After reading “I nevertheless am a historian” I came across another article about a Texas high school and a mother who complained about her son’s history book. The book titled “Geography” claimed, immigrants were brought over to the new world to be workers, When in reality, the immigrants they were talking about were Africans. The book, further stated that Europeans were brought over, as indenture servants. The latter is partly true, but omitting most of the facts, especially, how Africans were workers, instead of slaves is a lie perpetrated by the book publishers, McGraw Hill, and the school advisory board that approved it. I could not help but think what I read in the Robert S. Wolff piece “People with little or no formal training in the discipline have embraced the writing of history on the web, which raises the question, whose histories will prove authoritative in the digital age?” The publishers have formal training, etc. Wow!
What becomes of history in the digital age remains to be seen, already we are seeing revisionists change history in printed books, and on the web. The fact that a big time book publisher like McGraw Hill would even put their name on a history book that changes and leaves out pertinent details, such as slavery, is an insult to the average person’s intelligence, and a crime against education.
I agree with Corey Meyer in the “Black Confederate Solider” piece, it helps when those who are claiming with authority about an historical account that one should work with original source materials, and have a understanding of the background of how to work with them. I guess McGraw Hill did not get that memo…..