Rethinking our past : recognizing facts, fictions, and lies in American history

74 Pages·2006·0.287 MB·English

by  James W Loewen, Recorded Books, Inc

R
ETHINKING
O P :
UR AST
RECOGNIZING FACTS,
FICTIONS, AND LIES
IN AMERICAN HISTORY
COURSE GUIDE
Professor Emeritus
James W. Loewen
UNIVERSITYOFVERMONT
Rethinking Our Past:
Recognizing Facts, Fictions, and Lies
in American History
Professor Emeritus James W. Loewen
University of Vermont
RecordedBooks™isatrademarkof
RecordedBooks,LLC.Allrightsreserved.
RethinkingOurPast:
RecognizingFacts,Fictions,andLies
inAmericanHistory
ProfessorEmeritusJamesW.Loewen
(cid:2)
ExecutiveProducer
JohnJ.Alexander
ExecutiveEditor
DonnaF.Carnahan
RECORDING
Producer-DavidMarkowitz
Director-MatthewCavnar
COURSEGUIDE
Editor-JamesGallagher
Design-EdwardWhite
Lecturecontent©2004byJamesW.Loewen
Courseguide©2004byRecordedBooks,LLC
7
2004byRecordedBooks,LLC
Coverimage:WashingtonCrossingtheDelawarebyEmanuelLeutze,1851/©Clipart.com
#UT041 ISBN:978-1-4025-8194-6
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arethoseoftheauthorandnotofRecordedBooks,LLC,oritsemployees.
CourseSyllabus
RethinkingOurPast:
RecognizingFacts,Fictions,andLies
inAmericanHistory
AboutYourProfessor........................................................................................................4
Introduction ....................................................................................................................5
Lecture1 WhyStudythePast?..................................................................................6
Lecture2 ArchaeologyandPrehistory ......................................................................9
Lecture3 ThePoliticsandHistoryofColumbus......................................................12
Lecture4 Pilgrims ....................................................................................................15
Lecture5 NativeAmericanSocietiesandCultures..................................................20
Lecture6 TheMakingandUseoftheConstitution..................................................25
Lecture7 Slavery......................................................................................................29
Lecture8 TheCivilWar............................................................................................34
Lecture9 TheCivilWar(Continued)andReconstruction........................................39
Lecture10 TheNadirofRaceRelations....................................................................44
Lecture11 TheNadirofRaceRelations(Continued)................................................49
Lecture12 UnitedStatesForeignPolicy....................................................................54
Lecture13 CapitalismandSocialClass ....................................................................60
Lecture14 DoingHistoryYourself..............................................................................65
AShortU.S.HistoryQuiz................................................................................................70
CourseMaterials..............................................................................................................71
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Loewen
W.
mes About Your Professor
Ja
courtesy
Photo James W. Loewen
JamesW.LoewentaughtracerelationsfortwentyyearsattheUniversityof
Vermont.Previously,hetaughtatpredominantlyblackTougalooCollegein
Mississippi.HenowlivesinWashington,D.C.,continuinghisresearchonhow
Americansremembertheirpast.LiesAcrossAmerica:WhatOurHistoricSites
GetWrongcameoutin1999.HisotherbooksincludeMississippi:Conflict
andChange(co-authored),whichwontheLillianSmithAwardforBest
SouthernNonfiction.Thebook,however,wasrejectedforpublic-schooltext
usebytheStateofMississippi,leadingtoapath-breakingFirstAmendment
lawsuit,Loewenetal.v.Turnipseed,etal.HealsowroteTheMississippi
Chinese:BetweenBlackandWhite,SocialScienceintheCourtroomandThe
TruthAboutColumbus.HeattendedCarletonCollegeandholdsaPh.D.in
sociologyfromHarvardUniversity.
JamesLoewenspenttwoyearsattheSmithsonianInstitutionsurveying
twelveleadinghighschooltextbooksofAmericanhistory.Hefoundanembar-
rassingblendofblandoptimism,blindnationalism,andplainmisinformation
weighinginatanaverageof888pagesandalmostfivepounds.
Inresponse,hewroteLiesMyTeacherToldMe:EverythingYourHigh
SchoolHistoryTextbookGotWrong,inpartatellingcritiqueofexistingtext-
books,butalsoagrippingretellingofAmericanhistoryasitshould,andcould,
betaught.Thebookwonthe1996AmericanBookAward,the1996AESA
Critics’ChoiceAward,andtheOliverCromwellCoxAwardforDistinguished
Anti-RacistScholarship.Ithassoldmorethan700,000copies.
From1999to2004,Loewenstudiedall-whitetownsthatwere(somestillare)
allwhiteonpurpose;theresultsledtohisnewestbook,SundownTowns.
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Introduction
YouwillgetthemostfromthiscoursebyreadingorlisteningtoProfessor
Loewen’sbook,LiesMyTeacherToldMe:EverythingYourAmericanHistory
TextbookGotWrong.WithinthatbookaremanyfactsaboutAmerican(and
world)historytowhichmostpeoplehavesimplyneverbeenexposed.
