The article Objections to Objectivity by Howard Zinn discusses the difficulty and near impossibility of recording history accurately and without bias. A person’s life experiences and beliefs can shape the way they interpret historic events, as well as the opinions of Society at the time. Evidence of prejudice in historical accounts can be shown using ancient records, school textbooks and modern media reporting. One of the earliest instances of such subjective documentation is shown in ancient Egypt. Many ancient Egyptian pharaohs would order the erase or alteration historical accounts in order to favor their reign. The Battle of Carchemish is a good example of such a case.
There are two accounts of this battle, one Egyptian, one Hebrew. Both records contain similar details such as location, date, and events leading up to the battle. However, they both have different outcomes. The Egyptian hieroglyphs tell of a great victory for Ramses II, while the Hebrew writings tell of an Egyptian defeat. Historians have concluded through research that the Hebrew version was correct, which would indicate that Ramses II ordered the outcome of the battle changed when carved into stone.
Undoubtedly, such alterations in history will continue. Another form of this adaptation of historical records is shown in school textbooks. Censorship has had a major effect on the writing of history. Some societies choose to expunge from texts events in history that may seem inappropriate or too traumatic for readers. Their currently is an argument in Texas about textbook content.
The Term Paper on History: the ancient world
The region occupied by the ancient Aztec and Maya, now commonly referred to as Mesoamerica, is an area encompassing Southern and eastern Mexico, all of Guatemala, Belize an El Salvador, western and southern Honduras and the Pacific side of central America as far as the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica. On the other hand, Egypt is located at the Northern part of Africa, along the Mediterranean ocean. ...
Activists claim that current textbooks are “anti-Christian” and “anti-free enterprise.” Others maintain that these issues taught should be as they are, with no focus on any one religious or political belief. Objections to Objectivity by Howard Zinn.
