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I'm going to assume that the Reagan speeches were related to the cold world, probably the "tear down this wall" speech is in there and I would also assume the Bush speech was related to 9/11. I don't recall any events during the Obama, Clinton or Carter years that even begin to approach the magnitude of those pivotal events.
Barack Obama certainly hasn't made any great speeches, certainly none that were significant in terms of World Events. I don't think Clinton did either.
But, speeches aside, I do think it is important to teach our founding principles, include the writings of our Founders in history, and the Constitution and Declaration, and what they meant. These were historically World changing. There had been no government in history past like the American government, and the ideas and principles of "self government." This was partly what de Tocqueville referred to and what he termed "American exceptionalism." Our founding was "exceptional" in the history of man, and so is our freedom and form of government.
We should not be substituting anything for the very foundational principles of our founding, and, the fact that we ended slavery should be emphasized more than the fact of slavery itself, which was not unique to America, but it existed throughout the World. The Atlantic Slave Trade was run by African Muslims, not America. To focus too much attention on slavery in America, and less on how we ended it, providing a one sided view of our history, would be disingenuous.
How are Republicans cutting public education to the bone? We spend more on education than almost every other country in the world, but are experiencing mediocre results. Maybe funding isn't the problem, but policies and methodology?
Seems you have no problem with guilt-ridden Liberals manipulating US history programs to focus on the negative aspects of this country while downplaying the amazing things America has done. We don't need to create a generation of students who are ashamed to be American because of black marks in our history. Every nation has things its ashamed of, but only the worst of the worst should be defined by those shameful events.
This is how we crank out students who think America is a horrible place for things like the Salem Witch trials because a lot of people (only 19, in reality) were burned at the stake (nobody in Salem was burned at the stake), meanwhile tens of thousands were killed in Europe. They blame the US for things like slavery and racism (which has existed nearly everywhere and still does) and think the only reason the Civil War happened was over slaves. They think Native Americans were peaceful victims of White imperialism, when in reality their tribes were killing each other long before Europeans showed up in North America. Commanches were particularly brutal to their enemies, sometimes burning them alive and slaughtering babies.
Bingo . The biggest issue with education is politicians trying to always get involved in it because it scores good political points. It's best when you let schools handle it and stop having both sides come up with nifty policies to teach and test, and then tying the results to funding.
If you look at the course break down, its a more about political science than history. Its obvious the course is designed to indoctrinate typical liberal beliefs. Both sides are playing politics with education.
This is actually true. While I agree that it's important to point out America's historical failures, it's equally important to point out our historical successes. We need a balanced, honest accounting of our history. No nation is perfect and there isn't a place on the planet where people haven't experienced oppression, violence, genocide, etc...
That being said, America has been a beacon of hope for the rest of the World for a very long time and there's a reason for that. There's a reason why people from around the World want to move here. There's a reason why we have the oldest continuously operating democracy in the World today. I love this country and it's been a tremendous source of pride to call myself an American everywhere else I've traveled. We should be sure to teach that pride to our next generation as well.
Who wants to bet that some of these same legislators cry bloody murder over news stories about Japan whitewashing the atrocities they committed before/during World War II? One can - and must - learn the unpleasant chapters of American history just as much as the pleasant feel-good stuff. What's the George Santayana quote? "Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it." Ignoring crucial, but unpleasant chapters in our history - slavery, mistreatment of Native Americans, the Gilded Age, etc. does a disservice to American history writ large. Concentrate only on the good and you get some lobotomized version of history a'la the DPRK.
"Who wants to bet that some of these same legislators cry bloody murder over news stories....."
I don't know.
Do YOU?
Instead of making things up from your OWN biases, why not POST the facts to back up your claims?
Or maybe you haven't even tried to substantiate you r"claims". You would rather just spout off!
Location: On the "Left Coast", somewhere in "the Land of Fruits & Nuts"
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Sounds like a lot of our conservative friends share the same POV as ol' Joe Stalin that, "education is a weapon, whose effects depend on who holds it in his hands, and at whom it is aimed."
"Some lawmakers in Oklahoma want to make Advanced Placement U.S. History history.
What's their beef? The course, which was redesigned by the College Board and implemented in high school classrooms last year, isn't quite pro-America enough.
