this post was submitted on 01 Jul 2025
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Damn, we don't even get a mention like "When the STROPPY, UNGRATEFUL COLONIALS got too unruly, we decided it wasn't worth the effort to keep them"
the closest one is "We stole the black people from Africa and sold them to brazil , carribean and this weird thingy next to the carribean."
Oh, you do get a shoutout during the WW1/WW2 sections, but not that much.
I find this so interesting. In the US history books in the 90s, it basically says the US was main reason why the Allies won.
The books basically ignore when we joined in the war, how many people died, and made it seem like we were the only ones able to take down the Nazis. And Blowing up not 1 but 2 cities in Japan was justified because less Allies soldiers died.
You guys also ignore the concentration camps on your side.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Order_9066
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Takei
EDIT : The brits also ignore their concentration camps... in south africa... the ORIGINAL concentration camps.
Some do. My schooling made clear we were the good guys [relative] in that conflict. Sure we didn't talk about the "premature antifascist" designation, but we did get told of the inhumanity of the Japanese internment camps and how some Americans of Japanese decent (and even some Japanese immigrants) still wanted to fight Japan for our country. We also had acknowledgements that the Navajo code talkers were vital and had every reason not to want to aid us.
Other things we learned about that people assume we didn't include: the fact that our founding fathers were largely slave owners, that some of them were abolitionists and the fact that slavery was known to be evil at the time, the trail of tears, the fact that Nat Turner's rebellion inspired John Brown (though there was discussion on the ethics of their killing of children), the fact that we've broken nearly every treaty we've made with native Americans, and the fact that we overthrew multiple republics for cheap bananas.
The 90s history books made it seem like the Japanese concentration camps were a temporary vacation. Once everything was cleared up, they would be able to go home.
What they didn't mention was the conditions on the camps were horrible. They didn't include the propaganda against Japanese Americans. When the Japanese Americans went home, their homes and business were often destroyed. Trying to live like normal Americans was basically impossible by the amount of racism they received. Land of the free I guess.
What? The "land of the free"? Whoever told you that is your enemy
The US isn't as important to people as Americans like to think it is.
I mean, I would think "A major country on the global stage was literally founded as one of our colonies" might be a bit relevant.
In Spain we study the American Revolution, as the first of the liberal democratic revolutions, in as much detail as our own civil war. Or we did 20+ years ago. So I guess the Brits do too and the other commenter is just teasing or something.
We really don't. Our history curriculum is much more concerned with ancient history. As far as I can remember, we spent a little time on the colonisation of the Americas then didn't mention them again until the world wars.
Nah, we spend as much time on the American revolution as on our own civil war. Which is basically nothing.
I think I heard about cavilers and Roundheads in primary school, and that's it. No reason for the civil war, no discussion about what Cromwell did in Ireland.
The empire covered something like 20% of the entire worlds landmass. If they spent time in school for every part of it which went on to become something noteworthy, they'd run out of time for any other history at all.
The foundation of the US really isn't as important to the rest of the world as the US thinks it is
Nope. Same reasons why Americans don't learn the exact history of countries in Africa.
Most major countries on the world stage were British colonies at one point.
Half the world had a revolution from the British. And for world history, the US is globally relevant mostly since WWII.
you're thinking after the invention and spread of radio, bolstered by the Marshall plan and Rock'n'roll
hate to feed into american narcissism but aren't we like bankrolling most intentional federations we belong to like NATO and the UN. I know that the only other country paying a proportion equivalent to their representation in NATO is Greece of all places and they do not have the spare scratch to be doing that instead of, say, the UK, France, or Germany
No, you aren't.
Well I don't blame you for not thinking so. I can't find our contribution listed on the actual UN website. It's shown in other places but really weird that it's not of the official UN website. Also, all this is subject to change under our current fucktard-in-chief so I probably shouldn't plan on dying on this hill.
Definitely, look at the NATO contributions for last year though. Not specifically to lionize the US but literally Greece who is suffering financially but still like "nah dog, let's be the only place to pay half more of our expected contribution" and then Poland who quietly started doubling it last year for impending blyat reasons.