We are often told that history is written by the winners. In James W. LoewenÆs (1995) Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong, the author illustrates how history is often interpreted and distorted due to the cultural perspective of those who record it. From the alleged discovery of America by Columbus to numerous other historical distortions, Loewen (1985, p. 6) surveyr 12 top American history textbooks and compares them with a variety of historical documents to show the ôamazing storiesùsome wonderful, some ghastlyùin American historyö that have been distorted or left out completely. The distortion and omission of stories from history has radically altered the modern John or Joan American. Using points made by Loewen, this analysis will explore the affect of such bias in historical accounts and how we this knowledge can better help us live our daily lives.
In the U.S., individuals often think of America as the worldÆs benefactor, championing democratic principles and freedom around the world. By illustrating how indigenous people have been exploited in American history, how achievements like Columbus embody more than meets the eye from the typical American history textbook, and how we have often been as violent as peaceful as a nation, we see the distortions in viewpoint that often arise from cultural orientation. As Loewen (1995, p. 97) maintains, ôU.S. history is no more violent or oppressive than the histories of England, Russia, Indonesia, or Burundiùbut neither is it exceptionally less violent.ö
We see that when we are children if we are only taught one interpretation or perspective on history, we often have distorted views of other cultures, forms of government, and economies. As Loewen (1995, p. 262) notes, when all interpretations are accounted for, ôEconomically, we are the bane, not the hope, of the world.ö Such one-sided or c
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