DavidJames
Penultimate Amazing
I will step up and promise, I will not vote for any Democrat in the 1870's.
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TTea Party Group Wants To 'Soften' Slavery In Textbooks
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MG1962
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The funny thing is by watering down the message we change the whole point. In their day slavery was okay. So rather than ignore that, learn who these people were understand the environment they grew up in and influenced, and see how similar or different we are today.
History is full of train wrecks and bad decisions (Or so we think) The reality is in context, many decisions and choices were obvious paths to those at the times
Cleon
King of the Pod People
See? Slavery wasn't all bad.
Seriously, though, to make attribution of the founding fathers as "evil slaveowners" is a logical error. Primarily because it singles them out for a sort of treatment that isn't done uniformly with the people of that era.
Looks to me like an easy way to attribute "evil" to wealthy people.
Who refers to them as "evil slaveowners?" Slaveowners, yes, but I don't think your average history book refers to anyone in such moralistic terms. Not even Hitler, who's probably the only person in human history universally considered "evil."
MG1962
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I used to own a set of history books from the 1850's - It was fascinating to see the way it referred to Napoleon. All you had to do was substitute Hitler's name and the writing was identical to how we think today
johnny karate
... and your little dog too.
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I'm sure such a measure will in some way save money for the taxpayers of Tennessee. After all, the Tea Party is all about fiscal conservatism.
It sure is. And since you're the only one doing it, we're about par for course here.
It sure is. And since you're the only one doing it, we're about par for course here.
The Fallen Serpent
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I think Hitler managed to take the seat as the world's first real globally villianized head of state. Not every state or culture agrees with that villianization, but it is pretty well known about across the world. This might cement him a prominence in history that other similarly devestating people did not before or since.
As for the Founding Fathers I haven't exactly seen them blasted as all slave-holders other than in comedy routines. A few were not, some even released all of their slaves after the Revolution (though some states had severe restrictions on such), and others like Benjamin Franklin were strongly anti-slavery. It was a well discussed hypocrisy of the day and I see no problem with exploring early US politics with that in mind. It was a major issue that was the part of the reason for the Virginia Plan. The issue remained a major contention up through the end of the Civil War.
Personally I think my education in the 80s and 90s did not delve deeply enough into the issue of early American slavery. The issue is pretty informative and a deep reading of the issues would actually provide more nuance unlike white-washing the issue seems to do. George Washington's life for instance was a very complicated situation on slavery. He owned slaves his entire life but also said things such as “I can only say that there is not a man living who wishes more sincerely than I do to see a plan adopted for the abolition of it [slavery].” At first Virginia had severe restrictions on emancipation, but that was changed in 1782. Washington attempted to secure enough finances to suppor his emancipation efforts but never quite managed to secure the funding he felt he needed. At his death he freed all of the slaves he was legally allowed to do (some of the Mt Vernon slaves were not under his ownerhsip) and also required his estate take care of the elderly and provide education for the young among the newly freed slaves. In private he became more and more abolitionist but in public did not push the issue for fear it would end the US.
Many of the Founding Fathers recognized slavery as a wrong institution. Downplaying the issue and referring to the slavery in a more positive light actually removes the nuance of the Founding Fathers' widely varying opinions. In my opinion the Founding Fathers in general found preserving the newly founded Union to be more important than solving the issue of slavery. This may be considered negative to some but I say so what. Turning these individuals into something more than human does not make our country stronger or more ethical. We can dicuss the historical wrongs of our nation without destroying it. We can even disagree with the Founders without destroying our nation. We do not need and should not fall to the folly of basing our nations worth on the backs of the founders. This is a nation founded by men, not mythical beings, and continues to be a nation of people. If that means exposing our nation's heroes as being human, that is only fitting since this is a nation for humanity, not a divinely mandated polity.
mhaze
Banned
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Which is why I used quotes. RE the other part of your comment, I assure you we can easily note truly evil men in history.
All Hail Vlad III the Impaler!
But that's like totally not fair. How about the ten most evil women in history?
For that matter, how about all those evil women slaveowners?
Cleon
King of the Pod People
You used quotes because nobody actually said those words?
...I don't think you know what quotation marks are used for.
Travis
Misanthrope of the Mountains
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I think it would be better to explore the varying opinions the Founding Fathers had on slavery. Doing so not only lets the students understand that slavery did happen but also see why it was so contentious (and not easily abolished) for so long.
Spindrift
Time Person of the Year, 2006
So no one is making that attribution that the founding fathers are evil slaveowners?
a_unique_person
Director of Hatcheries and Conditioning
You used quotes because nobody actually said those words?
...I don't think you know what quotation marks are used for.
I believe he was quoting himself.
Ladewig
I lost an avatar bet.
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So, quick question.
Now that several posters have pointed out the error in your reasoning, are you prepared to admit that this comment falls somewhere between not related to this thread in any way and a very silly thing to say?
johnny karate
... and your little dog too.
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One rarely sees such inanity and nonsense that wasn't coming from a cartoon bird in search of a chocolate-flavored breakfast cereal.
Robert Prey
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What's the lesson?
Another example of liberal bias in the News Media. One person does not a Tea Party make. Nor any political movement. The Tenn. Tea Party took no such position.
Another example of liberal bias in the News Media. One person does not a Tea Party make. Nor any political movement. The Tenn. Tea Party took no such position.
geni
Anti-homeopathy illuminati member
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Nice attempt at a diversion but if you actualy bothered to read the OP you would note that the author of the article has very neatly worded it to take that into the account.
Darth Rotor
Salted Sith Cynic
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I guess he'll have that on his resume under "accomplishments" ...
Darth Rotor
Salted Sith Cynic
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You can start with my mother in law ...
