The Hypocrisy of Teaching American History Essays - 630 Words

The Hypocrisy of Teaching American History Reading, writing and arithmetic, these three subjects are the basic outline for American schools. In those subjects, where does history fit in? Some believe that teachers avoid history because of how corrupt America has been. James W. Loewen, author of Lies My Teacher Told Me, says, Parents may feel undermined when children get tools of information not available to adults and use them in ways that seem to threaten adult-held values. (Loewen 296.) The adults had to learn the same false history children are being taught today. By teaching children the truth about history, are adults risking the authority they hold along with adult-held values? Learning social studies is to no small extent,†¦show more content†¦A great deal of my eighth grade year was spent on the Holocaust. Not only was it taught in history class, but also in my English and class. I even had the pleasure of meeting two survivors from Auschwitz, a Nazi concentration camp. The teachers made it clear to us that the reason so much time was spent on the Holocaust was to prevent it from happening to our generation. They believed that if they showed us how wrong it was, wed keep it from happening to us. This is why the truths of history should always be taught in American schools. If children never learn about the horrors that make up a great deal of Americas history, then they are in danger of repeating those same horrors. Another thing bad about lying to students regarding Americas history, is the hypocrisy of it all. On one hand, they describe a country without repression, without real conflict. On the other hand, they obviously believe that we need to lie to students to instill in them love of country. But if the country is so wonderful, why must we lie? (Loewen 296.) Just the fact that the teachers and textbooks are lying at all shows how truly corrupt America can be. How can adults be worried about losing authoritative power when the authority is having a negative influence on Americas future leaders? As far as values go, what kinds of values include educating Americas youth withShow MoreRelatedHypocrisy Within Religious Groups : Religion1424 Words   |  6 PagesHypocrisy Within Religious Groups Did you know that since 2012 more than 7.5 million people are no longer active in any type of religion or religious group (Grant, 2013)? Looking back on the past as well as the rich history of faith in God that can be found throughout American History it is almost surprising the amount of people who no longer take a claim to religion. Over the course of the last 30 to 40 years religious communities have had cycles of high or low attendance. Now as times are changingRead MoreChanging Views And The Changing Blues1657 Words   |  7 PagesEmily Meyers Taylor, Cameron- 4th Hour Honors American Literature 9 January 2015 The Changing Views and The Changing Blues Mark Twain himself had this to say about his novel: Huckleberry Finn is a book of mine about a boy with a sound heart and a deformed conscience that come into conflict...and conscience suffers defeat.† In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, his view of society starts out as naà ¯ve and childish, but as he experiences life on the Mississippi, he grows into a man with a realisticRead MoreExamples Of Hypocrisy In To Kill A Mockingbird1782 Words   |  8 PagesAn award winning novel, To Kill A Mockingbird was brilliantly written by author Harper Lee, intertwining multiple themes to create a classic piece of American literature to represent white southern ethics of the 1930s. A common theme throughout the novel, hypocrisy is a method for Harper Lee to communicate an underlying message to readers. Hypocrisy reflects how societies, communities and the church benefits from it as a means for being ignorant of oneself’s wrongdoings and sins, placing blame elsewhereRead More Gove rnment and Politics - Time to Stop Lying Essay901 Words   |  4 Pagessuburbians living life in a bubble of our own creation, fooling ourselves into believing that words and legislative acts will solve the many problems of these times.    We do not have much faith in the legislative system in America. We study our history, and realize that nothing has really changed, despite numerous amendments, acts, and programs. We find these to be simple attempts to pacify the masses in a scheme of the largest proportions to launder our riches and our wealth.    You askRead MoreThe Narrative of Frederick Douglass and David Walkers Appeal869 Words   |  4 Pagesthe African American race itself. The Narrative of Frederick Douglass and David Walkers Appeal, explained the problems slaves has in learning, hypocrisy in Christianity within the slave owner, and the action slaves should take. Fredrick Douglas was born a slave. In his narrative, Mr. Douglass explains how his mistress took an interest in him. Mrs. Auld would teach Mr. Douglass how to read, but was forbidden to continue by her husband, Mr. Auld. Mr. Auld explained to his wife, teaching a slave toRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain Essay1055 Words   |  5 Pagespoint of view of a young man that has an urge for freedom yet struggles to conform to society s norms due to his adolescence. Twain s ability to unmask the true identities of the characters through the diction and setting moreover displaying the hypocrisy, racism, and moral education within society is the causation that the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is originally banned. Just one month after its publication. Not suitable for trash†,† was the opinion of the Concord, Massachusetts, librariansRead MoreRacial Discrimination During The Second World War1443 Words   |  6 Pagesboth America and Europe. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the young narrator named Scout witnesses racial tensions in the glacial-paced town of Maycomb shake up the community, and create grand-scale cracks in the ground contrasting opinions and revealing hypocrisies hidden underneath as a certain court date inches closer. This legal case takes an alleged rape incident, applying racial undertones and showing the dominance of the white race in society, as well as the desperation and disadvantage of the blackRead MoreSocial Criticism in Blakes Chimney Sweeper and Haydens Monets Waterlilies1274 Words   |  6 Pageschildren as young as five years of age were bought, sold, and traded into a life that was completely at the mercy of their owner. These were children without a childhood. Almost two hundred years later America followed suit with this behavior as black Americans were forced to sit in the back of buses, use separate facilities, and attend different schools. The corruption of these contrasting societies is vividly depicte d in William Blakes The Chimney Sweeper and Robert Haydens Monets Waterlilies,Read MoreReligion And The American Society895 Words   |  4 Pagesimportant role in both the history and government of America. In America’s early years, the Christian sense of religious unity gave Americans a feeling of brotherhood and clarity. However, as the nation developed, issues began to divide the American consciousness, and as America became divided on political issues, they also became divided on their interpretation of the Bible and how it should relate to the fate of the country. Because of the importance of religion in the American conscience, in issuesRead MoreKing And Douglass Similarities723 Words   |  3 Pagesanyone ever really read it and thought about it? This could be like â€Å"The Hypocrisy of American Slavery,† a piece of work produced by Frederick Douglass. â€Å"They both argued that African-Americans have a natural right to equality† (Renfro 1). Douglass once said, â€Å"The white mans happiness cannot be purchased by the black mans misery.† Here is just another point of there not being enough equality for being an African American during those times of struggle. The fact that King and Douglass had used their