Gripe about US history myths taught early on

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Of course my mom (born in 1950) was horrified that those events were considered "history".

How odd. Why?

I'm not the PP you're responding to, but I think it's a common idea that history is the stuff that happened before you were born. The stuff that happened after you were born is the present.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Of course my mom (born in 1950) was horrified that those events were considered "history".

How odd. Why?

I'm not the PP you're responding to, but I think it's a common idea that history is the stuff that happened before you were born. The stuff that happened after you were born is the present.

That would be . . . wrong.

[Anonymous]

It's getting worse:

"According to The Washington Post, board of education member Pat Hardy called slavery "a side issue to the Civil War" when debating the new standards."

http://www.chron.com/news/education/article/New-Texas-textbooks-downplay-slavery-in-the-Civil-6370897.php

[Anonymous]

"According to The Washington Post, board of education member Pat Hardy called slavery "a side issue to the Civil War" when debating the new standards."

Go read what LIncoln said about the cause of the war.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

"According to The Washington Post, board of education member Pat Hardy called slavery "a side issue to the Civil War" when debating the new standards."

Go read what LIncoln said about the cause of the war.

Yes, you're right, the Civil War was about states' rights -- specifically, a state's right to secede if the rest of the US didn't do what the state wanted about preserving the ownership of people. Note that the future confederate states were not so enthusiastic about states' rights when it came to enforcing the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.

Also, Lincoln was not a historian; he was a politician. Sometimes politicians say things because it's politically expedient -- perhaps you've heard of some examples of this?

[Anonymous]

The Civil War wasn't about the slavery.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Civil War wasn't about the slavery.

The sun doesn't rise in the east.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Civil War wasn't about the slavery.

The sun doesn't rise in the east.

come out of the cave first.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Civil War wasn't about the slavery.

Read the Declaration of Causes for the seceding states. http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/primarysources/declarationofcauses.html

Read the Cornerstone Speech of Alexander Stephens, vice president of the Confederacy. http://www.ucs.louisiana.edu/~ras2777/amgov/stephens.html

No sane person can read the actual historical documents of the period and conclude that the primary cause of the Civil War was not slavery. It is as plain as day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Not limited to private school. AP US History book is more sociology than history. Every chapter talks about the role of women and minorities to the point where important events are left out.

History is not just a list of events. History is also what people did and how they lived. And most of humanity consists of women and minorities..

Over-exaggerating accomplishments to be "diverse" and ignoring major historical accomplishments because they were accomplished by old white guys isn't teaching history. It is skewing facts to make a statement and does a disservice to everyone.

Martin Luther King Day, Martin Luther King month, Martin Luther King semester, Martin Luther King year, Martin Luther King through the yMartin Luther King ears, Martin Luther King Martin Luther King Martin Luther King ...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Martin Luther King Day, Martin Luther King month, Martin Luther King semester, Martin Luther King year, Martin Luther King through the yMartin Luther King ears, Martin Luther King Martin Luther King Martin Luther King ...

Martin Luther King's birthday is a federal holiday. I haven't heard of any of those other things. Could you provide some links to their existence, please?

[Anonymous]

It always bugs me when people say the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4th There was no document to sign on July 4th -- it wasn't even written out at that point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Not limited to private school. AP US History book is more sociology than history. Every chapter talks about the role of women and minorities to the point where important events are left out.

History is not just a list of events. History is also what people did and how they lived. And most of humanity consists of women and minorities..

Over-exaggerating accomplishments to be "diverse" and ignoring major historical accomplishments because they were accomplished by old white guys isn't teaching history. It is skewing facts to make a statement and does a disservice to everyone.

Martin Luther King Day, Martin Luther King month, Martin Luther King semester, Martin Luther King year, Martin Luther King through the yMartin Luther King ears, Martin Luther King Martin Luther King Martin Luther King ...

And white people were really mean to black people so Martin Luther King stood up to them and told the bullies to stop and that everyone should be friends. The end. If kids are too young to understand the realities behind complex history, then they are too young to learn about it at all. This kind of crap doesn't help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It always bugs me when people say the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4th There was no document to sign on July 4th -- it wasn't even written out at that point.

And there was no first Thanksgiving, either. And Jesus wasn't born on December 25 (really, he wasn't).

[Anonymous]

And Jesus wasn't born on December 25 (really, he wasn't).

I don't think anyone really claims that he was. And, I don't think that it is in our history books. It is when we celebrate his birth.