It might be a good idea if the various countries of the world would occasionally swap history books, just to see what other people are doing with the same set of facts.--- Bill Vaughan
by
kevin02 (student)
Kevin Lewis
5/13/12
Reaction Paper
Mod 4/5
“It might be a good idea if the various countries of the world would occasionally swap history books, just to see what other people are doing with the same set of facts.”--- Bill Vaughan
The presidential elections will be taking place this November. When voting, people will have a wide variety of opinions on who they will be voting for. These opinions will be based on many different factors. This process of forming opinions does not just apply on a smaller scale like voting, but also on a global scale. Every nation has an opinion on specific events in history; however, these opinions will vary greatly based on who you ask.
The American Revolution is taught to Americans as a heroic fight for freedom. However, other nations such as Britain and France have their own opinion on this event. In America students are taught about the founding fathers and their struggle for independence. Key events such as the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party are focused on when teaching about the Revolution. Does Great Britain learn these same things or do they simply see the American Revolution as a lost opportunity to gain territory in North America? Britain had many colonies at this time, so maybe the USA’s heroic fight for freedom was simply the loss of a colony to them. Finally, the French played a key role in the American Revolution. Why did they join the cause? Were they fighting for what they felt was a noble cause, or did they see the war as an opportunity to weaken their rival? The American Revolution is just one example on how different opinions can form based on the same set of facts.
