Rewriting History

Isn't history a recording of past events as they were perceived by those who lived them,

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For example the Holocaust comes to reality when seen through the eyes of those who survived. No person telling the story today could possibly understand the horror like those who were there. The same is true of our formation as a country. America was colonized by British subjects who became angry with British rule when they had no representation in Parliament. In an act of defiance against the monopoly by the British East India Tea Company from which Britain received tax revenues for the sale of tea to the colonies, the colonists rebelled by throwing the tea in the Boston Harbor. In Texas, there is new curriculum which calls the Boston Tea Party an act of terrorism. Terrorism is defined as "violence or the threat of violence, especially bombing, kidnapping, and assassination, carried out for political purposes". It hardly seems like dumping tea into the harbor falls into the category of violence. Was it political? Yes it was. Were the colonists trying to make a statement? Yes they were. But for the history of this event to be rewritten using today's terminology and standards on a event more than 200 years past is a manipulation of the history. Textbook writers, teachers, or others involved in teaching our history are distorting the truth by putting today's political spin on events. Petrina Cicci P. Charlotte, FL

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