American Education: White History Is The Right History | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

American Education: White History Is The Right History

America had a unique start, but what has our history lessons really taught us?

22
American Education: White History Is The Right History
ushistory.org

It is pretty impressive how many different ways I’ve come to learn about the creation of this country – or shall I say, Land O’ Freedom – the United States of America. While consistently learning about the same time period and group of people may sound boring, rest assured there are some benefits to this. After all, keeping an open mind to education is the way to go as with all things, right America?


1. 240 Years’ Worth of In-Depth Studies

Being born in 1776 means the United States has a whopping 240 years of legitimate history. Rather than having to worry about thousands of years of history behind countries such as China or Egypt, all there is to worry about is after 1776. With a comparatively smaller life, students can really dig into the vibrant history that America is founded on.

2. The White Way to Study

Oops, **Right. Something else I’ve found myself thankful for is that for every fifty years of history I only have to learn about one extra person outside of the fantastic founding fathers group. Luckily, out of the millions of slaves I only had to be concerned with a few and even fewer of the thousands of slaughtered Native Americans. Focused area of study, easy study time.

3. Euphemistic Word Choice

Naturally, after reading a variety of “American” history books I noticed that many of them used very pleasant phrases and word choices. It truly made the learning process easier for other students and I. I’ll give a few examples. Instead of describing the brutal, inhumane ways both enslaved and freed blacks were punished for nonexistent crimes some common words were “tortured”, “beaten”, and several others. Crazy how all the creative ways people used to kill and injure blacks can be condensed into a few sentences or words. Saves room for the entire chapters needed to explain the signing of a piece of a paper.

4. Predictable Inventors

As this country was starting to flourish, there were an innumerable amount of inventions being created and built upon. Had to study who invented these things? Easy. Guess the name of a white, slightly older male and nine times out of ten you’d be right (according to what I’ve learned from my teachers and assigned textbooks). Sure, Frederick McKinley had over sixty inventions and Granville Woods invented a revolutionary form of the telegraph to save lives from railway accidents. But were they white? I didn’t think so.

5. No Room for Complaints

At the end of the day, if our history isn’t studied (I’m speaking to all communities not properly represented in traditional American history lessons) we won’t know what we could possibly “complain” about. After all, who would we be to voice our opinions on something we don’t know? …I’ll leave this for someone else to answer.


History is a powerful tool and can be used for a multitude of things, such as avoiding past gruesome mistakes. This is why it is important to find the people, the resources to look into the real story. Not what many education systems in America want to spoon feed their students. It should be a known fact that while this country is indeed a land of (sometimes) equal opportunities and freedoms, it is not built upon the romantic tales of perseverance starring our founding father. Fun Fact: Abraham Lincoln wasn’t as dead-set on freeing the slaves as many people have been made to believe.

American history isn’t some fairy tale.


Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

178333
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Most Epic Aurora Borealis Photos: October 2024

As if May wasn't enough, a truly spectacular Northern Lights show lit up the sky on Oct. 10, 2024

5535
stunning aurora borealis display over a forest of trees and lake
StableDiffusion

From sea to shining sea, the United States was uniquely positioned for an incredible Aurora Borealis display on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, going into Friday, Oct. 11.

It was the second time this year after an historic geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Those Northern Lights were visible in Europe and North America, just like this latest rendition.

Keep Reading...Show less
 silhouette of a woman on the beach at sunrise
StableDiffusion

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of suicide/suicidal thoughts.

When you are feeling down, please know that there are many reasons to keep living.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

Power of Love Letters

I don't think I say it enough...

451362
Illistrated image of a letter with 2 red hearts
StableDiffusion

To My Loving Boyfriend,

  • Thank you for all that you do for me
  • Thank you for working through disagreements with me
  • Thank you for always supporting me
  • I appreciate you more than words can express
  • You have helped me grow and become a better person
  • I can't wait to see where life takes us next
  • I promise to cherish every moment with you
  • Thank you for being my best friend and confidante
  • I love you and everything you do

To start off, here's something I don't say nearly enough: thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You do so much for me that I can't even put into words how much I appreciate everything you do - and have done - for me over the course of our relationship so far. While every couple has their fair share of tiffs and disagreements, thank you for getting through all of them with me and making us a better couple at the other end. With any argument, we don't just throw in the towel and say we're done, but we work towards a solution that puts us in a greater place each day. Thank you for always working with me and never giving up on us.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

11 Signs You Grew Up In Hauppauge, NY

Because no one ever really leaves.

22680
Map of Hauppauge, New York
Google

Ah, yes, good old Hauppauge. We are that town in the dead center of Long Island that barely anyone knows how to pronounce unless they're from the town itself or live in a nearby area. Hauppauge is home to people of all kinds. We always have new families joining the community but honestly, the majority of the town is filled with people who never leave (high school alumni) and elders who have raised their kids here. Around the town, there are some just some landmarks and places that only the people of Hauppauge will ever understand the importance or even the annoyance of.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments