Chapter 8 Summary: Watching Big Brother: What textbooks teach about the Federal Government
One of the quotes at the beginning of the chapter summarizes Loewen’s message perfectly: “What did you learn in school today, dear little boy of mine? I learned our government must be strong. It’s always right and never wrong…”-Tom Paxton song.
Loewen argues that the story history textbooks tell is one that champions the American government, which is centered on the state, and that the state we live in today is the same one created in 1789. In the chapter, you can particularly hear his distain. “Textbook authors portray a heroic state, and like their other heroes, the one is pretty much without blemishes”(pg 210). Even when the government actions are indefensible, this occurs. He goes on to talk about U.S. foreign policy, multinational corporations, and terrorism. Loewen holds that the textbooks ignore why and what the federal government does, and alters the picture of the government’s history.