Years ago, I came across a set of little books by Rudyard Kipling at a used book sale and brought them home to set on a shelf as dust catchers. Recently I took one off the shelf to read: “American Notes”. In this year celebrating the U.S. reflecting on history seems appropriate.
In case the name Rudyard Kipling doesn’t ring a bell, he is probably best known for his “Jungle Books” made into movies. The one that comes to mind is the Disney animated version with many catchy songs.
Teaching History in School
History was my least favorite subject in school mostly due to the texts. They were either childish to the point of silliness or dry listings of dates and events, especially wars.
The schools I attended were considered among the best in the nation at that time. Yet, after twelve years, I only got to the end of WWI once. Every American history class started with the pilgrims and plodded through until the school year ran out.
Making History Interesting
Historical fiction and biographies make history interesting. Both do come with caveats as Americans have a long history of whitewashing their past. After all, they want to look good, even when history says they haven’t always been that way.
“American Notes” is of interest because of this. Rudyard Kipling took a trip across the U.S. in 1869 and wrote a series of letters about where he went, what he saw and who he talked to. Although he was well known in England, he wasn’t here. He was just an Englishman.
The More Things Change
Many of the observations in the letters apply today. Americans have many of the same attitudes now as then. They were then and now convinced they were the greatest, in fact, every town was better than any other. Yellowstone had troops stationed there to keep visitors from hacking the place to bits for keepsakes and to stop poachers.
The country had high tariffs companies took advantage of. They were selling American made inferior goods at inflated prices.
Wealthy people lived well. Poor people were housed in high rises.
Reflecting on History
Everyone wants to look good. We hate to admit our mistakes. Our history texts are edited to reflect this.
People learn more from their mistakes than their successes. Successes make us feel good and complacent. Mistakes tell us where we went wrong so we can avoid repeating them.
Even more, we need to know our past so we can make a better future.
A Few Recommended Books:
Adult: “First Ladies”; “American Notes”; “Women of the Yukon”; “The Only Woman in the Room”, “Girl of the Gulches”, “Before We Were Yours”
Youth: “The Hate You Give”, “Gold Rush Girl”, “They Called Us Enemy” (graphic novel by George Takei)
Picture Books: “Lift Your Lamp a Little Higher”, “Warm As Wool”, “The Floating House”, Smoky Night”, “My Lost Freedom”
