Duty Honor Country
Active member
Today's history textbooks incorporate a great deal of political correctness. I believe that political correctness that is blurring the truth. In addition, history books seem to over glorify the good and ignore the bad parts of our history. I am speaking for US history textbooks ONLY. Any input from foreign sources is greatly appreciated. A few examples to prove my point are below.
I have read in a textbook that George Washington freed his black “servants” when he died. I am sorry, but he owned slaves. The definition of a servant is someone who is employed for a service, not owned. In addition, Martha’s slaves were not freed and were given to her grandson upon death.
After the Revolutionary War, congress funds by taxing imports, beer and “property sold at auction.” I had to think about this for a minute before I related auction taxes to slaves sold at auction. I know slavery is a dark part of our history, but our history is being rewritten to hide it.
My wife and I argued over when the declaration of independence was signed. She had been taught it was signed on July 4th. I had to show her in a bio on Ben Franklin to change her mind. The declaration was signed in August. Then the document was conveniently hidden away. If America had lost the war, those guilty of treason would hang.
Before I read a book on Lewis and Clark, I had always thought of Lewis and Clark to be extremely noble men. After learning the darker side of the men and the fact that Lewis committed suicide a few years after the mission, I changed my mind about Lewis and Clark.
History books spend little time talking about our war with Mexico or the Spanish American War. These wars were not fought for noble causes, they were fought more for economic and territorial gain.
If you read any detailed article or book on the Founding Fathers, you will read in great length about their devotion to God and religion. The history text books tend to ignore this point.
I wish I had a history textbook in front of me so I could get better examples. Anyways, I believe political correctness is ruining our history.
I have read in a textbook that George Washington freed his black “servants” when he died. I am sorry, but he owned slaves. The definition of a servant is someone who is employed for a service, not owned. In addition, Martha’s slaves were not freed and were given to her grandson upon death.
After the Revolutionary War, congress funds by taxing imports, beer and “property sold at auction.” I had to think about this for a minute before I related auction taxes to slaves sold at auction. I know slavery is a dark part of our history, but our history is being rewritten to hide it.
My wife and I argued over when the declaration of independence was signed. She had been taught it was signed on July 4th. I had to show her in a bio on Ben Franklin to change her mind. The declaration was signed in August. Then the document was conveniently hidden away. If America had lost the war, those guilty of treason would hang.
Before I read a book on Lewis and Clark, I had always thought of Lewis and Clark to be extremely noble men. After learning the darker side of the men and the fact that Lewis committed suicide a few years after the mission, I changed my mind about Lewis and Clark.
History books spend little time talking about our war with Mexico or the Spanish American War. These wars were not fought for noble causes, they were fought more for economic and territorial gain.
If you read any detailed article or book on the Founding Fathers, you will read in great length about their devotion to God and religion. The history text books tend to ignore this point.
I wish I had a history textbook in front of me so I could get better examples. Anyways, I believe political correctness is ruining our history.