Engaging Clio Blog Entry #2

I wanted to do my paper on the particular topic of  Lincoln being the "Great Emancipator" because my teacher in high school was really in to trying to debunk myths in history.  When I was young, I learned that Lincoln was this highly revered president because he freed the slaves.  It is true that he freed the slaves, but teachers always put it in a very positive light, making him seem like this idealized extremely moral person.  It was a shock to me when my teacher Junior year had do a detailed case study on Lincoln's life, and we learned that he actually had racist feelings as well.  My perceptions of this topic haven't necessarily changed, but before I started writing this paper, i couldn't really articulate WHY I thought this should be taught in all high schools.  Why would I want to shatter a positive view on one of the great American heroes?  The more I thought about it and researched the topic, I realized that our nation cannot be founded on lies.  Lincoln is not the only figure or event that is portrayed in an idealized light.  Having our hero figures being falsely portrayed as idealized, it gives us as citizens a feeling of inferiority, and when we want change, we might feel like we have to wait on a "messiah" type figure.  It is not a good mentality to have.