The struggle of teaching true history

After our discussions in class about learning the reality of history and truth behind some of our beloved American icons like Abraham Lincoln. Also how at the end of one of our classes we went around the room and saw how our high schools taught the civil war, and a vast majority of the class was taught how Abraham Lincoln was against slavery. However after doing our readings we learn this is not the full truth. This is the same thing that is happening with the book “To Kill a Mockingbird”, it is being pulled from school curriculum because of its uncomfortable nature. That is the point of the book it is to show the gritty reality of racism and the Jim crow laws. As a nation we cannot keep teaching what we want or removing important books that show the dark history our nation went through. This is because it teaches us important life lessons and we as students and teachers  has missed a wonderful opportunity to have a frank discussion with children why reasonable people go stark raving mad, Perhaps if we talked about race more there would be fewer people cavalierly tossing out hurtful racist language.

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