The Failure of History Education
High school students consistently rank history as their least favorite subject, often describing it as irrelevant and boring. While they frequently earn higher grades in history than in math or science, they quickly forget the material once the exams are over. This alienation is particularly intense for students of color, who often find the narrative of American history completely disconnected from their own experiences. College professors frequently notice this disconnect, finding that they must spend their introductory courses helping students unlearn the myths and oversimplifications taught in high school.
The primary culprit for this disengagement is the American history textbook. These books are massive, often weighing several pounds and spanning nearly a thousand pages, yet they lack the compelling storytelling found in historical novels or films that the public actually enjoys. Textbooks present history as a series of solved problems and inevitable successes, stripping away the conflict, suspense, and human error that make the past meaningful. By adopting an omniscient tone, they present facts as settled truths rather than the result of fierce debate and interpretation.
Nationalism further distorts these narratives. In an attempt to foster patriotism, textbook authors often sanitize the past, removing any details that might reflect poorly on the national character. They present a simple-minded morality play where the United States is depicted as a great republic that always overcomes challenges. This relentless optimism can be alienating for those whose groups have historically faced systemic failure or exclusion.
James W. Loewen experienced the rigidity of this system firsthand when he co-authored a revisionist textbook on Mississippi history. Despite winning awards for its accuracy, the book was initially rejected by the state textbook board, leading to a successful federal lawsuit based on the First and Fourteenth Amendments. This experience revealed that the problems with history education are built into the very process of how books are written and adopted. To fix this, education must move away from blind idolization and toward an honest exploration of primary sources, allowing students to engage with the raw reality of how the present world came to be.
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