Communications Lack of Historical Knowledge Implications Paper

Prompt:

In class thus far, we have observed that many of the agitational organizations and leaders we have mentioned and discussed are not well known even to highly educated residents of the United States.  During our discussions, most of the students have not recognized the major agitational figures or organizations we have discussed so far.  For example, few students in this class could identify such prominent agitators as Joe Hill, Saul Alinsky, Dorothy Day, Paul Robeson, Emma Goldman, Eugene Debs, Harry Hay, A. Philip Randolph, or even the broader story of Helen Keller. among many others.  Many, probably most, students had not heard of such significant events as the Homestead strike, the Bonus March, the Memorial Day Massacre, and various other prominent events in U.S. history.  And in some informal discussions after class and in the office, several class members acknowledged that they hadn’t heard of these people and events previously. This general lack of knowledge results primarily from their minimal exposure in history books, in educational institutions of all levels, and in the mass media.  As James Loewen suggests in his book Lies My Teacher Told Me, many history texts romanticize American history, placing a positive “spin” on key events and historical figures and omitting more troubling features of our history and avoiding extensive treatment of people who agitated for major social and political change.In this prompt, you should formulate and develop a thesis about the political implications of the lack of historical knowledge.  You should give appropriate emphasis to what is included and emphasized and what is excluded and de-emphasized in historical presentations (textbooks, classroom presentations, mass media tendencies, etc.) in the United States.  Deal with the implications of most Americans having some kinds of historical knowledge and not having other kinds, especially about the history of political and social protest.  Discuss the consequences of these realities for agitation and social protest in this country.  Feel free to use examples from course readings, class discussions, personal experiences, or other sources.