A People’s History Versus A Patriot’s History

Public consensus, similar to politics, varies greatly when it comes to American history, especially as it pertains to the classroom. Views about the content and historical interpretation included in history texts have reached a heightened polarization in recent years. This can be seen in the vast differences between the diatribes of Howard Zinn’s, A People’s History of the United States, and Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen’s, A Patriot’s History of the United States. While both books, prescribed by this introductory course into American History, cover many of the same topics, they clearly paint different pictures. I feel that any text seeking to represent a responsible survey of a subject, should strive to include a full range of views on a particular issue. There is no question that this requirement is fulfilled by the inclusion of both books. However, if one book would need to be selected over the other, my choice would be Schweikart and Allen’s. This is simply because I believe their book offers more facts and details surrounding the historical events in question.

In an age where political perspective is often spoon-fed to us by dueling cablenews networks and political talk-radio shows, it is no wonder that our nation’s history is a hot topic for debate. A common perspective in conservative circles is that liberals seek to use the educational system to indoctrinate the nation’s youth. Although, a current issue in rebuttal to this may be the Texas textbook controversy. The Texas State Board of Education recently chose a version of American history for its classrooms which deviates too far to the Right of center for its critics. The debate has largely made mainstream waves because of the national implications. Because Texas is among the largest purchasers of textbooks in the nation, it wields great influence on