Misleading Us History Textbooks

When it comes to discussing World War II, most Americans have reached a consensus that this great world war was ultimately a good war: “a fight against Nazism and Fascism which represented the unimaginable evils” (Mudiganti, 2). Although more than 70 million lives were lost throughout the duration of this war (including the deaths caused by the nuclear bombing in Hiroshima and Nagasaki which many argue resulted in the nuclear arms race), the destructive forces of the Nazi Party were defeated, so of course this theory of a “Good War” must be valid. This misperception of the United States’ involvement in World War II as the knight in shining armor destroying all the “bad guys” (the Axis Powers) by whatever means necessary provides a sense of unrivaled patriotism and nationalism that has become a tool many politicians use today as a means to convince the general American public that their intentions are good and their controversial decisions are justified.
Looking back, the first time I officially learned history topics that covered America’s involvement in certain world wars like that of World War II was all the way back in middle school. Like any other seventh grader enrolled in California’s public school system, I was required to take a year long United States History course. Using McGraw Hill’s The American Journey as a reference, my seventh grade teacher Mrs. Berls focused on specific events, exact dates, and a whole lot of other factual information regarding the wars and breakthroughs the United States had been involved in the past.
By the time I left that seventh grade class with all those facts and dates crammed into my little thirteen year old head, it was safe to say I wanted nothing to do with another United States history course again. And why would I? I learned pretty much all I ever needed to know about the history of our country: America always comes out on top despite all the setbacks and hardships it faces. Why learn the same exact events all...