The Land Of Opportunity By James Loewen - 956 Words

In his excerpt entitled The Land of Opportunity author James Loewen highlights the invisible struggles of the middle class. Loewen’s chief complaint is that the segregation and exploitation of the working class has been marginalized by the American social elite and all but erased from high school history books. Mr. Loewen posits that the authors of our children’s textbooks â€Å"construe labor history as something that happened long ago, like slavery, and that like slavery, was corrected long ago† (Loewen). While it may be seen as insensitive to compare the labor movement to slavery, Mr. Loewen is joined by other authors and activists who argue against rewriting or marginalizing our history in order to preserve our â€Å"national identity†. In order for our nation to continue to excel, we must learn from our mistakes not hide them. American history has been tumultuous and rife with conflict; which has led to a shift in ideals, and thus aided in the elevati on of the people as a whole – this struggle is necessary and must continue. The price of liberty is high, and in the pursuit of freedom from oppression the cost of war does not end when the last shot is fired. Today, children are taught about how the Colonists cast off the shackles of the Crown for the promise of â€Å"life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness†. What these children may not be learning however, is the enormous cost of liberty, mostly to indigenous peoples and the labor force. As activist Elizabeth Martinez discusses inShow MoreRelatedLoewen The Land of Opportunity990 Words   |  4 Pagesof social class in America James W. Loewen, essay â€Å"The Land of Opportunity,† discusses how many times Americans don’t know about social classes and the effects they have on society. Loewen argues that the common American people aren’t given equal opportunity in this day in age. He says that American history books have great influenced what we see about the class system because a great deal of history is often left out. James Loewen begins â€Å"The Land of Opportunity† by saying that teenagers haveRead More The Decline of Education: Social and Economic Inequality Essay1193 Words   |  5 Pages and therefore people would be back to the starting block positions of hard manual labor. However, according to James Loewen’s â€Å"The Land of Opportunity,† even the educational system is slipping, stating that when he asked questions like, â€Å"why are people poor?† he got woefully inadequate responses. In both â€Å"The Land of Opportunity† and â€Å"Lies My History Teacher Told Me,† both by Loewen, the root cause of most of the problems in schools and their lack of adequate education are the textbooks. TheRead MoreThe Importance of Gaining Knowledge Essay838 Words   |  4 Pagesmany examples that concentrate on the connection between social class and the ability to gain knowledge. In the â€Å"Land of Opportunity†, James W. Loewen emphasizes the tie between class systems and knowledge by arguing that many times individuals in a higher class system have more opportunities to learn and become successful, while those in a lower social class have fewer opportunities to gain knowledge. In contrast, Frederick Douglass disputes this generalization by expressing his personal experienceRead MoreA World of Opportunity Essay617 Words   |  3 Pagescivil rights movement, and immigrants who were looking for new opportunities by moving to the United States of America, were stuck, and could not escape from the adverse environments they were in. One man with the same opinion is James Loewen. He thinks that the social class that one is born into will be their social class when they di e. He thinks that one’s destiny is decided for them. While Loewen writes in â€Å"The Land of Opportunity† that he believes â€Å"social class is the single most important variableRead MoreArgument Essay : The Land Of Opportunity 1146 Words   |  5 PagesArgument Essay: Affirmation of Lies my Teacher Told Me The Land of Opportunity is what the United States of America has long stood for in the eyes of many, though in this day and age, can we really agree that the so-called opportunity everyone shares is truly equal? James Loewen, who has a PhD is sociology, is also the author of The Land of Opportunity, which comes from his book Lies My Teacher Told Me. In Loewen s excerpt, he discusses how many of his first time college students answerRead MoreSummary : Indoctrinate Blind Patriotism 1151 Words   |  5 PagesElizabeth Tolentino Dr. Andrea Johnson Loewen Paper 29 September 2014 Question 1: What is your interpretation of the statement on page six that includes, â€Å"†¦indoctrinate blind patriotism†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Answer 1: In Lies My Teacher Told Me, James W. Loewen asserts that American history texts are harmful to students because of nationalism and books that â€Å"†¦are often muddled by the conflicting desires to promote inquiry and to indoctrinate blind patriotism† (Loewen 6). Loewen argues that American history texts areRead MoreThe Land Of Opportunity By James W. Deming763 Words   |  4 Pagesessayist and writer, James W. Loewen, in his essay, The Land of Opportunity, argues that the common American people aren’t given equal opportunity in this day and age. Loewen effectively convinces his readers, high school teachers and history buffs that, social class and inequality is an important thing for students to learn and understand. Through convincing logical arguments he proves that American history books are giving students across the nation false information. According to Loewen, â€Å"social classRead More The Lies My Teacher Told Me and People’s History of the United States1462 Words   |  6 Pages either adding or subtracting certain details from the story. James Loewen, in The Lies My Teacher Told Me, reveals how much history has been changed by textbook writes so that students studying the textbooks can understand and connect to the information. In Howard Zinn’s, People’s History of the United States, the author recounts historical tales through the point of view of the common people. Mainstream media, as proven by Loewen and Zinn, often pollutes and dilutes history to make the informationRead More The Development of Racism Essay1259 Words   |  6 Pagesslavery, racism is not over yet. (Loewen 143) Racism can be defined as any set of beliefs, which classifies humanity into distinct collectives, defined in terms of natural and/or cultural attributes, and ranks these attributes in a hierarchy of superiority and inferiority (Blum 5). It can be directly linked to the past and still, centuries later, serves as a painful reminder that race continues to be one of the sharpest and deepest divisions in American life (Loewen 138). What were the causesRead MoreIn January 2013 a prominent national US newspaper quoted former Secretary of State, Condolezza800 Words   |  4 Pageswhere you are going.† However, In â€Å"The Land of Opportunity,† James Loewen discusses how significant inequality is in America. The social class that you are born into will influence your outlook on social class and will also be the social class you stay in (Loewen, 1995. 322). Your social class will determine the opportunities available for you including health, fitness, nutrition, education, SAT scores, medical resources and more (Loewen, 1995. 321-322). Loewen also proposes that the education system