American History and the Arrogant Myth

American History and the Arrogant Myth

Most Americans were taught the spectacle of United States history in elementary school. Every year started out with the Pilgrims landing on Plymouth Rock, the small colony of Jamestown and progressed through the Revolutionary War. Being a history buff myself, learning American history and attending elementary school went hand-in-hand. However, over the past couple of decades some educators have been voicing interest in teaching world history in the classroom. With the rise of globalization, the world is becoming smaller and smaller every day. Some people argue that the U.S. education system should spotlight world history rather than focusing on American history. They argue that as the world becomes one community it would be beneficial for kids to have multicultural knowledge. This issue has been addressed in the short story, “When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine,” by Jhumpa Lahiri, and a speech by Lynne Cheney entitled “Teaching Our Children About America.” In Lahiri’s story, a young girl named Lilia learns about the Partition and its significance to her family. In Mrs. Cheney’s speech, she is advocating the teaching of American history in the classroom. While multicultural knowledge may help someone involved in international trade or diplomacy, the average fourth grader is not involved in such matters. The American education system; therefore, should not sacrifice teaching American history for world history because knowledge of America’s past will ensure a secure future for the United States.

As mentioned earlier, some educators argue that the education system needs to teach more world history so children gain a better understanding of the world community. In a speech given on October 5, 2001, at the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture, Lynne Cheney spoke of the importance in teaching kids about American history. In her speech Mrs. Cheney pointed out “In a survey of seniors at the nation’s top liberal arts colleges and research universities, scarcely more than half knew general information about American democracy and the Constitution” (Cheney 2). This “general information” included who was the American general at Yorktown and who was the “father of the constitution.”

With the lack of such basic knowledge of American history, one is ignorant of the sacrifices that were made by ordinary citizens in defending their country. Neglecting to learn about American history is a slap in the face to hundreds of thousands of men and women who have given their lives to keep the citizens of the United States safe from oppression. Mrs. Cheney went on to state, “We need to understand that living in liberty is such a precious thing that generations of men and women have been willing to sacrifice everything for it. We need to know, in a war, exactly what is at stake” (Cheney 2).

Essentially what is at stake is often taken for granted by most naturalized American citizens. Being the forerunner in allowing its citizens the freedom to worship, the freedom of speech and of the press; the United States has been the envy of many foreigners. Millions of immigrants have flocked to the U.S. to enjoy these freedoms and to experience the American dream. Even to this day Asian immigrants are willing to sell themselves into slavery just to live in America, and because of its stability, foreigners trek to the United States to escape their worn-torn countries. In “When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine,” Mr. Pirzada, a friend of Lilia’s family from Pakistan cannot contact his wife and children because of the invading Pakistani Army. The mood of the characters is very apprehensive and anxious, every night they watch the evening news in an attempt to come to grips with a very nerve-wracking situation. Lilia’s father is upset because Lilia does not know about the war between India and Pakistan and the Partition. He goes on to ask Lilia “What exactly do they teach you at school? Do you study history? Geography?” (Lahiri 26) While Lilia’s mother is trying to speak up for her daughter, the father asks “But what does she learn about the world?” (Lahiri 27)

Having emigrated to the U.S., Lilia’s father cannot fully understand the sacrifices made by American soldiers in an effort to rid the world of tyranny and protect our way of life. Likewise, I cannot fully understand the sacrifices made by the Indian people to expel the British from their land. Lilia’s father doesn’t have any relatives that have fought a war for America. However, most other naturalized American citizens who have been here for three generations or more, most likely have someone in their family who has fought a war. Both of my grandparents fought in World War II, as infantrymen in the Army. They had to dig foxholes while being shelled, dodge barrages of bullets, and eat horrible food rations in attempt