In chapter one of "Lies My Teacher Told Me" Loewen examines how historical figures are represented in modern textbooks. Loewen uses Woodrow Wilson and Hellen Keller to prove his claim that textbooks leave out information about historical figures, making them one dimensional and uninteresting. Loewen's first example is Hellen Keller. Everyone who has ever taken an American history class knows about how a blind and deaf Keller taught herself how to read and write. However Keller's legacy is far greater than what most textbooks will tell you. According to Loewen, "The truth is that Hellen Keller was a radical socialist."(13). Not only that, but Keller supported Unions, donated money to the NAACP, and even hung a red flag from her desk. None of this information is available in most textbooks though. Therefore I agree with Loewen's claim regarding Hellen Keller. …show more content…
Textbooks tell the story of a president who fought for democracy in Europe and led the United States through a progressive era. However, during his presidency, "Haitian citizens rose up and resisted U.S. occupation troops in guerrilla war that cost more than three thousand lives, most of them Haitian."(18). Most textbooks fail to mention Wilson deploying troops to Latin America and the ones that do try to argue that he did it against his will which is simply untrue. Another well hidden incident involving Wilson was his meeting with Ho Chi Minh where he ignored Minh's pleas for independence and allowed France to continue controlling North Vietnam. Based on the evidence provided by Loewen, it seems the Textbooks lied about Wilson's "commitment" to