Oklahoma Gives American Exceptionalism ‘a Push’

AMBER LI
JOSEPH NEY-JUN
Staff Writers

History classes in America are apparently not made to teach history, but rather the exceptionalism of our country. According to the Huffington Post, Oklahoma state legislators have cut funding for the Advanced Placement (AP) U.S. History program because it does not emphasize “American exceptionalism,” believing that too much time is spent on negative subjects such as slavery and the treatment of Native Americans. While our history is riddled with mistakes, they cannot simply be forgotten or left uncorrected. Instead, they must be learned from. Depriving students of learning infringes on their right to the truth.

All countries have made mistakes, and some affected more than just themselves. The instigator of World War II was Germany who, over the course, committed some unspeakable war crimes. However, Germany does not cover up their history. According to a documentary featured on PBS New’s “Frontline” program, teachers try to educate their students about the historical events to the best of their abilities. Although the inclusion of this history is partly because the world never lets them forget it, it is also because they recognize that history repeats itself and the only way to prevent that is to learn from past mistakes. The Dachau concentration camp has the words, “Never Again” written on the memorial.

If the bill passes in Oklahoma, it will be a loss for our country. America is supposed to be a shining example of a free country and although our light has dulled somewhat, trying to push our mistakes to the back burner makes the country look worse.

Since its creation, the U.S. has been winning battles, and it is said that history is written by the victors. However, it should also be said that the victors have a duty to tell the truth. An example of this is the history of the Native Americans, who lost the fight for their land. In kindergarten, Thanksgiving is taught only as a time when the pilgrims and Native Americans came together to feast. What schools fail to mention, however, is that most of the Native Americans had their lands stolen through trickery, intimidation and brute force.

Despite this, America is not a terrible country today and has done great things; however, its past is checkered with racism, sexism, classism, ableism, questionable actions in foreign affairs and more. While teaching only the positive can be bad, it is equally as detrimental to education to only teach the bad. There must be a balance between learning from both mistakes and successes from the past so that further generations can have a better future.

The AP U.S. History course is usually taken by high school juniors who are just two years from graduation and officially going out into the adult world. A student should leave school with a broader mind and learn the history of the world from both the loser’s and the winner’s perspectives, and hopefully from that be as close to the truth as possible. Poet William Wordsworth once said, “Life is divided into three terms―that which was, which is, and which will be. Let us learn from the past to profit by the present, and from the present, to live better in the future.”