Problems of Bias in History Textbooks

The European-oriented teaching of history in United States high schools leads to a biased understanding of U.S history. Many high school students get a biased form of history education which misguides their  judgement down the road. When I was in high school, I took a geography class which discussed different countries and their cultures. The teacher asked whether Africa is a country or a continent. To my surprise, more than half of the students answered that Africa was a continent. I couldn't believe it. The teacher then proceeded to talk about how many Americans have that conception about Africa. This is one of the many problems. So why is this a problem? First of all, the authority of language messes with the meaning of what the context is actually supposed to explain. Because the selection and structure of knowledge affect our perception of the world, the language and context used to articulate knowledge are crucial. Textbook authors select particular language that creates impressions in the minds of students. These impressions have power and authority because they are presented in the printed and bound textbook with its aura of an authority that is beyond question and criticism. Although textbooks are used in many different ways, they are still dominant and powerful educational tools that shape students' views. A perfect example is the portrayal of the Japanese and their culture before the incarceration of Japanese Americans. It creates a militaristic image with portrays all Japanese as aggressive which is not true. This perspective is reinforces by most textbooks when the fail to discuss the difference between the military and the civilian population in Japan. Another reason why this is problem is the treatment of minorities in history textbooks. Some books go on and on about the road to success pertaining America but it leaves out how minorities contributed to this success. In a World Geography book published by McCraw Hill-Education, there is a section called patterns of immigration which talks about how the Atlantic slave trade brought millions of workers from Africa to work on plantations in the U.S. This eradicates the notion of slavery and replaces it with the notion of workers. This neglects the fact that these workers were indeed slaves who were brought to the U.S against their will. This is a problem because it fuels racial discrimination and disregard for minorities. If our history education constantly portrays only glorious aspects of America but briefly discusses how minorities greatly contributed to the success, students views on minorities will be greatly impaired. Instead of teaching history the traditional way; memorization of dates and events, our history education should encourage Historiography. Historiography is basically the history of history. Students should be analyzing what historians have said and written about given topics and also how the interpretations of a topic by historians have changed overtime. This is an issue that needs to be addressed because it is a form of erasing certain parts of history which could become very problematic. 

SOURCES
http://www.socialstudies.org/sites/default/files/publications/se/6003/600310.html