Our country 'tis a stranger to thee (QUIZ)

Star-Telegram ^ | Nov. 11, 2002 | Liz Stevens

[Dubya]

It would be nice if some of you Freepers who know History (AMERICAN HISTORY) would teach us some of it. I missed out on that kind of school.

[ArcLight]

No lie...my niece--black like me, of course!!--is a graduate of one of the nation's best liberal arts colleges. I was talking to her once about the Civil War, an event of the most immense significance to black people, and I realized she didn't know when the war had been fought. I just came right out and asked her the dates of the war. She said, "1960?" I was flabbergasted. But...there you are.

[litehaus]

"It would be nice if some of you Freepers who know History (AMERICAN HISTORY) would teach us some of it. I missed out on that kind of school."

Funny...My son (PhD math) came home from London last week 4 a visit and he had me talk for hours on that subject and world history for hours....For all his "honors" in school etc he really is ignorant of so many things....His schools really never got around to history..

[IronJack]

It would be nice if some of you Freepers who know History (AMERICAN HISTORY) would teach us some of it.

Teach it to yourself. Seriously. That way, you learn it without the spin and the revisionism. Read everything you can get your hands on. Some will be transparently self-serving; others will go on your shelves right next to your Bible.

At least that's the way it worked for me.

[afraidfortherepublic]

...my niece--black like me, of course!!--is a graduate of one of the nation's best liberal arts colleges. I was talking to her once about the Civil War, an event of the most immense significance to black people, and I realized she didn't know when the war had been fought.

You don't have to be black to not know US history! You just have to be educated in the public schools since 1960. My own children are woefully ignorant about some of the basics -- despite my best efforts. You think they are learning it in school -- honors programs and all -- and then you find out that there are whole chunks that have been glossed over!

I have to say that I only missed one of the questions, but I graduated from high school in 1956!

[Slainte]

Just grab anything by Howard Zinn. You'll love it.

[Fiddlstix]

Bump

[Dubya]

Thanks thats a very good idea. I droped out of school and joined the Marines. I have learned a lot on my PC. And I love doing it.

[Dubya]

Just grab anything by Howard Zinn. You'll love it.

OK thanks I will.

[Fledermaus]

Yea!! I got all 10 correct!

[Dubya]

Good for you, I got 6 right.

[IronJack]

The internet is a boundless source of historical information. And there are some respectable historians on Free Republic, including professors, teachers, serious amateurs, and several published authors.

If you have specific questions, you can get your answers right here in River City.

[JenB]

He's being sarcastic. Zinn is a leftist, commie distorter.

I got them all right... but I was homeschooled.

[Diva]

Yea!! I got all 10 correct!

What amazes me is that I answered them all correctly even without the aid of my history wiz kid.

[Straight Vermonter]

I'd like to recommend Don't Know Much ABout History by Kenneth Davis. It really presents history in a fun way, written for contemporary Americans. My wife who knew next to nothing about history thoroughly enjoyed it.

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

...... 10 of 10 ...... Only needed to think about the Reconstruction answer. Then again I have a degree in Poly Sci

[Coeur de Lion]

This is just one of the many ills that have been wrought by political correctness (i.e. cultural relativism, multiculturalism, inclusion, academic egalitarinism and historical revisionism). Am I saying that there's no room in academia for this stuff? No, but what's happened is it's presented a perversion of the uniqueness of the American Experience from a historical as well as political perspective. But again, that's been the main goal of political correctness to begin with. It's one of the reasons anti-Americanism has been able to grow in prosper. Especially given the equivalent approach taken with regards to World History. Since the goal of public education is supposed to be the creation of good public citizens, this abortion of what now gets taught ought to be grounds for throwing out the whole mess and going back to basics. Otherwise these so called educators are doing nothing less than defrauding the public. Because the students are now taught the secular religion of political correctness instead of the secular religion of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, and have been for over the past 25 years, it will take some major surgery to remove the rot as is now present.
When I was in school it wasn't all that unusual to meet a student who could recite the name of every American President in chronological order. Now, I couldn't do that though I could name most of them and knew there significance from a political and historical perspective, but to be able to recite them all that seemed awfully odd. One day about a year ago I decided to try and figure out how to do the same thing. I'm a pretty good student of history so I didn't think it would be too difficult to do. What surprise me was actually how easy it was and also how much American history one can learn from the exercise. On the web there's sites which have mini-biographies of the presidents and by reading them they provide very good insight to the historic events that were taking place in this country leading up to, during, and following each president's term in office.

[MP5SD]

I always forget the date the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor and how many of each animal Moses took on the Ark.

[Dubya]

Thanks Jen you saved me a lot of time by letting me know this. Good score.

[Dubya]

Thanks I will sure give it a try.