The Intentional Neglect of History

Studying history shapes how you view the world. It helps you to understand culture, but it also helps you to understand human nature.

It is for this reason that those who know history tend to conserve their culture and traditions. They see the value of things passed down and therefore tend to be in some sense “conservative.” 

If this analysis is correct, then what is the one subject that a person would want to cut out of a school curriculum in hopes of revolutionizing society?

That’s right, it’s history.

And what do we see happening in modern American public education? The neglect of history. Most states only require one year of world history and one year of U.S. history at the high school level. History is also not included in most standardized tests. Sadly, most in the education field just talk about improving math and science.

It only gets worse at the college level. The vast majority of universities today only require one history course, and students usually have multiple options (e.g. African, Latin American, Asian, or U.S. history).

The days of requiring one full year of Western civilization are long gone. Most college graduates today have therefore taken no European or American history in college. To make matters worse, some history departments are not even requiring an American history course for a history major!

This neglect of the teaching of history is intentional. Leftists run public education at every level, and it is the left’s plan to detach Americans from their traditional way of thinking. Worldview is passed down from previous generations. So while there will inevitably be change (and not all change is bad), change generally comes slowly. That is, unless you cut off an entire generation from its roots.

And this is what has happened. For it is only if you detach yourself from the entire history of Western Christian civilization that can you come to embrace the radical doctrines of the left—same-sex marriage, transgenderism, socialism, etc.

Of course, there is more than just a neglect of history taking place. The little history public schools teach is uncritical and biased (particularly towards big government). No education is neutral, so it is no surprise that leftists slant things in their direction.

However, this is much more effective when combined with a general ignorance of how we got where we are. Instead of thanking Western civilization and Christianity for providing the freedoms and advancements we have today, they are seen as enemies. Men who were considered heroes of old must be torn down and labeled as “oppressors.”

Students are taught that secularism, socialism, and feminism are the foundations of the modern world. Of course, this is plainly false. It is, in fact, the opposite. These new ideologies are actually destroying society by undermining family and liberty. But you can’t know that if you are never taught history.

But instead of ending on a sour note, I will conclude with a word of encouragement. Not that we should be optimistic about the future of public education—we shouldn’t. Rather, we should be optimistic about what we can do outside of the system. The private sphere is producing excellent resources for education (such as Liberty Classroom), mostly due to the internet.

So if you want your children and grandchildren to learn real history (and embrace sanity), they can. They just have to evacuate the public schools to do it.