Lies My Teacher Told Me About Christopher Columbus: What Your History Books Got Wrong

James W. Loewen

Publisher: New Press

Published: Oct 15, 1992

Description:

Review

For years textbooks have taught children to root for the heroic 'discoverers' of America and to ignore the perspectives of the people who were here first. The Truth about Columbus puts these textbooks on trial, and convicts them of systematically distorting and even lying about history. Every teacher in America could benefit by reading this fine work. -- Bill Bigelow, coeditor, Rethinking Columbus

The Truth About Columbus is a perfect antidote for the nonsense about Columbus conveyed to our children for generations. It is also delightfully readable, and maintains its good humor while it carefully dissects myth after myth about the Columbus story. Further, it suggests ways of thinking critically about other subjects of history, and so should prove ideal for classroom use. -- Howard Zinn

Product Description

Art and text sum up the new thinking about Columbus in a graphically appealing format. Using this colorful 32" x 21" poster, students are introduced to artwork and writings from primary sources on the early history of the Americas. With this original material, teachers can help students understand the perspectives of people who were here first, analyze historical myths, and read their textbooks more critically. The booklet provides a full discussion of this period in history.