DG Farnsworth
When you first learn history in grade school, you expect the truth. At times a version of history may not be fair because the historian favors one description of the event above the others. The reason for the history scholar's misleading account might be because it's consistent with his own system of beliefs. In other words, his subjective feelings might distort his presentation of objective events.
Cultural Bias
Cultural bias can affect a historian's objectivity. English historian E.H. Carr suggests that a reader should first examine a historian before studying his version of past events. For years a number of schools in the South downplayed the cruelty of slavery; they declared that slave owners acted kindly toward their human property. Slaveholders' misleading accounts of reality were a product of their cultural bias. Even in 2012 a Tennessee Tea Party group demanded that state lawmakers change textbooks for school curricula. The group insisted that history's portrayal of minorities doesn't veil the contributions or involvement of the Founding Fathers.
Religious Beliefs
Biblical historians may strive to influence your conduct today -- by changing past impressions. These history authorities let religious beliefs and moral opinions about life contaminate objectivity. For example, members of distinct religions desire people outside their culture to view Jesus Christ's dying on the cross from their own perspective. Their own cultural bias of history expects others to revere and glorify him. In 2010 the Texas State Board of Education, headed by conservative fundamentalist Christians, revised their textbook history policy. The board struck down amendments that emphasized teaching the usefulness of the separation of church and state. Submitted textbooks for Texas public schools are based on the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills. A watchdog group tracking fair-rights issues discovered religious bias in social studies textbooks. Inaccuracies include that Solomon and Moses influenced America's democracy; and that the Jewish people consider Jesus Christ a prominent prophet.
Impressionistic Political Views
Trying to affect your behavior by redefining history can be applied to political and social issues. A history scholar's fundamental beliefs can also taint fair or objective explanations, interpretations and descriptions from a political and social perspective. For example, in What Things May Affect a Historian's Objectivity, C. McCullagh states that a Marxist historian may characterize a revolt as a class struggle; yet, classes were not a factor in the revolution in any way. But the Marxist historian might view all historical revolts as class struggles, even if class weren't a factor -- just as a fundamentalist Christian might conceive the Earth as only 6,000 years old, contrary to geological evidence. Controlling the tendency toward a subjective viewpoint is difficult for historians.
Misinterpretation of Facts
Philosopher Neil Munro -- Pathways to Philosophy website -- suggests subjectivity is opposite of objectivity. A subjective approach requires historians to access the minds of those whose history they write. When a historian tries to realize how someone from another era thinks, he makes far too many cultural and language assumptions. Objectivity is easily lost in translation and misinterpretation of customs from another time period.
Gender relations are subject to interpretive assumptions by bias historians.This includes the idea that patriarchy is the natural human arrangement. Historians may dismiss any evidence of ancient female-led societies -- assuming that male dominance is biological and male-structured societies are the norm. Munro suggests historians who emphasize that their job is not simply to record facts but interpret them, are by definition adopting a subjective approach. McCullagh warns that historians often lose sight of objectivity through misinterpretation -- particularly evidence. He says a history writer may bring up evidence inferring a particular incident happened, but omit important facts proving it's impossible.
Wesleyan University: What Things May Affect a Historian's Objectivity: C. McCullagh; January 2011
http://www.uio.no/studier/emner/hf/iakh/HIS4010/h11/undervisningsmateriale/HIS4010_McCullagh.pdf
Pathways to Philosophy: Objectivity in History; Neil Munro; November 2014
http://www.philosophypathways.com/essays/munro1.html
USU 1320: History and Civilization: History and What-Really-Happened; Damen; 2013
http://www.usu.edu/markdamen/1320hist&civ/chapters/01HIST.htm
Huffington Post: Tea Party Groups In Tennessee Demand Textbooks Overlook U.S. Founder's Slave-Owning History: Trymaine Lee; July 2012
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/23/tea-party-tennessee-textbooks-slavery_n_1224157.html
The Washington Post: Proposed Texas textbooks are inaccurate, biased and politicized, new report finds; Valerie Strauss; September 2014
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/09/12/proposed-texas-textbooks-are-inaccurate-biased-and-politicized-new-report-finds/
DeColonizing Our History: The Myth of Ancient Patriarchy; Mimi Yahn
http://decolonizingourhistory.com/histories-2/half-the-human-race/myth-of-ancient-patriarchy/
