Modernization or Memory Hole

AIA-FL Blog ^ | February 5, 2010 | Malcolm A. Kline

[bs9021]

Modernization or Memory Hole

Malcolm A. Kline, February 5, 2010

Modernizing history may be the ultimate oxymoron. “He may be the president who governed during the Civil War, freeing the slaves, but under a new curriculum proposal for North Carolina high schools, U.S. history would begin years after President Lincoln, with the presidency of Rutherford B. Hayes in 1877,” Molly Henneberg reports on Fox News. “State education leaders say this may help students learn about more recent history in greater depth.”

It may but here’s a few chaps such an approach would leave out:...

[DariusBane]

It’s a great way to pretend that States Sovereignty was never really a big deal.

[litehaus]

"Hobamma to the Highest"

How U no he be smoking dat stuf agin? /sarc

[o_zarkman44]

1877 even leaves out Lincoln.

These educators are now trying to teach the era of progressives as history, and nothing prior to that period.
Nothing taught about freedom from tyranny. Nothing about building a nation on a bill of rights and constitutional law.
Nothing about expansion.

Don't let the state education people get away with this.

[laotzu]

It’s a great way to....

..assure we forget that, just like today, it was Democrats that fought for slavery.

[ClearCase_guy]

It also allows one to skip over the Republican Party's effort at Reconstruction in the South and the implementation of civil rights for blacks in the post-civil war era.

Instead, you can just start right up with a resurgence of southern racism, leading to the KKK, lynchings and Jim Crow (please ignore the heavy hand of the Democrats in all of that). Then, since we are clearly such an evil country, you can slide easily into the rise of the Progressives and the strong role played by Government throughout the 20th century to make this country the great nation we see today.

Makes me sick.

[PapaBear3625]

American history should have been covered over the course of a couple of years before high school. In high school, selected events (the revolution, civil war, etc) should be covered in depth.

[o_zarkman44]

I can’t disagree with your premise.
The key is actually taking the time to teach at some point when the kids are most likely to understand specific events.

[PapaBear3625]

The way the sequence should be is that in grammar school they cover WHAT happened WHEN, and then in high school focus should be on why things happened and what the effects were on contemporary American society.

As with others, my issue is the likelihood that the discussion will be focused on politically correct issues.

[Neidermeyer]

1877? Huh ,, right before the book that sparked the American Progressive movement was published.. taking Marx and making his ideas palatable ..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Looking_Backward

[SunkenCiv]

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	Gods Graves Glyphs	Just adding to the catalog, not sending a general distribution. Schools: U.S. History Out, Environment In N.C High Schools to Remove Pre-1877 U.S. History? N.C. high schools to replace U.S. History with environmental issues To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach
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[SunkenCiv]

• Modernization or Memory Hole
• How U.S. History is taught could change in N.C.
• North Carolina Schools May Cut Chunk Out of U.S. History Lessons