Often,
we are faced with contradictory versions of historical actors, trends, and
events, much of which appear to be "factual" to at least some degree
or, at least, not obviously false. Moreover, writers of both general textbooks
and specialized studies must inevitably make editorial decisions as to what
gets included and what gets left out. These editorial decisions can be
fraught with prejudice, ignorance, or hidden assumptions and value judgments.
We will look at conflicts with Native Americans, the War of
Independence, the Mexican American War, and the Spanish American War and their
aftermaths to try to see through the fog of these history wars -- and
especially what has been repressed or forgotten -- toward some larger
truths.
John Dickson served in the Foreign Service for 26 years and is the author of History Shock: When History Collides with Foreign Relations. Katherine Kidd, PhD, is a
frequent OLLI instructor. A retired college professor, Kidd brings her
love of history and knowledge of international relations to this course. Stacy L. Wallach has been
teaching courses in American history at OLLI since 2007, though his last OLLI
course was on evolution.
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OLLI: the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Berkshire Community College Partners in education with Williams College, Bard College at Simon's Rock and the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts 1350 West Street | Pittsfield, MA 01201 | 413.236.2190 | olli@berkshirecc.edu