America Founded in 1619

[FLVOL_79]

I would say that teaching accurate history is important, but what you said that I found interesting was the "compare" comment. Why do we need to compare history to that of any other? I am not saying we have a bad history. It is just that we have history that we have chosen to ignore.

I grew up in South Dakota..they never taught civil war. Trail of tears? Yep.

 

[ClearwaterVol]

I don't think anyone is ignoring what happened, it just is another footnote and needs neither less or more attention than just that, something that happened in our history.

I disagree. We do ignore the contributions of slaves. Who was responsible for filling northern textile mills with cotton? Banks across the country received tremendous amounts of cash from wealthy southern land owners and northern manufacturing owners. In fact, up until the civil war a rather large percentage of the world's cotton was owed to slavery. Around the time of the civil war, more than 80% of the US exports were agrarian in nature. To say that slavery is a footnote is greatly underestimating its importance.

 

[volfanjustin]

I grew up in South Dakota..they never taught civil war. Trail of tears? Yep.

RACIST!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Fun coupon VOL]

I would say that teaching accurate history is important, but what you said that I found interesting was the "compare" comment. Why do we need to compare history to that of any other? I am not saying we have a bad history. It is just that we have history that we have chosen to ignore.

Slavery throughout history has been consistent. Doesn’t matter the ruling empire or part of the world at the time, slavery was there in a form. So for however many years of existence(your choice on the years for human existence) slavery has been a part of it except for a super small period of time in the developed world.(150 years). So yes, for comparisons sake go ahead and compare 200 - 300 years of slavery with 4,000 to at least 5,500 years before the US(1619).

No one is ignoring slavery.

 

[volfanjustin]

So to recap just the last 24 hours from the left: America's birthday and the electoral college are racist.

 

[1972 Grad]

What's hilarious is the one author trying to claim that traffic congestion in Atlanta is because of slavery.

Atlanta traffic is worse than slavery.

 

[ClearwaterVol]

Slavery throughout history has been consistent. Doesn’t matter the ruling empire or part of the world at the time, slavery was there in a form. So for however many years of existence(your choice on the years for human existence) slavery has been a part of it except for a super small period of time in the developed world.(150 years). So yes, for comparisons sake go ahead and compare 200 - 300 years of slavery with 4,000 to at least 5,500 years before the US(1619).

No one is ignoring slavery.

You are ignoring by saying it was everywhere so it doesn't really merit further discussion.

 

[Hunerwadel]

I attended high school in Michigan, Toronto and Knoxville. I learned about the civil war in all three schools. Michigan and Toronto schools focused on the slavery aspect and the inhumane practice that it was. In Knoxville, the teacher tried to minimize the atrocity that was slavery. I heard things like most slave owners were good to their slaves and the slaves themselves didn't mind the practice. Some masters even taught their slaves to read. We were taught the civil war was all about state's rights (ignoring the fact that the specific right at issue was the right to own folks).

None of the schools I went to ever taught about the contributions to the country made by slaves. We got to learn about two black people Harriet Tubman and George Washington Carver. A couple of paragraphs on each is what the lessons consisted of. No mention was made regarding the tremendous wealth generated by slaves.

All of this makes me not care about people, especially educators, taking a closer look at our history and giving it a more fair and balanced approach.

I'm not sure I even realized black people existed until they integrated the schools when I was I believe a Junior. I was aware of a remote corner of the county referred to as ****** Ridge but I seldom saw a black person. I grew up in a small and very white county. I don't remember if we were even taught anything about slavery.

 

[AM64]

Now, now boys. I thought the whole "keep the Confederate monuments up" movement was about not denying our history. Are you now saying we should not learn about this aspect of our history?

Now, I may be very mistaken, but I believe all the history books I studied in school and after point out that the US was colonized by Europeans until we objected in the 1760s. Americans (as we know ourselves) were no more responsible for the beginnings of slavery in this country than we are for European colonization and slavery anywhere else ... like the Caribbean, South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. As far as the initial slavery in what is now the US, look no farther than the "original" inhabitants ... American Indians, and perhaps they brought that practice with them when they wandered over from Asia. One paragraph of what is obviously revisionist "history" was enough to tell me not to bother with this particular piece of nonsense.

 

[LouderVol]

Actually, I think that's one of the big reasons it was great. It was more laissez faire than Europe. The French economist Bastiat wrote The Law in 1850 and spent a good portion of it praising the US for their liberty* and property rights.

*he also said our violation of the liberty of slaves was so egregious that we war was likely the only way to purge ourselves of such sin. He couldn't understand how a nation that valued individual liberty so much could be so hypocritical.

