Table of Contents

CONTENTS

Introduction to the Second Edition xi

Introduction: Something Has Gone Very Wrong 1

1 Handicapped by History: The Process of Hero- making 11

2 1493: The True Importance of Christopher Columbus 31

3 The Truth About the First Thanksgiving 70

4 Red Eyes 93

5 “Gone With the Wind”: The Invisibility of Racism in
American History Textbooks 135

6 John Brown and Abraham Lincoln: The Invisibility of Antiracism
in American History Textbooks 172

7 The Land of Opportunity 204

8 Watching Big Brother: What Textbooks Teach About
the Federal Government 219

9 See No Evil: Choosing Not to Look at the War in Vietnam 244

10 Down the Memory Hole: The Disappearance of the
Recent Past 259

11 Progress Is Our Most Important Product 280

12 Why Is History Taught Like This? 301

13 What Is the Result of Teaching History Like This? 340

Afterword: The Future Lies Ahead—and What to Do
About Them 355

Notes 363
Appendix 435
Index 437

About the Author

James W. Loewen is the bestselling author of Lies Across America and Sundown Towns (The New Press), among many other books and articles. He is professor emeritus of sociology at the University of Vermont and lives in Washington, D.C.

Reviews

"Every teacher, every student of history, every citizen should read this book. It is both a refreshing antidote to what has passed for history in our educational system and a one-volume education in itself."
—Howard Zinn

"Every teacher, every student of history, every citizen should read this book. It is both a refreshing antidote to what has passed for history in our educational system and a one-volume education in itself."
-Howard Zinn

Loewen (sociology, Univ. of Vermont; Mississippi: Conflict and Change), whose interest lies in looking for "weapons of mass instruction" in American history textbooks, first shared his findings over ten years ago in the best-selling first edition of this book. Here he presents his updated assessments, starting with an introduction that "re-caps" and "pre-caps" what the book covers, and explains his concept of the failings of 12 American history textbooks. He finds, for example, that Woodrow Wilson is still given hero status although he was almost single-handedly responsible for forcing the removal of any one who was not a WASP from all levels of government. He also notes that we are spending more time on the War of 1812 than on our longest war: Vietnam. In an age of "truthiness" and "spin," a work that asks us to challenge students with actual and chronological history, and with images and comments from diverse viewpoints, leaving each student to come to his or her own conclusions, would seem to be of particular importance. Even if your library has the first edition, you must get this update. A fascinating work; highly recommended.-Suzanne Lay, Perry H.S. Lib., GA Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.