I think that these readings truly show us the dangers of whitewashing history. I know that for me personally, the Zimm reading was especially difficult to get through. When I first learned about Christopher Columbus in elementary school, we learned about how he was a hero. He discovered new uncharted territory, and in our minds became one of the greatest explorers of all time. However, as time went on, more and more pieces are added onto our original story until that narrative from elementary school is almost completely gone. As reality sets in and our preconceived notions are challenged, we no longer have the same mindset as we did originally. Christopher Columbus is not the hero we were told he was, and there shouldn’t be a day celebrating him after all the atrocities that happened under his leadership. But why were we told he was a hero in the first place?

The example of Christopher Columbus is not the only story that gets treated this way. It makes me wonder why we whitewash events for kids so much that we tell them something that is (largely) factually incorrect? I understand that some kids are too young for some of the more traumatic events in history, and I agree that some topics should be introduced more gradually as time goes on and people get more mature. However, I strongly disagree with the idea that at such a young age, we should be told versions of the story that are not even close to the reality of it. Words impact us so much more than we realize, and especially at such young and impressionable ages, I don’t think we should be given false information, especially for stories of that magnitude and beyond.