History, Sorta

A question that my TOK class is currently pondering is why teach history? We were discussing it today via liveblog when my teacher posted a link that, well, irritated me. Let me start with saying it irritated me because I always believed history to be fact. I did not know why we taught it, I just knew they where true facts. But now with TOK, I have developed a reflex to QUESTION EVERYTHING. Thinking about I realize, that there is more to history.

While questioning everything, we came up with that history is more like an interpretation. It is us students learning about what someone interpreted to have happened. So is history even true? One point brought up is from The DaVinci Code. The book says that history is written by the winners. That is where the article that bothered. An article, in my opinion, that proved this to be true.

This article talks about Texas. I state that I really really really hate now. The Texas school board was writing a new curriculum that would go in to the textbooks. They decided that one figure, Cesar Chavez, is not important enought to be taught to the students. What makes them decide what is important or not?

Here is a short history lesson. Chavez taught people to stand up for their rights. He did this peacefully and did a lot for the Latino nation. But the Texas Board of Education does not think that this is important for the students to know. The article describes it as the 'board not seeing a historical value in the students knowing this. Texas Governer Rick Perry also agrees with this. "Republicans don’t see it in their best interest to teach children about civil rights figures who could inspire black or brown people." This quote is bolded in the article and does anybody doubt that this is an accurate reason? The article than continue to say, "The last thing they want is to have a whole new generation of children who will grow up to stand up for their rights, hold vigils and organize boycotts." And I agree. This school board is trying to supress these kids and make them think that this is the way it is and there is nothing I can do to change it. (sounds like another school I know........)

My problem is that this is not right. I do not think that it is right for anything to be left out. But the reason that is stated in this article makes it worst. That proves that history is written by the winners. If the Board wins then they sorta decided what history is. Even if they do succeed, that won't stop people learning it. They still have their parents to teach them, other people, and the internet. So should we believe anything we learn in history class?