14 Lies About American History Even History Buffs Fall For
History is not only a paramount part of schooling, but it is also full of myths and falsehoods. This is especially true in American history, where some stories became clichés. You need to know why these myths exist before dispelling them. It is the romanticizing or flattening of American history as a story in school, and it is what textbooks, media, and, yes, even movies perpetuate.
The American Council of Trustees and Alumni recently found that 81% of seniors from the top 55 US colleges and universities failed a high school-level history exam. Here are 14 myths about US history that even veteran historians cannot understand.
Myth 1: America was Founded on Religious Liberty
The Puritans left religious persecution behind but didn’t create religious tolerance in the New World. The historian Heike Paul contends that Puritans were religiously oppressed themselves, contrary to widespread assumption.
Myth 2: The American Revolution was a Battle Between David and Goliath
The American colonies were, in fact, more economically sound than they were generally held up to be. The story of a small colony battling a great empire is untrue.
According to Theodore Draper in A Struggle For Power, the colonies had been economically independent before the war started.
Myth 3: The Founding Fathers Were Pure Democrats
Direct democracy had not convinced the founders. They had limited voting initially: senators were elected by the state legislature until 1913.
Myth 4: George Washington Had Chosen a Cherry Tree To Chop Down
It was a fiction work created by Washington’s first biographer, Mason Locke Weems. It is another example of how myths can become institutionalized in culture despite not being historically authentic.
Myth 5: Washington’s Dentures Were Wooden
According to History.com, Washington’s wooden teeth are a second myth. They were made of brass, gold, hippo ivory, and human teeth—another example of how fiction dominates fact.
Myth 6: Lincoln Was Just a Simple Country Lawyer
Before he was president, Abraham Lincoln was a successful and well-paid appeal lawyer in Illinois for over 25 years, not a country lawyer bogus.
Myth 7: Slavery Was Confined to the South
There was slavery in all 13 founding colonies. Slaves constructed New York City – the practice was not abolished until 1827.
Myth 8: The Civil War Was Fought Purely Over Slavery
Slavery was at the heart of the Civil War, but other factors were also critical. Economic factors, states’ rights, and political power were also paramount.
Myth 9: The Emancipation Proclamation Freed All Slaves
The Proclamation applied only to the Confederate states, so slaves in Union states were spared. Slavery wasn’t entirely abolished until the 13th Amendment.
Myth 10: The United States is a Democracy
The US is technically a republic. According to historian Nancy Isenberg, the founders created a democracy, an aristocracy, and a monarchy.
Myth 11: Spanish Speakers Preceded English Speakers
Spanish-speaking settlements like St Augustine and Santa Fe preceded Jamestown, displacing the story that English was the first European language in the American continent.
Myth 12: Columbus Discovered America Was Round
By 1492, we already knew that the planet was a round ball. According to the Washington Post, Christopher Columbus never visited the United States; he traveled to the Caribbean.
Myth 13: The Thanksgiving Story Depicts Peaceful Cooperation
Thanksgiving is a peacetime dinner between Pilgrims and Indians, but the truth is much darker and bloodier. The first parties were tied to the massacre of the Pequot Indians in 1636.
Myth 14: The 1950s Were the Birth of the Middle Class
The middle class also grew during this time, but it originated in the late 19th century with the Second Industrial Revolution and the economic expansion that followed.
Learning more about these myths can help us better understand American history. This consciousness allows us to become better educated and equipped for future debates and discourses about our shared history. Many books and resources are available to learn more about these topics.
Disclaimer – This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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