Fascinating and in-depth exploration of the flaws in the U.S. understanding of history.

‘Fairy Tale #History: The Root of America's Problems’
#OliverWillis #OliverWillisExplains

“All countries have their shared national origins, but in America it tends to resemble something like a Marvel Comics-level myth. A ragtag band of indomitable white men invoke the cause of freedom and liberty and create a “perfect” country, the end. Then you hear that same story, again and again. And even when admirable efforts are made to include diversity in that story, instead of truly adding layers of complexity, those other stories are subjected to the same sort of absurdist simplification.

“We end up with a situation where America transitions from the comic book exploits of George Washington, the Captain America of the 1770s in the American mythos, to the fable of Martin Luther King Jr., where only one specific speech is ever invoked (and definitely don’t look into the details of it) and then racism is simply ended. Never mind that the fact that the very same Washington owned slaves and profited handsomely from slavery is merely smoothed over in this narrative. It is a collective mess.

https://oliverwillis.substack.com/p/fairy-tale-history-the-root-of-americas

#Education #Schools #Teaching #FoundingFathers