The following quotes are from my wife's history textbook. I think they are biased but I am curious what the rest of you think.
inspired by tales of chivalric romances and the national glory of the reconquers,
With Ignatius as its first general, the Jesuits became the most vigorous defenders of papal authority
the Jesuits restored the confidence of the faithful in the dedication and power of the Catholic Church
Motivated by the desire to find gold, win personal glory, extend the reach of Christianity, and chart the unknown, European voyagers subjugated native peoples, declared their control over vast new lands, and established a new system of slavery linking Africa and the New World
I think her book has a leftist/post-modern bias and so does her professor so I am reluctant to give her too much help because my personal interpretation of events is so often at odds with that of her professor. I have helped her argue a couple of test questions that she got right and he marked wrong though, but only strictly on the basis of historical fact rather then interpretation.
To be honest, I don't see too much wrong with those examples other than they are “blanket” statements. I assume that these points are defended with examples right?
I agree with Donnie here. They are conclusions that are presumably based on historical evidence. Perhaps it would require reading more of the text for me to find bias.
Perhaps I chose bad examples. I will have to dig some more out. It is significant to me that my semi-liberal wife even thinks the book has a leftist bias to it.