Patriotic Education

I came across this little geography text from 1846 and was reminded how students have always been at the mercy of the textbooks they are issued and that just because your textbook says something doesn't guarantee its accuracy. But many people cling to what they learned at their mother's knee or in grammar school, despite evidence to the contrary. 

 

When I hear people on the right yammering on about patriotic education and their fear that impressionable youth will be taught to hate the USA if given the historical facts about the slavery and genocide that accompanied the founding of our nation, my mind flashes to the tall black Pilgrim hats and feathered headdresses, both made of construction paper, that were my introduction to USA history. How wonderful that the invaders (Pilgrims) and invadees got along so nicely, down to sharing a Thanksgiving meal!

It's the folks in charge who write the histories, alas.

This little book covers the US and its territories exhaustively and moves on to the rest of the globe.  Including Asia, where "our first parents were created" and where appeared "the Savior" and the gospel "which is ultimately to bless all nations." The author is not afraid to characterize whole groups of people as ignorant or lazy or wicked. 

And while modern day texts aren't quite so blatant, I suspect many of us were taught some untruths that may still linger. I know I was taught that the Civil War wasn't about slavery (wrong) and that the Native Americans welcomed the White settlers. (Except when they didn't.)

I wonder what sort of man young Benjamin, whose book this was, became?  (I can't make out what his last name is or I'd look for him online.) 

He wrote:

 Benjamin _____ 

is my name with my pen 

I write the same the grass 

is green the rose is red

here lies my name when

I am dead and in my

grave and all my bones

are rotten when this you

see you will remember

me when I am quite

forgotten

And now we do.

 

The Wisdom of the Founding Fathers

"And the rockets' red glare
The bombs bursting in air
Gave proof through the night
That our flag was still there."

 Our country was founded on noble ideals put forth by slave-owning men who saw no reason to treat women as equals or people of color as anything but less than human. The history of our government's treatment of native peoples is appalling. Making a country seems to be as messy and unspeakable a process as making sausage -- you'd rather not see what goes into it.

We've improved, over the years. I don't think even the staunchest conservative who yammers on about the principles of the Founding Fathers would argue that slavery was a good idea or that women shouldn't have the vote.

Yes, we've come a long, long way -- but we're  not there yet. It will be interesting to see how this democracy thing works out -- maybe in another hundred years or so -- if we haven't blown up the planet or rendered it unlivable in some other way.

 Looking back, I find I've pretty well repeated last year's post -- down to the flower arrangement I make every 4th with hydrangeas for clouds and crocosmia and Queen Anne's Lace for firworks -- or rocket's red glare.


I dislike sounding so negative -- I love this country -- but I want it to be as fine as the most rabid patriots think it is.  And it won't get there by blinding ourselves to our shortcomings.