By writing in a dry, authoritative tone, textbooks suggest that history is a settled collection of facts rather than an ongoing debate. This discourages students from questioning sources or thinking critically. Impact on Students
Loewen identifies several ways textbooks "lie" by misrepresenting the nature of historical change: Lies My Teacher Told Me
Textbooks often frame him as a noble explorer while ignoring his role in the enslavement and genocide of the Taino people. By writing in a dry, authoritative tone, textbooks
Instead of showing slavery as a foundational economic and social system that shaped the entire U.S., textbooks often treat it as an isolated, temporary "problem" that was eventually solved. Instead of showing slavery as a foundational economic
The result of these "lies" is that many students—particularly minority students—find history boring or irrelevant. Because the textbooks "soft-pedal" or bury the conflicts that actually drive history, students lose interest in a subject that should be "lively" and "interrelated".
Loewen argues that textbooks transform complex historical figures into two-dimensional "saints" to promote a nationalistic narrative.
While she is universally celebrated as a "handicapped hero" who learned to speak, textbooks almost never mention her lifelong work as a radical socialist and anti-war activist.