Stories Written to Protect Power
From the start, history was not recorded to tell the truth. It was written to defend those in power. Leaders praised liberty and justice in speeches, but textbooks and lessons hid the brutality that built nations. Arthur Ripley’s Built on Lies explains how what children learned in schools was carefully edited. The goal wasn’t honesty—it was control. When truth is erased, generations inherit silence instead of knowledge.
Textbooks That Hid the Horror
Slavery was often described as “labour” or “service” in classrooms, words that softened cruelty. The reality of stolen lives, beaten bodies, and broken families rarely appeared in lessons. Instead, students read about the brilliance of founding fathers while ignoring the blood on their hands. By removing the full truth, education became another chain—one that bound minds instead of bodies.
Heroes Without Their Victims
American history praised presidents, generals, and explorers as heroes. Yet the voices of those who suffered under them were silenced. Enslaved Africans, Indigenous nations, and oppressed families were erased from the story. A country cannot call itself free when its education refuses to name the people who paid the highest price for its success.
Faith Rewritten for Classrooms
Religion was also reshaped for education. Instead of admitting that popes and churches gave permission to enslave, schools taught only about charity and holiness. The darker side of faith—the decrees that allowed conquest and chains—was hidden from the young. This partial truth kept institutions safe, but it left generations blind to how deeply faith was misused.
When Faith Reflected Power
Culture itself carried lies into classrooms and homes. The image of a White Christ became the picture in Sunday schools, textbooks, and even children’s storybooks. This false portrait was not an accident; it was a tool. By shaping God into the image of the oppressor, society gave White supremacy spiritual approval. That message, repeated to children, grew into belief.
Silence Passed Down Generations
What isn’t taught in school doesn’t disappear—it is passed down in silence. Families who never heard the truth about slavery or conquest never questioned the system. That silence became normal. Children grew into adults who thought oppression was history, not reality. The result was a cycle of ignorance that kept injustice alive.
Why Truth Must Be Taught
Ripley makes it clear: education can wound, but it can also heal. When children finally learn the truth about stolen land, stolen people, and stolen lives, they grow with honesty. They don’t carry the burden of lies—they carry responsibility. Teaching truth is not about blame; it is about building a future that doesn’t repeat the past.
A Future Built on Honesty
Generations were shaped by lies, but future generations don’t have to be. Textbooks can change. Teachers can speak truth. Families can ask questions. Once silence is broken, healing begins. A nation built on lies can only heal when history is told fully and fearlessly. The future belongs not to those who hide the truth, but to those who face it.