Question
Do history books tell the truth? They were written by people?
Answer
Truth is subjective, personal, and, especially in history textbooks, ltverygt political.brbrHere are several examplesbrbr. In some books, Christopher Columbus, the discoverer of America, is a hero. In others, hes a villain. Not only did he ltnotgt discover America, hes responsible for the deaths of millions of Native Americans.brbr. A history of World War II written by an American will likely emphasize the American involvement, such as DDay and the atomic bomb while such as history written by a Russian will emphasize that the war was won in the east, especially during the Battle of Stalingrad.brbr. Older American history textbooks emphasize the contributions and exploits mainly of white male Americans Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Eisenhower, etc. More recent textbooks emphasize racial, ethnic, and gender diversity, including Susan B. Anthony, Martin Luther King, Jr., and so on.brbr. Japanese textbooks try to ignore what the Japanese did to the Koreans and Chinese in the first half of the th ccentury.brbr. In the post world, Islambashing is fashionable in the west, and Americabashing is fashionable in the Arabic world.brbr. In the th century, western imperialism was looked upon favorably in the west a hundred years later, it was viewed as evil, racist exploitation.brbrMany historians write from a particular point of view not shared by others. And virtually all textbooks are reviewed by panels to make sure students learn what the government wants them to learn. For example, you learn about the election process in democratic America. But you dont hear much about political corruption or the influence of money in these elections.brbrSimilarly, you learn about the court system and the balance of power. But you dont learn that to get a good lawyer, you better have money. Poor people have little access to the courts.brbrSo take your history with a large grain of salt. Also try to read history from different points of view.