We Should Know Our History

lonsberry.com ^ | February 16, 2004 | Bob Lonsberry`

[CGVet58]

Indians were not "noble savages"; and their rules of warfare allowed for raids on civilian populations - something which all european standards at the time abhorred.

Set aside the microbes, the technological and military advantages, and any nonsensical idea that these things were somehow consciously harnessed by the europeans or later by the US to execute a grand plan of extermination covering centuries in duration - and what you have left is our group doing unto the Indians what they were already doing to themselves.

Juan
CGVet58

[Chuckster]

I wouldn't be so quick to judge if I were you. Just take your own world view and imagine what it will evolve into in fifty or a hundred years and picture yourself being villified by people who haven't the slightest understanding of our own early 21st century world.

I dare say that the men who ran this country at the turn of the last century would not have hesitated to seal the borders and launch an all out war against any moslem nation that did not immediately capitulate following 9/11/01. The US would have been full of "Racist vitriol" toward moslems, possibly even lynchings, and very few people in that time would have objected.

The 18th century was vastly different time, the realities of which are almost inconceivable to today's products of the government educational system. The Leaders of that time were far better educated and had none of the distractions that we of today have to contend with. And of course they were very religious; almost incomprehensibly so by today's standards. Can you imagine the private correspondence of any recent politician invoking G-d's blessing? Neither can I. Roll that back another three hundred years and try to comprehend Columbus' worldview.

No sir. You cannot apply ex-post-facto morality to history.

In the final analysis, I agree with you: "...it's something that we all should acknowledge and accept, with few regrets and no apologies."

[BIGZ]

Teach history? We perpetuate racial strife because we do not teach history.

History taught properly would show that the Muslims were the first slave traders, slavery went on foot from Africa East not from Africa West as history is taught in schools in the United States insinuate. 5% of all salves came to the United States, history taught in our schools insinuates that all slaves were landed in the United States and that the United States is responsible for all slavery. African sold their own people and Europe was responsible for most salve situations. The United States was against slavery from it's inception and had little to do with the actual direct movement of slaves out of Africa.

If we taught history based on true facts the racial proplems would be far less then they are now.

[Androcles]

History taught properly would show that the Muslims were the first slave traders, slavery went on foot from Africa East not from Africa West as history is taught in schools in the United States insinuate.

Actually, let's be frank - slavery predates Islam by thousands of years. Return to the Classics such as the Iliad, the old testament and Gilgamesh for verification. nSlavery is based on economics and power - religion gets into the act as a figleaf of morality.

...history taught in our schools insinuates that all slaves were landed in the United States and that the United States is responsible for all slavery.

Not being from an American school, that's not the general view. Mind you, is it any wonders that American schools focus on the American role in the slave trade? It's such a repugnant topic that it isn't surprising it gets overblown and confused with the full extent of world slavery.

African sold their own people and Europe was responsible for most salve situations. The United States was against slavery from it's inception and had little to do with the actual direct movement of slaves out of Africa.

SOME Africans sold their own people. Some Europeans ran raids (And Americans). Some non Africans paid Africans for captives for slavery...providing a market and incentives for slavery invovles one in slavery as much as the initial trader who captures or breeds the slave.As to being against slavery from its inception, I'd need a grain of salt larger than the solar system for that. I could agree that in the US (As in many countries) there were always those opposed to slavery, but the fact that slavery was easily practiced for nearly a century after independence argues against majority opposition. To be fair though, few countries were consciouly opposed. The British Empire by then and the Empire of Brazil were the only exceptions that sprang to mind and they had plenty of horriffic abuses of other types going on.

If we taught history based on true facts the racial proplems would be far less then they are now.

I agree completely that there can never be too great a knowledge of history taught, along with the fostering of inquiring minds and the readiness to move on from live rather than dwelling on what my ancestors did to your ancestors generations past.