Why do American history books lie?

[Grodon]

You must have gone to a bad school, because I remember learning about all of those things you mentioned.

[Cannot think of a name]

You know what's sad...I know who Tom Bombadil is and yet I just now got your name.

Ain't no flies on me...

Well the avatar is very misleading.

True. So true...

[Weed]

Learned that in high school.

Learned that too.

Covered that.

That too.

Never once heard anyone refer to the Korean War as a victory, in or out of school.

This...seems like a reach.

Huh?

Great, because they made a huge deal about it in high school.

Really? We covered Napoleon during World History.

Your school sucked? I mean, I was educated in California man. That's not a high bar to clear. You might want to start paying attention to your school board elections or something.

I've got pretty much the same situation as Cannot think of a name. Educated in Cali, and learned all that stuff, along with some pretty gruesome war crime info.

Yup, though it certainly does make sense that in a lot of conflicts in an American history class more focus is put on the American things. IE: Eastern front important, but the specifics are not all that important to an American history class as they would be a world history..

[Seperates]

OP, where the hell do you live? Your school must be getting some bottom of the barrel funding.

I'm going to guess Texas. Then it'd start sounding realistic.

Or a really conservative county.

[Terio]

Why do American history books (I'm talking about high school/grade school caliber) lie, or leave out certain things when talking about important events?

In my high school and grade schools especially, and in other American made history books I've seen, there is always some kind of obvious bias or down right lies about America in general. The one I'm mainly going to focus on is military, although there are many more you can note. I'm looking through one of my old textbooks right now and im going to flip through it to try and find some inaccurate facts or other things that stand out.
A couple of things I've noticed:

*LITTLE TO NO MENTION of the Eastern Front of World War II (the deciding factor of the war and the deadliest conflict in human history?)

*Also, no mention of the Soviets capturing Berlin to end the war in Europe. Can make people think the U.S. did.

*Little to no acknowledgment of the British/Commonwealth contribution to D-Day. Americans never really thank Britain for anything though.

*No mention of North Vietnam capturing South Vietnam. Kind of a big deal considering we fought a decade long war to PREVENT that from happening. Also, no mention of war crimes or other bad things the U.S. did in Vietnam.

*It says we won the Korean War, or was a "tactical success." Yea....no. It was a total stalemate and waste of life.

*Makes Britain and France look weak. (ex- It says "France and Britain could not have won without American support.) Can be argued, maybe.

*Tries to make excuses for American conquests (Mexican-American War, Spanish-American War.) Says the Spanish blew up the U.S.S. Maine for example, and that Mexico was claiming American territory.

*NO MENTION of Franco-Spanish support in the American Revolution. It was a huge factor.

*Says we won the War of 1812. Also, no mention of freaking NAPOLEON (besides the Louisiana Purchase a decade earlier.)

I'm sure I could find more but those are the main few that stick out to me. Now, why does this bother me you may ask?
Well, it makes American teenagers and young adults look like idiots. They end up not knowing a THING about basic history. They think America did everything, had a reasonable reason for everything, and that every other nation's contributions were useless. Then I see them on websites and in classrooms and such talking about military history, as if they truly know it, and say America's the best and stuff like that.
I saw this on the iPhone App iFunny earlier today:

"I what how German history books are like."
"I'd be like Well, we fucked up here, and here, a little bit here, big time here, also here, and there."

Then there were comments on it to, that said things like:

"French version. We ran away here, here, a little bit there, there, here."

Obviously neither of those are true, and makes me cry a little to see how uneducated America's youth is about world history. And you wonder why people from other countries hate us so much?

Your guy's thoughts?

Who cares. It's America and we are Americans. Everyone's history books are going to be a bit biased.

Also, the fact that you cry over this crap...

Yes, i'm crying. The tears are rolling down my cheeks as i type.
"Who cares."
Thats the exact thing I hate seeing in people like you. You don't care about people getting a simple education about some basic military history so they don't look like complete idiots when discussing it? I "cry" about it because I don't want young Americans in particular to look like fools.

[Terio]

I'm going to guess Texas. Then it'd start sounding realistic.

Or a really conservative county.

Nope. Midwest U.S. Near St. Louis. So you can imagine that being kind of crap.