I think a good bit of the liassez faire stemmed from the simple fact that our nation was relatively huge and brand spanking new. It didnt take long at all before we were cracking down on stuff. Heck Washington himself put down at least one rebellion, cant remember if he was still president during the second. And those were based on control.

I also think the fact that the states were valued as individuals encouraged that ease. No way to crack down with each state doing something different. As soon as we federated that control got way tightened.

I think the only natural way to limit that build up of government is revolution.

 

[n_huffhines]

I think a good bit of the liassez faire stemmed from the simple fact that our nation was relatively huge and brand spanking new. It didnt take long at all before we were cracking down on stuff. Heck Washington himself put down at least one rebellion, cant remember if he was still president during the second. And those were based on control.

I also think the fact that the states were valued as individuals encouraged that ease. No way to crack down with each state doing something different. As soon as we federated that control got way tightened.

I think the only natural way to limit that build up of government is revolution.

Sure, but regardless of why it was laissez faire, the system of governance (or lack thereof) was a big part of what made it appealing.

 

[Fun coupon VOL]

You are ignoring by saying it was everywhere so it doesn't really merit further discussion.

I didn’t say it doesn’t merit further discussion. I’m literally saying to do the exact opposite by comparing historical events to see if they feel the same way about America’s contribution to slavery. If they do, then we can discuss why.

 

[ClearwaterVol]

I didn’t say it doesn’t merit further discussion. I’m literally saying to do the exact opposite by comparing historical events to see if they feel the same way about America’s contribution to slavery. If they do, then we can discuss why.

who is they and we?

I am talking about teaching our students an accurate history. It doesn't require a comparison.

 

[Fun coupon VOL]

who is they and we?

I am talking about teaching our students an accurate history. It doesn't require a comparison.

Where were most slaves during the Atlantic slave trade transported to?

They are the individuals you were refering to in the original post I responded to.

We meaning the individuals you were referring to in your original post I responded to, you, and myself.

 

[1972 Grad]

I'm not sure I even realized black people existed until they integrated the schools when I was I believe a Junior. I was aware of a remote corner of the county referred to as ****** Ridge but I seldom saw a black person. I grew up in a small and very white county. I don't remember if we were even taught anything about slavery.

You mean that you didn't own any back then?

 

[1972 Grad]

Where were most slaves during the Atlantic slave trade transported to?

Memphis?

 

[Fun coupon VOL]

Memphis?

Come on.

 

[1972 Grad]

Come on.

Gary Indiana?

 

[1972 Grad]

East St. Louis, Illinois?

 

[Orangeburst]

East St. Louis, Illinois?

Warmer, warmer..

 

[AM64]

I disagree. We do ignore the contributions of slaves. Who was responsible for filling northern textile mills with cotton? Banks across the country received tremendous amounts of cash from wealthy southern land owners and northern manufacturing owners. In fact, up until the civil war a rather large percentage of the world's cotton was owed to slavery. Around the time of the civil war, more than 80% of the US exports were agrarian in nature. To say that slavery is a footnote is greatly underestimating its importance.

Ever hear the terms "indentured servitude" or "serf"? You really think those people working in northern textile mills were truly free? Then you have tribes making slaves of people they captured from other tribes, and that was pretty much on all continents. If you take a real objective look at world history, you'd probably find the US had one of the lowest slave populations by percentage of the entire national population. Slavery was a worldwide tradition, and the US came in on the tail end; let's be happy that while it continues in some places, it is ended here rather than beat ourselves up over something that was common world wide just a century or two ago.

 

[AM64]

So to recap just the last 24 hours from the left: America's birthday and the electoral college are racist.

Somebody needs to tell AOC that the Electoral College can't be racist because of Title IX - that would confuse her to the point of non-recovery.

 

[1972 Grad]

Somebody needs to tell AOC that the Electoral College can't be racist because of Title IX - that would confuse her to the point of non-recovery.

I think more people should attend the Electrical College and learn a trade.

 

[Orange_Vol1321]

What's hilarious is the one author trying to claim that traffic congestion in Atlanta is because of slavery.

Well you know, the traffic lanes use white paint and all.

 

[FLVOL_79]

I'm not sure I even realized black people existed until they integrated the schools when I was I believe a Junior. I was aware of a remote corner of the county referred to as ****** Ridge but I seldom saw a black person. I grew up in a small and very white county. I don't remember if we were even taught anything about slavery.

I never saw black people in my school until I moved to Knoxville and they bused them in from the projects. Then we had a police resource officer assigned to my school by the time I was a senior. Probably was on the books way before the busing.