Several years ago I worked as an actor portraying famous African American figures from19th century North Carolina. One such figure was a freed African American named Thomas Day, who in the 1850's was the largest and most succesful furniture designer and manufacturer in the state of North Carolina. These re-enactments were produced by the Thomas Day Education Project. After one such presentation a caucasion gentleman from the audience approached me and, appearing quite disturbed, asked me "...why didn't I learn about this guy in school?"
The answer to that question is as old as America itself, and is something that educators, textbook publishers, and yes, politicians are continuing to shape to fit their own idealogical agendas.
In his new book, "The Half That Has Never Been Told: Slavery And The Making of American Capitalism", Edward Baptist uses economic data to
expose a picture of American slavery that is much different from what you may have learned in school. That is, provided you learned anything in school about slavery in America.
Baptist employs 5 arguments to make his point:
1. Slavery was the driving force of the creation of American wealth. ( see "The Color of History, and the Color of Money" in this blog June 2013)
2. Slavery was more "efficient" than wage labor in the production of cotton.
3. In addition to enriching the South, slavery also drove the industrial boom in the North.
4. Slavery production was not slowing down at the time of the Civil War.
5. The South seceded in order to guarantee the proliferation of slavery.
Most textbooks used in American schools over the past 150 years treat 400 years of slavery in America, and the lives of the millions of Africans it affected, as a mere footnote. And, going to the extreme some US states, like North Carolina in the 1920's, even passed laws prohibiting the teaching of African or black history. Further, and in the present day, the state of Texas School Board has tried to keep the word "slave" out of its' textbooks, and pretend that slavery never even happened. This is a growing trend across America.
The intended consequences of these actions are clear. They have insured that neither Blacks, or anyone else in America, have had no structured education for 150 years detailing their history. The country as a whole has lost a great deal of information, and inspiration from the legacy of struggle of freedom over slavery.
Here are just 3 persons of note who have helped shape our world, but whose lives and accomplishments are never taught in many American schools:
Elijah Mcoy(1844-1929) Inventer during the Industrial Revolution who invented a self-lubricating system for heavy metal machinery, which allowed for more production, and longer work shifts.
Lewis Lattimer(1848-1928) an engineer in Thomas Edison's Laboratory suggested that a carbon based filament for Edison's light bulb would burn longer than Edison's bamboo filament that burned out after about 20 minutes. The light bulb we have been using since 1883 was invented by Lattimer.
Dr. Charles Drew(1904-1950) pioneer in blood transfusion and blood plasma techniques. Drew was recognized by the United Nations and the British Government for saving countless lives during WWI.
The so-called "great orientalist, Arnold J. Toynbee(1889-1975), obviously missed a few things in his scathing critique on people of African descent.
The answer to that question is as old as America itself, and is something that educators, textbook publishers, and yes, politicians are continuing to shape to fit their own idealogical agendas.
In his new book, "The Half That Has Never Been Told: Slavery And The Making of American Capitalism", Edward Baptist uses economic data to
expose a picture of American slavery that is much different from what you may have learned in school. That is, provided you learned anything in school about slavery in America.
Baptist employs 5 arguments to make his point:
1. Slavery was the driving force of the creation of American wealth. ( see "The Color of History, and the Color of Money" in this blog June 2013)
2. Slavery was more "efficient" than wage labor in the production of cotton.
3. In addition to enriching the South, slavery also drove the industrial boom in the North.
4. Slavery production was not slowing down at the time of the Civil War.
5. The South seceded in order to guarantee the proliferation of slavery.
Most textbooks used in American schools over the past 150 years treat 400 years of slavery in America, and the lives of the millions of Africans it affected, as a mere footnote. And, going to the extreme some US states, like North Carolina in the 1920's, even passed laws prohibiting the teaching of African or black history. Further, and in the present day, the state of Texas School Board has tried to keep the word "slave" out of its' textbooks, and pretend that slavery never even happened. This is a growing trend across America.
The intended consequences of these actions are clear. They have insured that neither Blacks, or anyone else in America, have had no structured education for 150 years detailing their history. The country as a whole has lost a great deal of information, and inspiration from the legacy of struggle of freedom over slavery.
Here are just 3 persons of note who have helped shape our world, but whose lives and accomplishments are never taught in many American schools:
Elijah Mcoy(1844-1929) Inventer during the Industrial Revolution who invented a self-lubricating system for heavy metal machinery, which allowed for more production, and longer work shifts.
Lewis Lattimer(1848-1928) an engineer in Thomas Edison's Laboratory suggested that a carbon based filament for Edison's light bulb would burn longer than Edison's bamboo filament that burned out after about 20 minutes. The light bulb we have been using since 1883 was invented by Lattimer.
Dr. Charles Drew(1904-1950) pioneer in blood transfusion and blood plasma techniques. Drew was recognized by the United Nations and the British Government for saving countless lives during WWI.
The so-called "great orientalist, Arnold J. Toynbee(1889-1975), obviously missed a few things in his scathing critique on people of African descent.
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