"When teachers and curriculum planners and textbook authors look at the founding fathers today, they see too many white males," said David W. Saxe, a professor of education at Pennsylvania State University who studies American history textbooks. "George Washington is dissipating from the textbooks. He's still mentioned, but you don't spend a week in February talking about him, doing plays and reciting the farewell address. In the interest of being inclusive, material about women and minorities is taking the place of material about the founders of our country."
So making Mt. Vernon more like MTV is the answer?
I think President's Day should be renamed Washington and Lincoln Day for starters.
Professor Henriques just summed up with his own words why Washington isn't "so popular" these days - thousands of Marxist "Educators" such as himself. Washington is the wrong color, doncha know.
What an illiterate BOOB.
Cheeze louise! This guy is a history professor? Of what? Ancient Sumatra? The fact of the matter is, Professor Henriques:
1) Lots and lots of people owned slaves back then, and not all of them were male or even white. Owning a slave back then was like owning an SUV today, frowned on by some but perfectly legal
2)A large number of Washington's slaves came about as a result of the "birds and the bees", if you know what I mean. Another very large percenatge were "dower slaves" meaning they were part of his wife's dowery; he could not have sold them even if he wanted to.
3) On his death Washington granted freedom to all his slaves, and died comforted in the promise from his wife that upon her passing that she --in her will-- would free all of her slaves. * Thomas Jefferson, the liberals' posterboy, on the other hand, upon his death freed only about 6 of his 220+ slaves.
4) As to "elitist", what the duce does that mean?? That he wasn't some kind of Jacobin? That he actually thought Hamilton had some good ideas? That he believed that the office of the President of the United States, as the respresenative of the people, should be one enveloped in civility, decorm and dignity?
5)In closing, professor, do yourself and everyone else a favor: read the books listed on this post. In addition may I add, "Agony and Farewell: Washington's Final Years" and "All Cloudless Glory, Vol. II"
* Within a year of her husband's death Martha Custis Washington (who, in fact, was a few years older than Washington by) would set all her slaves free as well. This was not so much done from charity or noblese obligue, but fear. She knew-- as did the remaining slaves (many of them married to Washington slaves who were compelled to "hang around" Mt. Vernon waiting for the old woman to die so that their spouces would also be free to leave)-- that more than once in the history of Virgina the "Massa's" widow soon after "died without witness", as the old legal term so politely put it. Mrs. Washington was an old, sick woman. Better a less "genteel" standard of living than live every hour of the day in constant fear. (Not that I'd expect this to be mentioned in the Mt. Vernon tour)
He was the kind of man people loved to be around. He was well-liked. People enjoyed playing cards with him -- probably whist, an early version of bridge. He was a fine dancer and a brilliant conversationalist with a wry sense of humor.
He was also hell on horseback.
If your local school board insists on teaching about the antics of post World War II Leftwing activists, rather than about the history and values of the Founding Fathers, the answer is to cut back on the funding--particularly any that would go to the salaries of such "educators," and the school administrators who determine their curricula. A school which treats the values of the "Great Society" and the "Civil Rights" movement as more important than the well understood individual responsibility that motivated the Founding Fathers, is less than worthless in its contribution to the American future. It is promoting that which will make an "American" future, next to impossible.
I would try to encourage parents to take the time to read Washington's Farewell Address in their homes on February 22nd; just as I am trying to encourage parents to read the Declaration of Independence to their children on July 4th. We dare not trust the future to anyone. We must assume responsibility--individual responsibility, not collective responsibility--that the light does not go out.
William Flax Return Of The Gods Web Site
Do they even assign books like "Silver for General Washington" and "Johnny Tremain" any more?
a.cricket
Leni
-PJ
Click here for more on Ann Pamela Cunningham and Mt. Vernon.
