered by traditional
historical accounts. For the "fiction" statement, groups must write an
explanatory paragraph that debunks the myth.
Some examples of topics and people well known for being mythologized,
over-simplified, or "heroified" include: the origins of the Vietnam War,
Christopher Columbus, John F. Kennedy, Hellen Keller, Thanksgiving,
Woodrow Wilson and the League of Nations, and pre-colonial American
Indian societies.
Our Class will focus on topics related to one specific historical era , the
American Revolution, which is covered in the article.