Twisted history
by Thomas Sowell
TownHall.com
December 17, 2003
One of the reasons our children do not measure up academically to children in other countries is that so much time is spent in American classrooms twisting our history for ideological purposes.
“How would you feel if you were a Native American who saw the European invaders taking away your land?” is the kind of question our children are likely to be confronted with in our schools. It is a classic example of trying to look at the past with the assumptions — and the ignorance — of the present.
One of the things we take for granted today is that it is wrong to take other people’s land by force. Neither American Indians nor the European invaders believed that.
Both took other people’s land by force — as did Asians, Africans and others. The Indians no doubt regretted losing so many battles. But that is wholly different from saying that they thought battles were the wrong way to settle ownership of land.