“Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past”. History is one of the most important subjects in school. Not only is it true that history repeats itself but, those who are in control of it are the ones who hold the most power. The perspective from which history is told is a useful tool. Over the last few years, the viewpoint of how is history is taught to students in the United States has been a political debate in. Textbooks from varying grade levels are being carefully examined and picked apart. Liberals and conservatives both have their biases present in textbooks; the textbook industry needs to reform to make sure history books are accurate and free of bias.

Even though family is still the dominating factor in the political socialization of youth, what students are taught in school plays a large role as well. In their article “Widespread Textbook Bias Threatens National Security”, authors Gabriel and Rodgers state that keeping bias out of textbooks is “important because today’s students are tomorrow’s voters, politicians, teachers, journalists and soldiers.” What students are learning today will stay with them for the rest of their lives. If textbooks are filled with bias, it is possible that it will impact the student’s political ideologies in the future. The bias itself is mostly presented in two ways: conservative and liberal. Conservatives “complain about insufficient patriotism and too much secularism” while “Liberals worry that their children are being taught a nationalistic version of history that emphasizes the wonders of industrialization and plays down slavery and the slaughter of Indian tribes”. Both sides of the political spectrum have their own opinions on bias, definitions and accuracy. Each side has their own ideologies and beliefs that they believe should be instilled in America’s youth.

Leading the charge for conservatives is Texas. Texas has the most conservative history books in the United States and is currently going through a massive debate over recently published books. For the other side, the liberals are best represented by California and their textbook structures. These two states hold the most power over textbook regulations in the United States. Either way, as political science professor and author Paul Kengor says, “History is largely determined by those who write it. Put simply, bias matters.” Whether the bias is liberal or conservative, there are both benefits and disadvantages to them appearing in textbooks.

Conservative critics have often called liberal biases in textbooks un-American but they do tend to offer more alternative perspectives outside of the American viewpoint. One of the textbooks most under attack for having a liberal bias is Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States. Although it is not an official textbook, many high school and college classes have assigned it as mandatory reading or have adopted it into their curriculum as a major source for information. Conservative critics have often called liberal biases in textbooks un-American but they do tend to offer more alternative perspectives outside of the American viewpoint. One of the textbooks most under attack for having a liberal bias is Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States. Although it is not an official textbook, many high school and college classes have assigned it as mandatory reading or have adopted it into their curriculum as a major source for information.

Liberal critics have often called conservative biases in textbooks ignorant and over patriotic, but as mentioned above, there is something to be said for instilling national pride in America’s youth. When asked why some textbooks are still filled with what appears to be “nineteenth century mythology” a possible answer is “twenty-first century texts are deeply rooted in both narrative structures and American nationalism”. It appears that conservative texts often edit or omit parts of history in order to be “pro-American”. One of the main conservative biases that exist is forgetting minor movements in history in favor of a major movement that is believed to gain more patriotic support. Many small battles or wins in history are forgotten or overshadowed by another event that has proved to be more famous. For instance during the time of the American Revolution, Lexington and Concord is said to be the start in the battle for American freedom. However, “half a year before Lexington and Concord- British rule had already come to an end, both politically and militarily for 95 percent of the inhabitants of Massachusetts” (Raphael). Instead of taking in account the victories that colonists already had, the author of this textbook opted to speak of only the main battles. The problem with omitting minor battles from the textbook is it distorts history. Every little movement or rebellion helped lead the United States to becoming a country.

Another problem that usually comes with a conservative bias is the influence of religion on history. When the constitution was created, there was distinct separation between church and state. However many conservatives feel like religion needs to be included in American history and textbooks with a conservative bias tend to be filled with ideas that”…undermine the constitutional concept of the separation of church and state”. Texas has even gone so far to try and eliminate Thomas Jefferson from U.S. history textbooks because of his secular ideas. They tried to replace him with John Calvin who was heavily involved in religious movements in America. Removing one of the founding fathers from history is an omission that should not exist. Students need to learn about one of the main men who helped establish the core of this country. He should not be removed solely because of his stance on religion.

The problem with U.S. history textbooks is that they are dominated by conservative or liberal political biases that should not exist. In the political cartoon by David Parkins, three students sit next to each other, each holding textbooks. They are holding the books in the fashion of “Speak no evil, see no evil, and hear no evil.” This cartoon helps illustrate the idea that textbooks are incredibly important in the teaching of America’s youth. Textbooks can tell students what to say, think, and believe; they leave a powerful imprint on the developing brain. When it comes to the impact textbooks have on students one historian noted that “what sticks to the memory from those textbooks [from her schooldays] is not any particular series of facts but an atmosphere, an impression, a tone”. It is not only what history is taught to America’s students but also how the history is taught that is important.

I can acknowledge that the possibility of history being completely void of any bias is a tall order to ask for. Is it even completely possible to do so? It is hard to tell. Even primary sources can interpreted in different ways as different people read and present on them. However, it is important to get rid of much bias as we possibly can.

Anything as important as the history of one’s own country is not something that should be tampered with. History should not be distorted and needs to be kept factual, “…it’s important children are presented with basic facts”. With only the best intentions for America’s future and the learning of our country’s youth in mind, textbooks need to be reformed to include history as it happened.