Institutionalizing historical mistakes

by YankeeJim | December 29, 2010 at 03:43 am

169 views | 0 Recommendations | 0 comments

When teaching history, it is useful to students to be taught about archaeology and about the process of documenting and verifying historical facts.

Selecting the publishers of history text should be one based on the highest standards to assure consistent and continuity in quality across the nation. That is not the case today as states rights advocates prefer to have a corner on local stupidity, in my opinion.

There are places where creationism is preferred over Darwanism, for instance. But, this story is about American history texts in Virginia schools where you think they would want to get it right.

First, who is Five Ponds Press?

“Five Ponds Press Inc

14 Five Ponds Dr

Waccabuc, New York 10597-1032

Company Overview

Five Ponds Press Inc does business in Book Publishing.

View full company profile

Stock Symbol:

Five Ponds Press Inc

Line Of Business:

Books-Publishing/Printing

Estimated Annual Sales:

$1,000,000

Estimated # of Employees:

4

Year Founded:

2006

Incorporation in:

NY

Estimated Employees for This Location:

4

”

I see. Somebody buying books for Virginia schools apparently went on the cheap to an unknown publishing company.

That was a big risk to take for very important minds.

“Some Va. history texts filled with errors, review finds

By Kevin Sieff

Washington Post Staff Writer

Wednesday, December 29, 2010; 12:06 AM

In the version of history being taught in some Virginia classrooms, New Orleans began the 1800s as a bustling U.S. harbor (instead of as a Spanish colonial one). The Confederacy included 12 states (instead of 11). And the United States entered World War I in 1916 (instead of in 1917).

These are among the dozens of errors historians have found since Virginia officials ordered a review of textbooks by Five Ponds Press, the publisher responsible for a controversial claim that African American soldiers fought for the South in large numbers during the Civil War.

"Our Virginia: Past and Present," the textbook including that claim, has many other inaccuracies, according to historians who reviewed it. Similar problems, historians said, were found in another book by Five Ponds Press, "Our America: To 1865." A reviewer has found errors in social studies textbooks by other publishers as well, underscoring the limits of a textbook-approval process once regarded as among the nation's most stringent.

"I absolutely could not believe the number of mistakes - wrong dates and wrong facts everywhere. How in the world did these books get approved?" said Ronald Heinemann, a former history professor at Hampden-Sydney College. He reviewed "Our Virginia: Past and Present."

In his recommendation to the state, Heinemann wrote, "This book should be withdrawn from the classroom immediately, or at least by the end of the year."

The review began after The Washington Post reported in October that "Our Virginia" included a sentence saying that thousands of black soldiers fought for the South. The claim is one often made by Confederate heritage groups but rejected by most mainstream historians. The book's author, Joy Masoff, said at the time that she found references to it during research on the Internet. Five Ponds Press later apologized.

The unusual review process involved five professional scholars. The results, said three of those involved in the process, proved disturbing. Some submitted lists of errors that ran several pages long. State officials plan to meet Jan. 10 to review the historians' concerns.”