It was revealed last
week that in 2010, while Governor of Indiana, Mitch Daniels requested Howard
Zinn’s book, “A People’s History of
the United States,” be removed from all Indiana k-12 public schools. In a series of email exchanges, Daniels described Zinn’s book as an
“anti-factual piece of misinformation that misstates American history on every
page.” Having graduated from Purdue in
2003 with a degree in Social Studies education, I find this utterly atrocious.
I have not been more embarrassed for Purdue in my life.
Mitch Daniels' comments are a clear example of someone in
power seeking to keep themself in power by only presenting their version of
history. K-12 history books are about presidents,
generals, and rich individuals. This version of history ignores the vast
majority of people who have ever lived and it leaves students feeling small and
powerless. If students are taught that
only the rich and powerful are capable of making a difference in the world they
will be less likely to question those in power or to participate in democracy.
Howard Zinn’s “People’s
History of the United States” offers a different approach to history. It is written through the eyes of ordinary
people, such as workers, slaves, Native Americans, women, immigrants, and civil
rights activists. It is about ordinary
people doing extraordinary things to change the course of history. This version of history is empowering to students,
which is exactly what the likes of Mitch Daniels wish to ban. Howard Zinn is truly the greatest historian
of the 20th century. Students and
teachers will continue to read and study his work well into the future, and
Mitch Daniels can do nothing about it.