Nationalisthistorybytextbookauthorsandthedescendantsorbiographersof
thefamousandinfamoushavegivenhistorystudentsaveryskewedvisionof
ourtruehistory—indeed,thetruehistoryofmankind.
Thiscourseisdesignedtoenlightenandencourageyoutoconsiderthefac-
tualbasisofmanyofourmost-cherishedyetglossed-overstoriesandthe
real-lifecharacterswhopopulatethem.Fromarchaeologicalmisinformation
toinvestigationsintothenatureofmodernpublicpolicy,ProfessorLoewen
challengesyoutoconsiderthehistoryofwhat“was”ratherthanwhathas
beentoldbystandardteachingmethodsandtextbooks.
Thisishistoryrevealed.Thisishistoryasitwasmade,notasitisusually
taughtbywell-meaning,butmisdirected,teachers.Gobackintimeandrecov-
erwhathasbeen“lost.”Thehistoricaltruthhelpstomakesenseofourpre-
sentcircumstancesasAmericansandforourfutureasworldcitizens.
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Lecture1:
WhyStudythePast?
TheSuggestedReadingforthislectureisJamesLoewen’sLiesMy
TeacherToldMe,introductionandchapter1.
WhyStudythePast?
Studiesshowthathistoryistheleast-likedsubjectinhighschool.Thisis
partlybecausemuchofwhatwearetaughtthereiswrongandmostofitis
boring.Ironically,thetruthofrealhistoryismuchmoreinteresting.Muchof
whatwehavebeentaughtcanbereferredtoas
(cid:1)
B.S. = Bad Sociology
Thereareatleastthreeerroneousanswersforwhywestudyhistory:
1.Westudyhistorybecause“Thosewhocannotrememberthepastare
condemnedtorepeatit,”asGeorgeSantyanafamouslysaid.Buttothe
contrary,thephilosopherHegelmaintainedthatpeopleandgovernments
haveneverlearnedanythingfromhistory,andthereisendlessproofto
supportthisidea.
2.We study history to become good and proud citizens. This kind of
thinking, however, leads to bad history. Sometimes known as “her-
itage,” this thinking renders us ethnocentric and makes us blind to our
national faults, which in effect may make us “proud” citizens but not
necessarily “good” citizens.
3.Westudyhistorybecauseweindulgein“badpresentism.”Thisinvolves
readinghistoryintermsofcurrentissuesanddebatesandlookingatthe
pastthrougheyesthatcanonlyseeissuesofthepresent.
Considerthis...
Ifwhitepeopleasacategorywereresponsiblefortheegregiousinsti-
tutionofslavery,istherenotanagendaforwhitepeopleoftodayto
distancethemselvesfromidentifyingwithslavery,thussugarcoating
therealitiesofslavery?Thinkinglikethisisanexampleofwhatcan
becalled“RacialNationalCharacter,”whichcangreatlyskewour
impressionsofthepast.
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“The paradox of education is precisely this—
that as one begins to become conscious one begins
to examine the society in which he is being educated.”
—JamesBaldwin,
“ATalktoTeachers,”SaturdayReview
Patriotismvs.Nationalism
Itisimportantwhenthinkingabouthistorytomakeacleardistinction
betweenpatriotismandnationalism.Nationalismisthekindofthinkingthat
leadstofeelingsof“mycountry,rightorwrong.”Patriotisminitstrueform
shouldallowacitizentorebukeacountryforitssinsandnotexcuseitfor
thosesins.Nationalistichistoryasksforhistorytextbooksthatdescribea
countrywithnorealfaultsorinnerconflictandthusrequiresustolieto
studentsinordertoinstillaloveofcountry.
Inademocracy,ahistorian’sresponsibilityistotellthetruth.Studentsneed
todevelopinformedreactionstowhatgoesonandthushavetheabilityto
criticizeourcountryaswellastotakeprideinit.
HistoryasSelf-Defense
Historyshouldbeconcernedwithcausation.Historycanbeaweaponused
againstustomisinformandincorrectlysculptourviews.Ifyoudon’tknow
yourownhistory,youwillbeignorantandhelplessbeforesomeonewho
doesclaimtoknowit.Youneedtoknowhowtothinkofcausationinthepast
tomaintainyourplaceinthegreatdebatecalleddemocracyinthepresent.
Thisiswhatcouldbeconsidered“goodpresentism.”Historyinthetruesense
mustberelevanttothepresent.Facinghistorymoreaccuratelyisimperative,
especiallywiththenewdiversityoftheUnitedStates.Surelyourcountryis
readytohearwhatallvoiceshavetosayaboutitshistory.
RecurringThemesThroughoutTheseLectures
1.Don’ttrustwhatyoulearnedinschoolorfromhistoricalsites,markers,or
monuments.Checkitout.
2.Historyisaprocessofdeliberateforgetting.Overtime,historybecomes
simplerandlessaccurate.
