“What is history, but a fable agreed upon?” This statement has been attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte, but its meaning has resonated with me throughout my readings of American History. The ‘historical fable’ is created by the victors or oppressors, in order to portray themselves as greater, wiser and/or stronger than those they’ve conquered or enslaved, meanwhile, the ‘history unseen’ is designated to the vanquished or the oppressed.
I have found that the historical fable, especially the one perpetuated as American History in our schools and culture, is so strongly believed by the majority of Americans, it is almost impossible to convince them that American History is far short of being ‘glorious.’ American History, as it is taught and disseminated in our culture, is a history with dashes of truth that covers a huge cesspool of inequalities, usurpation, oppression, and fear. History is almost never about great people doing great things, but rather, it is about extremely flawed people who may have done great things at great expense…of other people.
The Historical Memory Recovery Channel 