2008 Woodie Awards
America's mis-history revealed in new textbooks
Textbook links 9/11 to Iraq
John Jenkins
Issue date: 4/6/07 Section: World
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All students have disagreed at times with their teachers' opinions. It is when textbooks disagree with reality that we need to worry.
Glencoe/McGraw Hill's most recent textbook, "World History and Modern Times," has confused both students and teachers with its account of America's War on Terror. The book paraphrases the 9/11 incident, describing al-Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden. But then, after describing the terrorists and their actions, it quickly cuts to weapons of mass destruction and the war in Iraq.
"The 9/11 part is accurate, but having Iraq and weapons of mass destruction following in the next paragraph looks like a passive way to tie them together - to link them to your mind," said Kate Vallee, a New Jersey substitute teacher and mother of a student who took a class featuring the book, via e-mail.
"World History and Modern Times" conveys to students that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, capable of terrorism.
According to an article featured in Christian Science Monitor, after 9/11, only 3 percent of Americans linked Saddam Hussein and Iraq to 9/11. By 2003, in a Knight Ridder poll, 44 percent of Americans linked Iraq to "some" or "most" of 9/11.
"The victor gets to write the history books, I guess," said Vallee.
Textbooks have communicated false implications and even clear-cut lies for years now. As highlighted in "Lies My Teacher Told me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong," a book used in the Guilford English course "Creation of the American Self," Americans have lost touch with their history.
"Our situation is this: American history is full of fantastic and important stories … The stories that history textbooks tell are predictable; every problem has already been solved or is about to be solved. Textbooks exclude conflict or real suspense. They leave out anything that might reflect badly upon our national character," wrote James Loewen, author of the book.
Some students never doubted their textbooks until reading Loewen's book. Now, some tend to doubt history through text.
Glencoe/McGraw Hill's most recent textbook, "World History and Modern Times," has confused both students and teachers with its account of America's War on Terror. The book paraphrases the 9/11 incident, describing al-Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden. But then, after describing the terrorists and their actions, it quickly cuts to weapons of mass destruction and the war in Iraq.
"The 9/11 part is accurate, but having Iraq and weapons of mass destruction following in the next paragraph looks like a passive way to tie them together - to link them to your mind," said Kate Vallee, a New Jersey substitute teacher and mother of a student who took a class featuring the book, via e-mail.
"World History and Modern Times" conveys to students that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, capable of terrorism.
According to an article featured in Christian Science Monitor, after 9/11, only 3 percent of Americans linked Saddam Hussein and Iraq to 9/11. By 2003, in a Knight Ridder poll, 44 percent of Americans linked Iraq to "some" or "most" of 9/11.
"The victor gets to write the history books, I guess," said Vallee.
Textbooks have communicated false implications and even clear-cut lies for years now. As highlighted in "Lies My Teacher Told me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong," a book used in the Guilford English course "Creation of the American Self," Americans have lost touch with their history.
"Our situation is this: American history is full of fantastic and important stories … The stories that history textbooks tell are predictable; every problem has already been solved or is about to be solved. Textbooks exclude conflict or real suspense. They leave out anything that might reflect badly upon our national character," wrote James Loewen, author of the book.
Some students never doubted their textbooks until reading Loewen's book. Now, some tend to doubt history through text.
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