3.Needsandpatternsofthoughtfromthepresentgetprojectedbackwards
ontothepast,influencingwhatweseeandhowweseeit.
4.America’spositionastheworld’sdominantsuperpowerinvitesustobe
ethnocentric.Inaddition,wehaveadeeplyingrainedEurocentrism.
5.Thereisa“heroification”processthatturnsrealpeopleintoperfect,
unblemishedcharacters.
6.Terminologyproblems:Shouldwesay“NativeAmericans”?“Native
AmericanIndians”?“AmericanIndians”?Whatexactlydoestheterm
“discover”meaninrelationtoourhistory?
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FORGREATERUNDERSTANDING
(cid:2)
Questions
Visitahistorichouse,fort,ship,orothersite.Beforeyougo,learnwhathap-
penedthere.Attheendofthetour,especiallyifithasbeeninadequate,ask
yourguidewhenthisinterpretationgot“set.”Whatdoesheorshethinkisthe
mostimportanttopicleftout?Howdoesheorshethinktheinterpretationwill
changeyearsfromnow?
Suggested Reading
Brear,HollyBeachley.InherittheAlamo:MythandRitualatanAmerican
Shrine.Austin:UniversityofTexasPress,1995.
Loewen,JamesW.LiesAcrossAmerica:WhatOurHistoricSitesGetWrong.
NewYork:Simon&Schuster,2000,15-50.
Other Books of Interest
Breisach,Ernst.Historiography:Ancient,Medieval,andModern.2nded.
Chicago:UniversityofChicagoPress,1995.
FitzGerald,Frances.AmericaRevised.NewYork:Vintage,1980.
Ravitch,Diane,andChesterE.Finn,Jr.WhatDoOur17-Year-OldsKnow?
NewYork:HarperCollins,1988.
“Oneisastonishedinthestudyofhistoryattherecurrenceoftheidea
thatevilmustbeforgotten,distorted,skimmedover.Wemustnot
rememberthatDanielWebstergotdrunkbutonlyrememberthathe
wasasplendidconstitutionallawyer.WemustforgetthatGeorge
Washingtonwasaslaveowner…andsimplyrememberthethingswe
E regardascreditableandinspiring.Thedifficulty,ofcourse,withthisphi-
N
O losophyisthathistorylosesitsvalueasanincentiveandexample;it
E paintsperfectmenandnoblenations,butitdoesnottellthetruth.”
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Lecture2:
ArchaeologyandPrehistory
TheSuggestedReadingforthislectureisJamesLoewen’sLiesMy
TeacherToldMe,chapters2and4.
PrehistoryorArchaeology
Historiansareconsumersofarchaeologyandanthropologyandnotproduc-
ersofit.Becauseofthis,theycanoftenmakeassumptionsthatarewrong.
WhendidpeoplefirstgettotheAmericas?Thetraditionalanswerthat
historiansgivetothisquestionis11,000yearsago.Actually,wedon’tknow.
Numbersnowrangefrom11,000to35,000to70,000yearsago.Thereisevi-
denceforeachofthesehypotheses.
HowdidpeoplegettotheAmericas?Thetraditionalansweristhatpeople
walkedacrosstheBeringStraitduringthelasticeage.Thereispracticallyno
evidenceforthis.
Absenceofevidence,however,isnotthesameasevidenceofabsence.The
pointisthatwejustdonotknowtheanswers,andourproclivitytoprofesscer-
taintyaboutsomethingwedon’tknowisverydangerous.
WedoknowthatpeoplegottoAustraliabetween40,000and60,000years
ago.Thismeansthatpeoplemusthavehadboatsthisfarback.Thereisevi-
dence,too,ofHomoerectusonotherislandsasfarbackas600,000years
ago.Whycouldn’tNativeAmericanshavecomebyboat?Thenotionthat
theyhadtohavewalkedacrosstheBeringStraitistheproblemofassump-
tionsprojectedontothepast.
AllNativeAmericanscanbedividedintothreegroups.
a.TheDineh,orCree/Navajo/Apache,isthemostrecentgroup,com-
ingabout1,000yearsago.
b.TheInuitscamenext—2,000,3,000,and4,000yearsago—most
probablybyboat.
c.AllotherIndiansarefromonegroup,butwearenotsurehowor
whentheygothere.
Historiansdiscouragethepossibilitythatotherpeoplecouldhavecometo
NorthAmericafromplacesotherthanSiberia.Throughouthistory,people
havespeculatedthatNativeAmericansorotheradventurersmighthave
comefrommanyplaces(e.g.,Israel,Egypt,China,outerspace).Whilesome
ofthesetheoriesarefanciful,theresultingskepticismhasledtoatotaldenial
ofallevidenceofotherculturesarrivingintheAmericasbeforetheIndians.
Forinstance,thereisnowproofthattheNorseweremostcertainlyinNorth
Americaathousandyearsago.Itisquitepossiblethatotherpeoplemay
havearrivedonAmerica’sshoresalongwiththepeoplewetraditionallycon-
sider“NativeAmericans.”
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