Blog Post 4/6

As a history nerd, I really enjoyed this podcast. Not because I was pleased by the content, it was actually extremely off-putting. We think we know so much about history but we really just don’t. We know what the people throughout history decided we should know. They decided what to write down, what to record and what stories to pass on through generations. Just like we are deciding all of those things for people in the future.

I find it interesting looking back at history classes in middle and high school and how comical (?) the content is. I remember last semester sitting in Dr. Hayter’s Justice class, often literally astounded at the things we learned, thinking about how differently I learned it before coming to college. For example, we learned about the horrors of the Holocaust every year, but we conveniently never learned about how Hitler and the Nazis were inspired by activities in America (race laws/Jim Crow, eugenic sterilizations laws/Harry Laughlin). In AP US History in 12th grade, we spent more time learning about Coolidge’s presidency than we spent on the Civil Rights Movement. I don’t know if this was just New York State’s Common Core curriculum or if we ran out of time at the end of the year, but either way it’s pretty upsetting.

The way we see history through the lens of “white christian men with money” is probably pretty significant to how we see the world, even in the present. We grew up not learning about women in history, POC  in history, poor people in history, or really any minority group in history. I like to think that this will change for future generations, but at this rate I am pretty doubtful I will see significant change in my lifetime. 🙁

6 thoughts on “Blog Post 4/6

  1. Michael Childress

    I think it will change in the future for two reasons. One, minority groups are gaining greater opportunities in American society and are finally being treated more closely to full citizens. However, potentially even more important than that in terms of story telling, is the fact that common people have the outlet now to tell their own stories. Common people can read, write, and vocalize their experiences, reaching a far wider audience than ever before. While we are not there yet, I think we are getting closer.

  2. Hiroki Cook

    Another huge factor in the diversification of teaching is the internet. Unlike before, we all have access to pretty much any information that we could possibly want. If we focus on only what we learn in school, it will be extremely unlikely that we will see a significant switch in school curriculums. However, by learning these historical facts independently we can subvert education institutions and teach real truths.

    1. Kate Lavan Post author

      Yes exactly! We just gotta be careful with the information we find on the internet haha

  3. Sofie Martinez

    I love that you refer to yourself as a “history nerd”. I, too, am a big historical nut if you will- it’s important work! Specifically, because it allows for you to recognize the patterns but also inconsistencies of certain movements. I believe white supremacy to be one of the longest standing radical powers in society, and it is incredible learning something new in this country that is somehow tied to racism. A friend of mine recently said “God Sofie, not everything is about race!” when I called out a professor for not providing enough POC authors in his syllabus. And to that I respond with, yeah it kind of is. If everything in this country was founded on the subordination of people based on their race or class, then just about every system in America is racist in some way.

  4. Jennifer Schlur

    I appreciate how you mentioned your previously schooling and how you feel you are learning much more in your college classes that were not covered in high school. I too feel this in a lot of my courses, in particular my other leadership classes. I constantly find myself learning new information that I thought I had learned in high school only to realize we only learned a small section that often painted the US and influential US leaders in the best light. It is an injustice in our education system to not properly educate students on all the ugly parts and provide them a comprehensive information on US history that they are dependent on schooling to get.

  5. Helen Strigel

    I agree that we’re still pretty behind in representing people besides white men in historical narratives at present, but sadly I think it is a change that will come slowly.

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