A balanced view of American history would be a good thing to teach , but the history books are already pretty thick . It would literally be easier to phase in abridged contributions from all races equally , wouldn't it ? But that would also mean that history as it's currently taught would also have to be abridged to accomodate everyone . Why should one group expect preferential treatment for theirs ? This can only lead to "Me tooism" , as it inevitably will , from the other groups . The inevitable result would be a 40 lb. history book with all races and cultures equally represented , albeit only briefly , is that the right answer ?
simple fact is, while all races contributed to this nation, white protestant guys are heavily represented in the history books because WHITE PROTESTANT GUYS HAD MOST OF THE POWER. while that may have been a result of racism, the historic portrayal is not, and isnevertheless accurate.
i grew up irish catholic.in school i learned the irish and chinese pretty much built the railroads. wasn't till i was in college that i found out the significant impacts the irish had on US history, particularly military history. i wasn't, however, traumatized by the lack of that knowledge in my youth.
i think the best we can do in school is try to hit the highpoints fairly and accurately, and let the colleges deal with "niche" history.
I think we need to stop all the white history vs. black history crap and get back to American history.
Include the facts, give background from varying viewpoints, and emphasize that which has the most impact historically.
The story of the Amistad mutiny is an important one, for instance, but it is obviously overshadowed by much larger, more significant events that have effected far more people over the course of time.
If you consider that African Americans have probably contributed more to the development of various unique aspects of American culture thana lot of other groups then you might understand why some folks would like to see them better represented in school texts:
Jazz, blues, R&B, rap, zydeco, rock and roll; Creole/Cajun cuisine, Soul food (actually much of southern food in general). I won't even go into literature, sports, and acting.
Without the black contribution to society, the U.S. would be about as bland and boring as...well, I'm not going to go through the list.
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"Shoot him again....his soul is still dancing"
Jazz, blues, R&B, rap, zydeco, rock and roll; Creole/Cajun cuisine, Soul food (actually much of southern food in general). I won't even go into literature, sports, and acting.
I don't remember reading about any of these things in history books during primary and secondary schooling. They are minor subjects compared to things such as exploration of the New World, colonization, the economic, political, and militaryhistory of colonial America,founding of the republic, etc. There's much more to our past than entertainment and gastronomy.
Blacks were a main power behind the South's agricultural build up, but they really just haven't had the historical influence that whites have. At least not until well after emancipation. Add the fact that they represent about 13% of our population, and it becomes even more clear why they've lacked the historicalinfluence they're seeking today.
Actually, all of the topics i listed are relevant to our cultural history and, more importantly, to ourcontemporary society.In many ways, our present and recent historyare more important than who discovered Chesapeake Bay or what year Robert E. Lee was born. If blackslack historical influence it is becauseAmericans in general are simply uninformedof their contributions in many areas.This is because we are so immersed in their influence that we can't really see the forest because of the trees. Its easy to take things for granted under such circumstances.
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"Shoot him again....his soul is still dancing"
A knife cuts in both directions
