Assignment:
"One is astonished in the study of history at the recurrence of the idea that evil must be forgotten, distorted, skimmed over. We must not remember that daniel webster got drunk but only remember that he was a splendid constitutional lawyer. We must forget that george wahington was a slave owner...and simply remember the things we regard as creditable and inspiring. the difficulty, of course, with this philosophy is that history loses its value as an incentive and example; it paints perfect men and noble nations, but it does not tell the truth." ~W.E.B. DuBois.
After reading the above quote, address the following in a complete 2-3 pages paper:
1. Within the context of our stories concerning Christopher Columbus, Native Americans, the Pilgrims, or slavery, discuss how historians (Zinn and Loewen) have dealt with the above issues specifically.
2. How have history textbooks begun to complicate our histories even further?
3. With regard to the above topics, how have your readings and studies in this class differed from the ways in which these topics have been portrayed (all the way back to elementary school) to you in previous classes?
4. In the quote above, W.E.B. DuBois suggests that in our studies of history, when we skim over the bad parts, our histories begin to lose their value as "incentive and example." What does he mean by this?
5. What are the far-reaching consequences of the ways in which so many of us have been taught history?
In your paper, must support your arguments with at least 3 credible sources and citations must be in APA.