Hating America
By: Adam Segal
When it came time to select a class schedule for my second-to-last semester at Lehigh, it became evident that I had not once in my four years here taken an American History course. This disheartening fact troubled me for a few reasons (it also probably could have won me a few $50 gift certificates and rounds of car-bombs at McGrady’s Trivia Night). I was slightly embarrassed by my lack of in-depth knowledge of the history of our great nation, a nation to which I owe so much. Every one of us, hopefully, has been schooled on the general history of America. We can all recite the names and dates, but I’m afraid to say that I, along with most students today, had little idea about what was truly going on during the formation of the greatest nation on earth. Some people may ask why understanding our past is so important; why not spend your time and money taking classes in business or engineering, both of which can help you earn a living later in life? The answer to this question is not only complex; it is one that many people in today’s society refuse to believe and are intent on undermining.
Once the decision was made to take a course on American History, the next step was to determine which one. I concluded that a class on the discovery of the new world and its transition into the society we see today would be the most rewarding. History 41, History of the United States to 1865, seemed to fit the bill. Nothing in the title or course description suggested anything other then a general survey up to the specified date. One would expect a dispassionate account of the people, places, and events that shaped the country, with their importance as the deciding factor in the time allocated to each. It didn’t take much more than my trip to the bookstore to realize I was asking too much. I noticed that half of the class reading was coming directly from firsthand Slave and Indian sources. I immediately understand this could go one of two ways. Either the class would focus on how the settlers’ dealings with the Indians and Slaves impacted our county’s formation, or the material would center on the evils of our forefathers. The first class made it quite clear that the course would focus on the latter. When the professor could not mention the freedom and opportunity that the new world offered without a sarcastic “if you were a white Christian male,” I knew I was in for a long semester.
It wasn’t even the material that I truly had a problem with, but the way in which it was taught. Of course, by today’s standards, the treatment of the Indians would be considered inhumane, and the very notion of slavery appalling; yet there was little effort to place both practices in contemporary ideology. Consider, for example, the settlers’ relations with the Indians. At what point in history did a civilization come about by peaceful measures? Did the sun never set on the British Empire because they sailed to foreign lands, assimilated into native cultures, and then democratically voted to be subject to British Rule? Of course they didn’t. The same is true with the great Roman and Greek civilizations; and like America today, the Greek and Roman people lived safer, freer lives than the people outside their borders. As a matter of fact, compared to other great cultures, the future Americans were friendly to the people they called savages. While the British, Greeks, and Romans immediately sought to eradicate native populations, the early Americans attempted to live peacefully among the natives. Just as could be expected from a historical standpoint, when different cultures clashed, violence was inevitable and escalating.
When people cannot understand that violence and conflict are unavoidable in this world, they attempt to assign an explanation for each example. In the case of History 41, it was the innate racism and belief in superiority that made the white settlers drive the Indians from their lands. It had nothing to do with the growing population on the East Coast and the need for more land to sustain that growth. To back that theory up, we were assigned readings dealing with individual Indian accounts of the brutality of their white oppressors. To most people in the class, I am sure the readings had their desired effect: create a personal connection to a single Indian case and provoke an emotional attachment. Of course these individual Indians weren’t the ones who coexisted peacefully with the white settlers, but ones that suffered mercilessly at the hands of the early Americans. Not to say that I didn’t feel horrible for the Indians we read about, but it is a two way street. I wonder why we didn’t read any pieces on the white women and children that were scalped and brutally murdered by rogue Indian tribes. Apparently, that wouldn’t follow with the message that the teacher was trying to get across.
As the timeline of the course progressed and the Indians no longer played a significant role in the nation, a new angle had to be taken; the course material saw a shift from the Indian perspective to that of the African slaves. Once again, the issue of slavery was introduced as if it was an entirely American creation. Not once was there a mention of the long tradition of slavery in Africa among warring tribes, or the mass sale of black slaves by African chiefs to the Portuguese slave traders. To suggest anything other than early American malice would be counterproductive to the main objective of the course. While there can never be a valid explanation for the forced servitude of a fellow human being, it is simply unfair to deny the greatness of our early leaders, such as Washington, Hamilton, and Jefferson, simply because they engaged in a common, albeit evil, practice of the time. What we did not discuss, however, was the impact of abolition on a historical scale. It was never mentioned that Western culture was the first in history to free their slaves without outside influence. To do so would be to propose that our ancestors took advantage of an immoral, yet widespread practice, and eventually freed their slaves due to the liberal ideals on which our country was founded.
“If we forget what we did, we won’t know who we are. I’m warning of an eradication of the American memory that could result, ultimately, in an erosion of the American spirit. Let’s start with some basics: more attention to American history and a greater emphasis on civic ritual.” These words, spoken by Ronald Reagan during his farewell address to America, are truer now more then ever. We cannot allow our forefathers to be demonized in the classrooms. This doesn’t mean leaving Indians and African-Americans out of our history books, but we cannot use these specific cases to turn today’s society against its past; doing so would completely demoralize the nation. After all, what makes a nation? Few people can argue that what makes countries unique are their diverse cultures. Everything from their legal and governmental systems to their people’s values is a direct result of their culture. What forms a country’s culture is its people’s shared history and the evolution of their society. America is where it is today because of the shared experiences of our people. If we had no knowledge of our history, nothing would unite us: we would all just be citizens of the world. Our country wouldn’t be worth fighting for, and our culture not worth fighting to protect.
For these reasons, I cannot fathom my professor’s approach to teaching history. My first question is why? Why spend your time researching the ancient evils of our society for any other reason than to undermine that very society? To me it seems analogous to a child digging up the skeletons in his or her parents’ closet and exposing them for the neighbors to see. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you. For a country that asks so little, if anything, from its citizens, you would think that there would be few instances of America-bashing in its classrooms. Speaking of its classrooms, I was temporarily relieved when I remembered the American History education I received in grade school. I was taught to love our founders; that they were wise and courageous men. As long as we instill these values in our children, our culture and way of life are safe. I was relieved when, speaking with other Lehigh students, I was told that they received similar, pro-American educations. However, my hope quickly faded when I had the realization that although today’s grade school teachers will continue their honorable work, tomorrow’s teachers are being taught by today’s liberal college professors. Has the “long walk through the institutions” finally begun?
