Should Slavery be Taught in Schools?

[SquidVicious]

I don't think it should. It's disempowering for black kids to hear that their ancestors were slaves treated like animals and creates resentment towards those who had nothing to do with customs and laws dating back 400 years. It also creates subliminal feelings of superiority for white kids to hear that whites owned blacks for 250 years.

Other than instilling misguided guilt in liberal white kids whose ancestors didn't arrive here until well after slavery was abolished, what's the point?

[HTexan]

Of course. Can't white wash history anymore then it currently is. Next, people will want to stop teaching about nazis.

[Al Doggity]

Other than instilling misguided guilt in liberal white kids whose ancestors didn't arrive here until well after slavery was abolished, what's the point?

LOL then what is the point of any history? Just some boring shit that some dead guys did 1000 years ago, amirite?

[SquidVicious]

Of course. Can't white wash history anymore then it currently is. Next, people will want to stop teaching about nazis.

It's not whitewashing. It's just not worth teaching. Kids in middle school and high school spend TWO YEARS studying the Civil War and mostly on slavery. Not a single semester on WWI, WWII, Vietnam, War of 1812, French-Indian War, Korea, Gulf War or any other subject. It's all about slavery and the industrial revolution. Fuck that noise.

[SF1900]

It's not whitewashing. It's just not worth teaching. Kids in middle school and high school spend TWO YEARS studying the Civil War and mostly on slavery. Not a single semester on WWI, WWII, Vietnam, War of 1812, French-Indian War, Korea, Gulf War or any other subject. It's all about slavery and the industrial revolution. Fuck that noise.

Um, I learned about WW I, WW II, and Vietnam in high school.

[drkaje]

It's an important time in our history that still affects how people today's world.

I don't know if covering it imparts false senses of insecurity or security.

Considering today's politically correct climate... books will eventually be rewritten so kids are taught blacks weren't slaves. New books will say they wanted to come here, worked to pay back, expenses, and any whipping was just to teach us rhythm.

[Tedim]

only as a hands on course....

[drkaje]

only as a hands on course....

You want to touch school aged children?

[johnnynoname]

yes because everyone should know how to own slaves


at least not as uppity as the current crop with the pants sagging and the running into police officer's bullets

[Tedim]

You want to touch school aged children?

send pictures

[Dave D]

Should we also not teach about women's rights?

How should the Louisiana purchase be taught?

Is it OK to teach about WWII or will this cause students with German, Japanese and Russian heritage to feel bad?

Lol

[SquidVicious]

It's an important time in our history that still affects how people today's world.

I don't know if covering it imparts false senses of insecurity or security.

Considering today's politically correct climate... books will eventually be rewritten so kids are taught blacks weren't slaves. New books will say they wanted to come here, worked to pay back, expenses, and any whipping was just to teach us rhythm.

Would that be politically correct? Or would the books written by white liberals be re-written to teach that the African slaves were the original inventors of the combustion engine, cotton gin, and electricity and that Ford, Whitney, Franklin and Edison all misappropriated their ideas and turned them into fortune and fame?

On a serious note, is there a valid argument to be made against hearing over and over again that your ancestors were treated like animals in a zoo? Does that not impact one's self-esteem? Any objective person can tell you that Africans are much prouder and more self-confident than American blacks, yet it is also their history.

[Tedim]

Should we also not teach about women's rights?

How should the Louisiana purchase be taught?

Is it OK to teach about WWII or will this cause students with German, Japanese and Russian heritage to feel bad?

Lol

Why Russians? We won

[Dave D]

Why Russians? We won

Was Stalin always a hero or did Hitler just try and double cross him?

[Tedim]

Was Stalin always a hero or did Hitler just try and double cross him?

Stalin was a brutal dictator that murdered millions of people for the communist utopia that never was.

[TuHolmes]

Was Stalin always a hero or did Hitler just try and double cross him?

No. Yes.

[SquidVicious]

Stalin was a brutal dictator that murdered millions of people for the communist utopia that never was.

