Introduction
What is history? What is the purpose of historical accounts? Who writes historical events and why? Is history objective in its retellings? Who is writing the history of human kind today? Can a historical event have more than one interpretation? What makes one interpretation more valid than the next? When a scholar states for example " World War II was a justified war against aggression", when did it become so?
Issues of war and peace have been with us since the beginning of time and continue to plague not only the front pages of newspapers and television news reports, but also the conscious mind of every human being because of the tragic and horrific consequences, which they describe. Although the number of conflicts has declined since the end of the cold war, long lasting ethnic, religious, political, territorial, and commercial disputes continue to ignite into discord, dissension, open conflicts, and wars. The consequences mainly affect civilians and their effects can be felt long after they are over. As we undertake a new millennium, the hope for peace is still nothing but a dream. These wars are a constant menace in today's world.
James W. Loewen's (1995) thesis in
Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong
states that something is very wrong with the way our students learn the history of this great nation. Loewen blames the state of history education on the fact that the field is dominated by textbooks which "...exclude conflict or real suspense." (p.13), and lack the ability to make the stories meaningful to the lives of the students. This unit is intended to create a series of lessons directly and explicitly focusing on real life conflict as the central topic of study. Making the students relate to the topic of war by contextualizing to personal experiences and to areas of the curriculum will make it real and meaningful.
Point 4 of the New Haven Public Schools
A Vision for the Twenty-First Century1
: states, "in order to participate fully as informed, responsible citizens in a democratic society, must be able to make decisions about issues confronting themselves and their society in an increasingly complex world." Part of this increasingly complex world is the many wars and ethnic conflicts currently taking place, of which students are sheltered to the point they are not introduced or discussed in the classroom. If students are to meet the goals stated in this vision, it is imperative that we provide our students with the tools necessary to be active participants in society. Thus, the purpose and goal of this unit is to create a foundation at the elementary school level that provides students with some of the tools needed to analyze a current event, and contextualize it around the students' lives.
In this unit I explore issues of war and peace in the context of children and my own history as a Basque. I begin by looking at the role of the historian and authors who pass from generation to generation the 'truths' of what is often taught. I attempt to make students understand some of the most important effects these armed conflicts have on children.
