Is Black History taught in schools?

[Al B. Sure!]

Chegitz:

We learn all that in schools in Philly... What we don't learn about is the specific battles or European history... People pay more attention to Marcus Garvey than World War 1 or the other events of the 1920's... hell I can't even name what else was going on in the 20's besides Garvey, the Great Migration, Jazz, and the Harlem Rennaisance... what was going on politically besides when it came to pre-Civil Rights? What was happening in pre-depression post-WW1 Europe? I honestly have no idea and this is bothering me...


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[Al B. Sure!]

Imran:

Nah... the founding fathers protected their class during the "Conservative Revolution" that was the Constitution. The American Revolution was about freedom and equality but such decisions as acceptance of slavery and retaining of citizenship rights to white males with property were a conservative reaction.


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[Imran Siddiqui]

They may have... but the entire Revolutionary chapter devoted to that question. The main debate focused around whether the founders ONLY wrote the Constitution to protect their wealth or was it simply an alterior motive .

I wonder what happened to the great compromises of the Constitution and the big battles of the war.

[Al B. Sure!]

Imran:

I think the modern emphasis on history is social history. It has to do with our increasing pacifism and comfort with life... historians of previous years were chroniclers of battles and wars and the acts of kings and leaders. Now we live in an 'equal peaceful society' so our history reflects this, being devoid of the specifics of war and paying more attention to the common man than the leaders.


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[Imran Siddiqui]

Which is fine in the University setting... but you NEED the background in place. You need the dates and battles, etc., in High School. 'People's History' isn't bad in college, where you are other books expressing other views, but as a single solitary high school textbook, it falls pitifully short.

[chequita guevara]

Dates and battles are secondary and far less important.

[Al B. Sure!]

See thats the thing... because there's so limited time to teach and only so much kids will actually take in, having them memorize dates is tedious and does not do much for them. Unfortunately, people can take the opposing side too far and ignore everything except minority cultural movements.


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[Kaak]

history is history. teach it all and don't seperate it damnit

[The Emperor Fabulous]

My school devotes the entire month of February (ie Black History Month) to great things great African-Americans did.

Which is good, be cause we have a total of 3 black people in my school.

We don't, however, learn about Sub-Saharan Africa.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Dates and battles are secondary and far less important.

Bull****. They are just as important as the social BS, and sometimes even more so.

[Al B. Sure!]

Imran:

I think it's a memorization issue... it's bull**** to have kids memorize a thousand dates and battle names and locations when a general understanding of events is easier to learn, easier to remember, and has more practical value... the problem is, schools dont seem to be teaching that either...

[Eroberer]

Battles are what keep most people interested. Dates are so you can put things in sequence, which is very important. You couldn't very well have had the French and Russian Revolutions without the American Revolution. =)

[Imran Siddiqui]

Eroberer, exactly! Dates are important so you can see the pattern. And battles are very important. They can sometimes change the course of history (like Saratoga, Austerlitz, etc.).

[Al B. Sure!]

Imran:

what's Austerlitz? how did it change the course of history?

[Imran Siddiqui]

Austerlitz is when Napoleon basically smashed the Austrians and it left all of Eastern Europe open to him. If he lost, you wouldn't have heard of Napoleonic Europe... because it wouldn't have existed.