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WHOSE HISTORY?

History in some sense is always propaganda.

Review Questions

Vocabulary: bravado, marginal, recruit, patriotism, foothold, acquisition, enhance, casualty.

1. Why would these 'golden' statements be great gifts to American historians?

2. Using any of the battles above, comment on the differences in the two sets of statements,

3. What is meant by "History in some sense is always propaganda."

4. Why do you think the Americans were better at boasting?

5. Justify Canada's assertion that we won the War of 1812.

6. Discuss why the Americans were anxious to sign a peace treaty, when few of the major reasons for the war had been realized?

7. Explain: (a) history enlightens and distorts; (b) history hunting for heroes; (c) tense and testing conditions; (d) bias is blatant (e) diplomatically decisive word; (f) nurse national passions; (g) patriotic cement; (h) history hungry for heroes; (i) enhance national pride; (j) the headline version of history.

8. Explain Lucian's statement: "A historian among his books should forget his nationality?"

9. "They won at the table what they had lost on the battlefield." Explain this comment regarding the U.S. and the Treaty of Ghent.

10. Why is history in some sense always propaganda?

11. How can 'truth' be a casualty?

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