"In essence, we have a new emphasis on what is bad about America," said state representative Dan Fisher, the measure's chief sponsor.
"(The new framework) trades an emphasis on America's founding principles of Constitutional government in favor of robust analyses of gender and racial oppression and class ethnicity and the lives of marginalized people, where the emphasis on instruction is of America as a nation of oppressors and exploiters," Fisher lamented at a legislative committee hearing Tuesday.
Not only does HB 1380 -- which sailed through a committee hearing this week -- bar state funds from being used on AP History, the legislation specifies what should be taught in the classroom by specifically identifying dozens of "documents, writings, speeches, proclamations and recordings related to the history, heritage and foundation of the United States" in the 10-page bill.
What did Fisher single out? Old standards such as The Gettysburg Address, Madison's Federalist No. 10 and "Common Sense" by Thomas Paine. The bill doesn't totally avoid what Fisher called America's "blemishes": He included Martin Luther King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" essay and "I Have a Dream" speech, as well as the "Ballot or the Bullet" speech made by Malcolm X as part of the replacement curriculum.
Fisher, a Republican, also singled out three speeches made by Ronald Reagan and one by George W. Bush as important enough to U.S. history to be added to the new curriculum , but none from from Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, or Jimmy Carter -- the last three Democratic presidents."
Republicans are not only cutting public education to the bone. They now want full control of the curriculum.
It NEVER fails on here. A thread is opened WITH a site, and so many people post all sorts of things WITHOUT READING WHAT THE ATTCHED SITE SAYS.
It goes on page after page AND IT IS CLEAR MANY NEVER BOTHERED TO READ THE LINK.
And then we have the usual "slight of hand" "Oklahoma Republicans Trying to Eliminate AP History"
Back up your title. Show where they are attempting to ELIMINATE the AP program
There is a bill to CHANGE what the course offers NOT ELIMINATE the program.
Why the LIE? Pathetic really
Last edited by Quick Enough; 02-22-2015 at 09:05 AM..
Bingo . The biggest issue with education is politicians trying to always get involved in it because it scores good political points. It's best when you let schools handle it and stop having both sides come up with nifty policies to teach and test, and then tying the results to funding.
"It's best when you let schools handle it" I think THAT is the problem. MOST school system in America today are run by those with a very left leaning thinking.
THEY are the ones who CHANGED the course to reflect THEIR OPINIONS.
School systems are NOT free to do as they please without the state legislature involvement.
Sounds like a lot of our conservative friends share the same POV as ol' Joe Stalin that, "education is a weapon, whose effects depend on who holds it in his hands, and at whom it is aimed."
Lol...the KC public school district can't even get legitimately accredited and you are here whining because of OK's AP curriculum was being discussed by legislators whom then didn't change it.
So yeah, I agree with you.....sure seems like a lot of democratic urban centers like thier population completely disarmed if education is a wheapon.
I'm a little shocked that you'd start brining up something where the dems come out looking a lot wrose.
The problem with a course like AP US History is that it forces students to critically think about, to question, and to challenge the ideas, events, and issues of American history.
The problem with a course like AP US History is that it forces students to critically think about, to question, and to challenge the ideas, events, and issues of American history.
Yes! And that is why the curriculum raises the hackles of ideologues. Can you just imagine what would happen if the critics got their way and the Reagan speech was included and its validity DEBATED by students, as should be the case in an AP History class? Their heads would explode! Can't ever question anything, because it's unpatriotic. That's the overriding theme in all of this nonsense.
Quote:
Originally Posted by victimofGM
While we learned about slavery, Japanese internment camps, and trail of tears, we also learned about the US Constitution, our nation's founding fathers, and other positive things about our nation.
Hello! These subjects are taught in fifth through ninth grade. If a student doesn't have a firm understanding of these people, documents, and events, he doesn't belong in the AP course. The entire point is to have students tackle the more contentious events of American history and use their prior knowledge to develop, support, and defend their positions on those events.
Last edited by randomparent; 02-23-2015 at 12:47 PM..
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. The biggest issue with education is politicians trying to always get involved in it because it scores good political points. It's best when you let schools handle it and stop having both sides come up with nifty policies to teach and test, and then tying the results to funding.
