History Textbooks: “Theirs” and “Ours”: A Rebellion or a War of Independence?
Teaching Activity PDF. By John DeRose. 4 pages.
Analysis of textbook passages from different countries, videos and books are used to explore different perspectives about the same event in history, i.e. “Philippine-American War” vs. “War of Philippine Independence”.
Download PDF.
Was it the “Philippine-American War” or the “War of Philippine Independence”? Was Emilio Aguinaldo a “rebel leader” or the “President” who led the Filipinos in the war against the United States? For the past 12 years, I have tried to help my 11th-grade students view U.S. history critically from multiple perspectives. Most of my students are white suburban high school juniors, but my classes also include some African American students who come from a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds and generally come to our school from the city.
While I use primary sources and other historians’ interpretations, I continually search for sources that go beyond the mostly benign representations of U.S. actions overseas, which have dominated textbooks for generations. This is not just academic; how students regard U.S. conduct in the past influences how they view the exercise of U.S. power today.
Therefore, when I read Dana Lindaman and Kyle Ward’s recent book, History Lessons: How Textbooks from Around the World Portray U.S. History, I was excited to find textbook passages from countries that could help my students recognize that their texts are not impartial.
Published by Rethinking Schools.
Keywords: Philippine- American War, War of Philippine Independence, Emilio Aguinaldo, U.S. History, primary sources, History Lessons: How Textbooks from Around the World Portray U.S. History, history lesson, Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam War, American War, perspectives, Savage Acts, U.S. racism, civilize, Filipinos, World’s Fair, Frederick Funston, independent, Mark Twain, President William McKinley, U.S. annexation, William Jennings Bryan, Sen. Alfred Beveridge, Samuel Gompers, Colored Citizens of Boston, Clemencia Lopez, democracy, self-government, savages, Ellis Davis, McDougal Littell, textbook, guerrilla tactics, Balangiga, massacred, brutality, torture, racist, authentic, president, rebel leader, military conflict, diverse perspectives, democracy
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Zinn Education Project
Thursday, February 9th at 13:46 Happy birthday Alice Walker. Author and activist.
History in Pictures - February
Alice Walker, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, author, and activist, was born in Eatonton, Georgia, on Feb. 9, 1944.
See Walker's website for photos, essays, poems, books, and conversations: http://alicewalkersgarden.com/
"Saying goodbye to my friend @[151141887957:274:Howard Zinn]" in @[5637143257:274:The Boston Globe]: http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2010/01/31/alice_walker_says_goodbye_to_her_friend_howard_zinn/
Interviews on @[17414523278:274:Democracy Now!]: http://www.democracynow.org/appearances/alice_walker
Image from Architects of Peace. See more: http://www.architectsofpeace.org/architects-of-peace/alice-walker
History in Pictures features just a few of the many stories that are often left out of the textbooks. The sources for these stories include: This Week in History from Peace Buttons (http://www.peacebuttons.info/E-News/thisweek.htm), Planning to Change the World: A Social Justice Plan Book for Teachers (http://www.justiceplanbook.com/), This Day in Civil Rights History (http://zinnedproject.org/posts/13684), History.com (http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history), 50 American Revolutions You Are Not Supposed to Know (http://zinnedproject.org/posts/11632), A People's History of the United States (http://zinnedproject.org/posts/67), Black Facts Online (http://www.blackfacts.com), Today in Labor History (http://www.unionist.com/big-labor/today-in-labor-history), and many more.
Zinn Education Project
Thursday, February 9th at 13:07 The National Museum of the American Indian is in the early planning stages for an exhibit on the Native people of New York State and the surrounding regions. They seek insights into how teachers are covering historic and contemporary issues around Native Americans in their classrooms so that they can best integrate the needs of students and teachers into the exhibition. If you are currently teaching, or have recently taught content related to Native Americans from the Northeast, they would appreciate hearing your input on the survey at the link below. As a thank you, you will automatically be entered in a raffle to win one of three books.
Zinn Education Project
Thursday, February 9th at 7:31 On this day in 1950, Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy delivered a speech during which he claimed to hold a list of known communists in the U.S. State Dep't. The speech grabbed national headlines and launched the paranoia and persecution now known as “McCarthyism.”
Here are classroom resources, including a young adult novel, on McCarthyism:http://zinnedproject.org/posts/tag/mccarthyism
Are there other books, films, lessons you recommend to teach about McCarthyism?
History in Pictures - February
On Feb 9, 1950, Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy delivered a speech at the McLure Hotel during which he claimed to hold a list of known communists in the U.S. State Department. The speech grabbed national headlines and launched the paranoia and persecution now known as “McCarthyism.”
Here are classroom resources, including a young adult novel, on McCarthyism: http://zinnedproject.org/posts/tag/mccarthyism
History in Pictures features just a few of the many stories that are often left out of the textbooks. The sources for these stories include: This Week in History from Peace Buttons (http://www.peacebuttons.info/E-News/thisweek.htm), Planning to Change the World: A Social Justice Plan Book for Teachers (http://www.justiceplanbook.com/), This Day in Civil Rights History (http://zinnedproject.org/posts/13684), History.com (http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history), 50 American Revolutions You Are Not Supposed to Know (http://zinnedproject.org/posts/11632), A People's History of the United States (http://zinnedproject.org/posts/67), Black Facts Online (http://www.blackfacts.com), Today in Labor History (http://www.unionist.com/big-labor/today-in-labor-history), and many more.
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