[Jinos]

Korea was not a victory. The U.N. failed to unite Korea. So did North Korea and China. Therefore, stalemate it is.

The goal was not to unite Korea, the goal was to preserve South Korea. Uniting Korea only became a goal during the war.

[Seperates]

Who cares. It's America and we are Americans. Everyone's history books are going to be a bit biased.

Also, the fact that you cry over this crap...

Yes, i'm crying. The tears are rolling down my cheeks as i type.
"Who cares."
Thats the exact thing I hate seeing in people like you. You don't care about people getting a simple education about some basic military history so they don't look like complete idiots when discussing it? I "cry" about it because I don't want young Americans in particular to look like fools.

And most of us don't. Again, I've never expierenced any of the issues you are talking about

[Miss Defied]

Please don't take this the wrong way OP, or anyone else, but do you happen to go to a private school? Like a religious-based private school by chance?

[The Rebel Alliances]

True about Napoleon, but its the same thing the the Revolution. Its makes Americans think they defeated all of Britain on their own with little to no foreign intervention.

Korea was not a victory. The U.N. failed to unite Korea. So did North Korea and China. Therefore, stalemate it is.

I wouldn't really know about the WW2 part, but I just think American textbooks should mention more about the Eastern Front, at least the important stuff, Stalingrad, Kursk, etc.

The UN was there to defend South Korea, not to unite it with North Korea....

If I remember right that war aim changed after we drove them out of South Korea.
Hence why we invaded North Korea.
Hence why China got involved.
Hence the stalemate.

[Gauthier]

Might have something to do with school boards being composed of the hard right more and more.

[Lowell Leber]

Or a really conservative county.

Nope. Midwest U.S. Near St. Louis. So you can imagine that being kind of crap.

I went to school in Southern Ohio, so dont blame it on being in the Midwest...

[Defensor]

Who cares. It's America and we are Americans. Everyone's history books are going to be a bit biased.

Also, the fact that you cry over this crap...

Yes, i'm crying. The tears are rolling down my cheeks as i type.
"Who cares."
Thats the exact thing I hate seeing in people like you. You don't care about people getting a simple education about some basic military history so they don't look like complete idiots when discussing it? I "cry" about it because I don't want young Americans in particular to look like fools.

Read my edit, I've literally learned all the things you say we "don't learn". You are sadly crying about nothing

Edit: Also, there's nothing keeping American's from looking like fools. Especially these days

[The Grand World Order]

Every nation is likely to heavily focus primarily on themselves, and try to make themselves look good. We are not the first, and we are certainly not the worst.

I think it's less "Let's stroke our peen" and more "This is the most relevant section of history for the students." Let's be honest here; an American student really doesn't need, and won't apply say, Azerbaijani history as much as American history.

[Mussoliniopoli]

Who cares. It's America and we are Americans. Everyone's history books are going to be a bit biased.

Also, the fact that you cry over this crap...

Yes, i'm crying. The tears are rolling down my cheeks as i type.
"Who cares."
Thats the exact thing I hate seeing in people like you. You don't care about people getting a simple education about some basic military history so they don't look like complete idiots when discussing it? I "cry" about it because I don't want young Americans in particular to look like fools.

Military History isn't really useful outside of Bar Bets and Forum Wanking. Though I guess Military Academies might care about it not my cup of tea. I prefer focusing on domestic policies, political development, sociological changes, etc. Humans slaughtering each other doesn't really change other than how effective we get at doing it.

[Seperates]

Or a really conservative county.

Nope. Midwest U.S. Near St. Louis. So you can imagine that being kind of crap.

Well... "Midwest" is kinda a telling sign. However, again, having just passed A.P. U.S. two years ago, I never expierienced any of those issues in history class.

[Olthar]

Because text book companies don't want to produce 50 versions of each book, so the state with the lowest standards ends up dictating what every other state learns. As such, blame Texas.

[Le Mars]

Well... "Midwest" is kinda a telling sign. However, again, having just passed A.P. U.S. two years ago, I never expierienced any of those issues in history class.

As is "New England" to some. Your prejudice is showing.

I think it's less "Let's stroke our peen" and more "This is the most relevant section of history for the students." Let's be honest here; an American student really doesn't need, and won't apply say, Azerbaijani history as much as American history.

No, they most likely won't, and a focus in American history books on America's role in world history is understandable, and even desirable. I think the entire system could use a little fleshing out, but the national emphasis, in itself, is not an issue.

[Grodon]

Nope. Midwest U.S. Near St. Louis. So you can imagine that being kind of crap.

Well... "Midwest" is kinda a telling sign. However, again, having just passed A.P. U.S. two years ago, I never expierienced any of those issues in history class.

I'm from the midwest and I learned about the things he's complaining about not learning.

[Lowell Leber]

Because text book companies don't want to produce 50 versions of each book, so the state with the lowest standards ends up dictating what every other state learns. As such, blame Texas.

But so far many of us have stated that we did in fact learn these things in High School, so maybe the "low standards" of Texas are not the culprit after all?

[The Tiger Kingdom]

Again, this is really, really conditional on where you were educated.
My history courses in high school were actually really good, as far as that sort of thing goes. It helped I could fact-check things myself, as I have an interest in the subject matter anyway, and I had good teachers.

[The Black Forrest]

Obama did it.

Actually, your topics were taught at my school.

Were you home schooled?

[Olthar]

Because text book companies don't want to produce 50 versions of each book, so the state with the lowest standards ends up dictating what every other state learns. As such, blame Texas.

But so far many of us have stated that we did in fact learn these things in High School, so maybe the "low standards" of Texas are not the culprit after all?

What appears in textbooks is not always congruent with what is taught in class. I know that my high school teachers tended to ignore the textbooks, which is probably why my education wasn't half bad.

[Loichtenreich]

You can blame that on Texas!

Snipped from:
http://www.cracked.com/article_20205_5- ... erica.html

#4. Texas Decides What Kids Learn at School

You already know that Texas rules the nation in barbecue and Tejano music, but did you also know that the Lone Star State dictates what goes in textbooks for the rest of the country?

Here's why: Even though school curriculum and standards might vary from state to state, publishers sure as hell do not want to print up 50 different editions of each book. So the standards for everyone tend to be set by whichever state buys the most books.

Sure, California may have the largest school-age population, but they also have very strict hippie standards on what they teach their hippie children. Plus, California is so bankrupt that they can't afford to dictate dick in the nationwide market. In second place in the number of schoolchildren department is Texas, a state with a thriving economy and very clearly defined textbook standards. So it makes sense that textbook companies listen to what Texas has to say.

So who cares, right? Well, Texas isn't like other states, and not just because of the big hair. Back in the '80s, a small group of Christian conservatives realized that they could influence the future more than politicians by getting into the heads of kids. That means populating the 15-member Texas State Board of Education that reviews and approves schoolbooks with creationists who don't believe in evolution, sex ed, or gay stuff. And that's why, when the Texas State Board of Education reviews the texts of a different topic annually, objections pour in from a strictly conservative viewpoint.

For example, in 2009, the subject up for review was science, so the board decided that students should be challenged to consider the gaps in the fossil record as possible evidence against evolution. The board chairman was quoted as saying, "Evolution is hooey." "Hooey," because "balderdash" was too strong a word. In 2010, the board reviewed social studies; they decided that high school students should learn about the conservative icons of the 1990s, but not liberal or minority rights groups. Oh, and Joseph McCarthy was painted in a more positive light. That was the year that the board chairman said:

"The way I evaluate history textbooks is first I see how they cover Christianity and Israel ... Then I see how they treat Ronald Reagan -- he needs to get credit for saving the world from communism and for the good economy over the last 20 years because he lowered taxes."

We can only imagine what the board is going to do to algebra once they get their weirdly fundamentalist hands on it. (Take out the "bra" part, probably. Ninth graders will take alge from now on.)

[Miss Defied]

Might have something to do with school boards being composed of the hard right more and more.

This.

Because text book companies don't want to produce 50 versions of each book, so the state with the lowest standards ends up dictating what every other state learns. As such, blame Texas.

And this.

What I am thinking is that they may be getting more and more like the OP is describing while it was not like that 10, 20 years ago.