I can assure you that no American schools even spend a day on Stalin.

[drkaje]

Would that be politically correct? Or would the books written by white liberals be re-written to teach that the African slaves were the original inventors of the combustion engine, cotton gin, and electricity and that Ford, Whitney, Franklin and Edison all misappropriated their ideas and turned them into fortune and fame?

On a serious note, is there a valid argument to be made against hearing over and over again that your ancestors were treated like animals in a zoo? Does that not impact one's self-esteem? Any objective person can tell you that Africans are much prouder and more self-confident than American blacks, yet it is also their history.

Africans can be insufferably arrogant. I've had many amusing experiences with them. Some fat, nitwit, actually tried telling me she wasn't black, LOL! Told her if the cops came they'd find her just as black as me. She didn't STFU until I offered a computer so she could show me Nigeria was in Europe.

^ On some level, there may have been a pre-existing grudge about being asked if there was any way she could get her Nigerian brothers and sisters to stop sending those goddamn emails needing help getting millions of dollars out of the country.

[Dave D]

Stalin was a brutal dictator that murdered millions of people for the communist utopia that never was.

Oh. Well this information about the ruler of Russia may cause those of Russian decent to feel inferior that such an individual was able to control the masses.

Similar to the practice of Africans selling African Hebrews to people of various colors for slavery could make people feel bad.

The topic is interesting but I think the wrong question is being asked.

[sync pulse]

Why Russians? We won

http://www.b99.tv/video/russian-rhapsody/

[mr.turbo]

In principle history is not taught to make people feel a certain way but in fact the history taught in schools does suck. Certain things get *cleansed* all the time. I'm all for  fixing it up but I would recommend a more comprehensive approach. Black people haven't even been able to vote for 50 years so you can try to erase it but there's the problem of the folks who are still alive with recollections of mistreatment. This is another unfortunate side effect of slavery, the historical artifacts are not so easy to be rid of. This is why I advocate for the complete elimination of the concept of race as the final solution to this problem.

[HTexan]

Um, I learned about WW I, WW II, and Vietnam in high school.

This.
America's public school system already sucks. No need to make it shitter.

[The True Adonis]

I don't think it should. It's disempowering for black kids to hear that their ancestors were slaves treated like animals and creates resentment towards those who had nothing to do with customs and laws dating back 400 years. It also creates subliminal feelings of superiority for white kids to hear that whites owned blacks for 250 years.

Other than instilling misguided guilt in liberal white kids whose ancestors didn't arrive here until well after slavery was abolished, what's the point?

Yes, they should know that they bought and sold themselves into slavery, owned slaves themselves, the first slave owner in America was a black man, and some blacks owned the most slaves in a state.

[drkaje]

Yes, they should know that they bought and sold themselves into slavery, owned slaves themselves, the first slave owner in America was a black man, and some blacks owned the most slaves in a state.

First one is commonly known.

Any peer-reviewed references for the other claims?

[Parker]

It's not whitewashing. It's just not worth teaching. Kids in middle school and high school spend TWO YEARS studying the Civil War and mostly on slavery. Not a single semester on WWI, WWII, Vietnam, War of 1812, French-Indian War, Korea, Gulf War or any other subject. It's all about slavery and the industrial revolution. Fuck that noise.

I'll accept the trolling. How long did slavery, not just in this country, but in the New World last? Each Euro country had it's own unique form. How did slavery shape Americans views of race and each other?

It is is white washing, no two ways about it. Slavery and the Industurial Revolution are what shaped this country, morally and economically. Depending on where you live,  a lot of time is spent on the topics you listed, but those are events. Kids in HS also spend a lot of time on civics/government, yet most people don't know the three branches of government, which came first the Declaration of Independence or the U.S. Constitution. And many still don't know what the Electoral College is, some even believe it is a real college that you can enroll in.
Bottom line, when it comes to our own history, Americans know or care very little for it, yet people in other countries know more about America than its own citizens. Now that should be your biggest question.