In James Loewen’S Book, Lies My Teacher Told Me, He Talks

In James Loewen’s book, Lies My Teacher Told Me, he talks about misconceptions in America school textbooks. Are these actually misconceptions though? What is the author saying about American history when details or whole event are untold? Lowen delves into these deep topics head on and gives examples as he goes. This book is not only intended for those who have read an American history book, but for those who have never heard the truth. Lowen wrote this book in order to uncover and educate; furthermore, this is important because events never told are now brought to light. Using detailed information concerning racism, governmental over watch, and the Vietnam War the author argues that the American history textbook has covered up things in†¦show more content†¦The American school systems has always made it seem as if slavery was widely frowned upon, but that was not the case. Northerners felt that, â€Å"†¦ black people were so hopelessly inferior that slavery was a proper form of education for them†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Lowen 144). Huge shocker here, like we understood that the north was jealous of the southern economy, but never thought they would agree with slavery. Lowen uncovers what the textbooks missed, which makes the American society look as if we are just terrible people. Growing up, the American population has always heard the phrase â€Å"big brother is watching† but did we know to what extent they involved themselves and their attempts to hide things? The government is always trying to make America seem as if we are just this great place that cares about everyone; furthermore, this has been called the â€Å"good guy interpretation†. In recent textbooks, it is claimed that the United States is the most generous nation and that we provide aid to anyone who needs it, unfortunately this is false. There are other eastern countries that donate much larger amounts to foreign aid. Why would these textbooks make a false claim? Thi s is the U.S. trying to be something it’s not in order to draw appeal to the United States. The textbooks have given light to some sensitive subjects such as plots to assassinate other world leaders, but these textbooks still find every motive affable and fine. HasShow MoreRelatedEssay on Lies My Teacher Told Me910 Words   |  4 Pagesin our past. This is where we get the misinterpretation of history. In chapter five of the book Lies My Teacher Told Me, these contradictions are brought into light and force us to look at them again. As I have learned in my history courses we can always question the accuracy of a story but we may never fully understand the truth. There have been three important times I have been through that have shaped my understanding of history today, specifically the part of history dealing with slavery and racismRead MoreSummary Of Lies My Teacher Told Me2933 Words   |  12 Pages The book, Lies My Teacher Told Me, begins with an introduction in which author James W. Loewen empathizes with the students. He discusses how History, specifically American History, is taught incorrectly. Loewen is able to share his understanding of why high school students think history is boring. He begins his argument with facts and numbers by saying that out of all the subjects in school, history is almost every students least favorite subject. He goes on to say that teachers also misrepresentRead More Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen Essay1948 Words   |  8 PagesLies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen High school history textbooks are seen, by students, as presenting the last word on American History. Rarely, if ever, do they question what their text tells them about our collective past. According to James W. Loewens Lies My Teacher Told Me, they should be. Loewen has spent considerable time and effort reviewing history texts that were written for high school students. In Lies, he has reviewed twenty texts and has compared them to the actualRead More Ed Zwick’s Glory - An Exemplary Model for Historical Films Essay example2155 Words   |  9 Pageshappens to have a brave young Boston Brahmin as the supposed leader of a colored battalion? Surely he does not have the license to create a film based on a heritage with which he has no affinity. Director Ed Zwick was apprehensive with the task and struggled with his entitlement to create such a film. I was afraid initially that a young, white, liberal, Jewish director would be presuming a lot to talk to them [African-American actors] about their slave antecedents. In fact, what I discovered in