Library:Lies My Teacher Told Me
| Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong | |
|---|---|
| Author | James W. Loewen |
| First published | 1995 |
| ISBN | — |
| Role | Analysis |
| Domains | Education & Learning History |
| Tactics | False Context Propaganda Technique |
Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong is a 1995 book by James W. Loewen.
Summary
Sociologist James Loewen examined twelve widely used American high school history textbooks and found them full of errors, omissions and myths. He argued that textbooks turned history into a series of uncomplicated heroic stories, which made the subject boring and misleading.
The book was revised in 2007 and 2018. Loewen died in 2021.
Key points
- Heroification. Textbooks smoothed figures like Woodrow Wilson and Helen Keller into simple heroes, leaving out complicated or controversial facts.
- Columbus and first contact. Loewen criticized myths around Columbus and the treatment of Native Americans.
- Race. He argued textbooks downplayed racism and the role of slavery in American history.
Relevance to Bullshitopedia
The book shows how myths enter history education through simplification and omission, which explains why many historical myths in Bullshitopedia persist.
Related entries
- George Washington could not tell a lie about the cherry tree
- The Civil War was fought over states' rights, not slavery