The Influence of Historical Trauma on Traditional Approaches to the Interpretation of American History in the United States

Abstract

The publication highlights the impact of historical trauma on collective memory and the formation of interpretations of national history in the United States. The trauma studies is one of the most important and disputable vectors of today’s historical researches in the USA. The traumatic events of American history, and especially of its certain communities (such as Afro-Americans, Native Americans), significantly influenced the formation of traditional historical narratives. Slavery, colonialism, violations of the rights of the indigenous population of the modern USA have been postponed in the collective memory of the multicultural American society and reflected on traditional approaches to the interpretation of history and its coverage in school textbooks. Almost a century, from the emergence of the first own history textbooks to the middle of the 20th century. traumatic events were glossed over and a whitewashed version of the past was presented, with a distorted interpretation of slavery and other sad moments in American history. It was discovered that there were many discussions in the American society focused on history interpretations and teaching of history at schools. Both North and South of the USA were trying to transform main narratives of the American History by their own vision. However, we can state the evolution of traditional approaches: at the beginning of the constructing of own historical narratives such issues as slavery and conquest of the Native Americans were silenced as a problematic issues, but now these issues as well as history of the other social groups (except of dominated narratives about white free men) are essential part of modern narratives. Opened discussion is a manifestation of awareness and collective work on historical traumas which are aimed at the consolidation of American society.