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American history books and racism « Abagond

Seeded on Mon Jul 25, 2011 2:22 PM EDT

Article Source: Abagond

politics, racism, newsvine, slavery, african-americans, blacks, racists, whites, slaves

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What do they teach about racism in American high schools? In “Lies My Teacher Told Me” (1995) James W. Loewen looked at 12 history books commonly used in American high schools. One of the things he looked at is what they teach about racism. Very little, as it turns out.

Most history books do not even have the word “racism” or “racial prejudice” in their index. None of the 12 point out out how racism grew out of the practice of keeping black slaves. Not one. The closest any of them get to the cause of racism is this:

[African Americans] looked different from members of white ethnic groups. The color of their skin made assimilation difficult. For this reason they remained outsiders.

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Public Discussion (4)

PowerIsKnowledge

It used to be worse: before 1970 they took the white Southern view of the Civil War and the Reconstruction that followed – like what you see in the Hollywood film “Gone With the Wind” (1939)!!! You know, like everyone in the South – black, white and presumably Native American – was happy and the North went and destroyed it all, that it had little to do with freeing the slaves, that the North ruled the South after the war just to get rich.

Now they teach that being a slave is terrible – well, 10 out of 12 books do – that the war was about freeing the slaves and that the North tried its best during the 12 years of Reconstruction after the war to rule the South.

But even so they all underplay the racism of Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and any other white person they choose to make into a hero. None point out that there must be something sick and very wrong with white Americans for wanting to own black slaves.

2 votes

#1 - Mon Jul 25, 2011 2:22 PM EDT

Kavika

''None point out that there must be something sick and very wrong with white Americans for wanting to own black slaves''..or for genocide.

Good post Power.

2 votes

#2 - Mon Jul 25, 2011 2:29 PM EDT

PowerIsKnowledge

They will never admit to causing harm to other cultures because that's who they are. Everywhere the Europeans land, they do their best to kill the cultures they encounter--this is what psychopaths do. There is no guilt. There is no sorrow. There is no shame. There is only the need for more. Three is only the need to have their way.

4 votes

#2.1 - Mon Jul 25, 2011 2:33 PM EDT

kappa_man_stew

i grew up in the days when john brown was called "crazy" or a "madman" in history books. there was no black history taught in school and there was no attempt to link africans in american to africans in africa. africa was taught to be the worst place in the world and nothing historical came out of the country. they neglected to mention that you couldn't get caucasians out of africa with a nuke. the teaching of real black history is still not practiced. we are not taught about scientific, exploratory, or any other significant contributions of african americans. just a little social history, and that is warped. the caucasians have omitted teaching americans about the great flood of 1927 and the significance of it to black people. they still barely cover the administration of rutherford b. hayes and how his ending of reconstruction set back african americans. they completely omit the history that would dispell the bs that the conservatives try to spew.

today you can go into any high school and maybe the last week of the class will have any history that is related to africans in america.

2 votes

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