History

Abusing History: “Dinesh D’Souza Claims in a New Film that the Democratic Party Was Pro-Slavery. Here’s the Sad Truth.” | History News Network

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Dinesh D’Souza, true to form, comes out with another propaganda film. In order to discredit the current Democratic Party he using the Republican’s favor trope: claiming that the Democratic Party is the racist party because at one time it was the pro-slavery and racist party. Of course, they forget to mention that the parties basically traded positions on issues of race after LBJ’s signed civil rights legislation and the Republican party decided to expand their base by going after the disaffected southern Democrats in what is called their “southern strategy.” But this probably won’t matter to many conservatives who would love to believe that it’s the Democrats who are racist.

Read Michael Todd Landis’s review of the relevant history: History News Network | Dinesh D’Souza Claims in a New Film that the Democratic Party Was Pro-Slavery. Here’s the Sad Truth.

Ron Briley: I’ve Taught History for 40 Years. I’m Alarmed.” | History News Network

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I share the same concerns as Ron Briley. He is rightly troubled by the side lining of history in favor of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) courses. He notes, “This view of higher education as simply providing the basis for job placement within a technological society may be understandable in light of the student loan debt burden, but it is shortsighted and fails to address the larger goals of a college education.”

A knowledge of history in all its complexities remains vital to the health of our democracy. History is more than names and dates. It helps us make sense of the world around us. It teaches us humility as we struggle to understand the complexities of human nature and the world. It shakes us from our simplistic worldview so that we can better address the problems of the world. It offers lessons and warnings if we are willing to learn from it. It forces us to see the world from different perspectives. And, of course, it offers us great stories. We should resist the transformation of education into a job training program. We are human beings not worker bots!

Read the entire article here: History News Network | I’ve Taught History for 40 Years. I’m Alarmed.

History News Network | The Medieval Christian King Inspired by the Muslim World

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After a brief history of the world of the Christian King of Castile and Leon,  Alfonso, the historian Simon R. Doubleday invites us to follow his example. “Alfonso’s open-mindedness and outward gaze remind us of the need to engage deeply with the cultures of peoples and faiths that inspire fear. Today, the discourse of mainstream politics is distorted by a closure of the imagination that contrasts sharply with the thirteenth-century conviction that wisdom, intellectual accomplishment, and the pursuit of fascination should be prerequisites for true leadership, even (and especially) in the face of terror. ” This type of wisdom is sorely needed today!

Read Doubleday’s brief history of Alfonso here: History News Network | The Medieval Christian King Inspired by the Muslim World

“Should We Really Turn College Education over to the Free Market?” | History News Network

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This idea that higher education should be driven by free market forces is gaining traction. And it has already had a detrimental impact on the quality of education as students and society at large value “job training” over a real education that prepares them to think critically and more broadly about the world.

The idea that institutions of higher education are and should be run like businesses is appealing . However, few Americans have really thought through the implications of this model of higher learning. As Paul J. Croce explains “education is more than a good-fitting pair of shoes; it can be a walk with towering and challenging ideas that can awaken to a mental map for understanding the world around us. Education can rouse us to support the world’s goodness and beauty, and also to tackle its problems, including those generated by the power of entrenched officeholders and the appeal of marketplace conventions.”

 

 

Read Croce entire argument here: History News Network | Should We Really Turn College Education over to the Free Market?

‘Rare’ Civil War Shipwreck Discovered Off North Carolina Coast – Yahoo

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“Maritime archaeologists and researchers in North Carolina recently discovered one of the most significant shipwrecks found off the East Coast in recent years. During a routine sonar assessment of known wrecks off the seaside town of Oak Island in North Carolina on Feb. 27, researchers and archaeologists stumbled upon the well-preserved wreckage of a blockade runner steamer from the Civil War, according to Billy Ray Morris, North Carolina’s deputy state archaeologist-underwater and director of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources’ Underwater Archaeology branch. “This finding is incredibly exciting because it’s so intact,” Morris told ABC News.”

Very cool!

Source: ‘Rare’ Civil War Shipwreck Discovered Off North Carolina Coast – Yahoo

“Anti-Gay, Pro-Creationism Birther Could Change America’s Textbooks” – The Daily Beast

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Mary Lou Bruner, who is likely to win a seat on the Texas School Board, “believes the Civil War was not caused by slavery, Barack Obama is a former gay Arab prostitute, and gays are abominations.” Her views get even crazier (see article)!

First: Where do they find these people?!!

Second: This is further evidence that school boards should not have any say concerning school curriculum or textbooks!

Read the entire article here: Anti-Gay, Pro-Creationism Birther Could Change America’s Textbooks – The Daily Beast

Debunking a Persistent (albeit Entertaining) Myth: “The Immortal Myth of Hitler’s Deformed Genitals” | TIME

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“Stories about the Führer’s phallus have existed for over 60 years”

Read the entire article here: The Immortal Myth of Hitler’s Deformed Genitals | TIME

“Trump’s obsession with WW2 generals strikes sour note with historians” | Reuters

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“Presidential candidate Donald Trump admires the late Douglas MacArthur and George Patton, both World War Two generals. They were winners, unpredictable, and not especially nice guys, he says in campaign speeches. But Trump’s pledge to imitate their styles sets modern-day military experts on edge.”

I would like to add that Trump’s simplistic history of these two men has led him to draw the wrong lessons from their experiences. But of course, Trump doesn’t really care about actual history or thoughtful conclusions!

Read the entire article here: Trump’s obsession with WW2 generals strikes sour note with historians | Reuters

AP U.S. History Update: “Why Oklahoma Lawmakers Want to Ban AP US History” — NYMag

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The battle against the AP U.S. History framework continues. Oklahoma and Georgia conservatives are trying to get their way by defunding the program.  They claim the test “emphasizes ‘what is bad about America’ and doesn’t teach ‘American exceptionalism.'”

In other words, they don’t want students to learn history, they want to indoctrinate students in a patriotic vision of U.S. history that ignores all past wrongs. Our future depends on having citizens who can make informed decisions. They cannot do this if they are taught a one-sided, triumphal version of history. We are currently paying the price for the ignorance of a sizable portion of our citizenry. If we want to keep our democracy and create a better future, we need a historically literate population. Let’s hope the efforts in Oklahoma and Georgia fail!

Source: Why Oklahoma Lawmakers Want to Ban AP US History — NYMag

“This is What Is Still Holding Us Back from the Creation of a Fair Society” | History News Network

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martin-luther-king

“Despite five decades of considerable progress, the ghosts of Samuel Morton, Arthur de Gobineau, and Frederick Hoffman continue to influence American society in its language, policies, and relative indifference to the sordid effects of racism.  It is time for all Americans to wake up to the Revolution: “All men [and women] are created equal” and all lives must matter equally. ”

Read the entire article here: History News Network | This is What Is Still Holding Us Back from the Creation of a Fair Society