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fandomhigh2018-01-19 09:48 am
imafuturist) wrote in fandomhigh2018-01-19 09:48 am
Lies Your Other American History Teachers Told You, Friday
"Welcome back," Tony said brightly to the class. "We will be continuing our trend historical figures who deserve far more criticism than they receive with President Andrew Jackson. You might know him as the man on the twenty dollar bill."
Steve nodded. "There have been 45 Presidents of the United States, give or take, depending on your universe of origin," he said, "and Andrew Jackson is generally a name people know, even if they don't know exactly what he's famous for or why he's on the twenty."
"He fought in the Revolutionary War, he's known as the liberator of New Orleans in the war of 1812, he seized Florida from Spanish control, making it a part of the United States... But none of those things are what we will be discussing about him," Tony added.
"The true core of Jackson's legacy in America," Steve said, "was his legalization, in 1830, of ethnic cleansing. You might have had it mentioned in other classes as the Trail of Tears. Compounding the crime against humanity was why he was forcing the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Seminole west: so there could be more slave plantations in newly vacant Florida."
"While he took a more aggressive approach than the presidents prior to him, they were honestly no better," Tony said. "Their method of genocide was of the cultural variety 'encouraging' the native peoples to convert to Christianity and speak only English, civilizing them in the minds of the fathers of our nation. And don't think of this as a thing of the distant past. Forcible assimilation continued well into the 20th century."
"In large parts of the country, it's still not recognized as a thing we did wrong," Steve added.
"So, today we will discuss if we believe a nation built on theft and genocide is one worth being proud of. Or if we have moved past that era and should let sleeping dogs lie. What is our obligation here?" Tony asked.
Steve nodded. "There have been 45 Presidents of the United States, give or take, depending on your universe of origin," he said, "and Andrew Jackson is generally a name people know, even if they don't know exactly what he's famous for or why he's on the twenty."
"He fought in the Revolutionary War, he's known as the liberator of New Orleans in the war of 1812, he seized Florida from Spanish control, making it a part of the United States... But none of those things are what we will be discussing about him," Tony added.
"The true core of Jackson's legacy in America," Steve said, "was his legalization, in 1830, of ethnic cleansing. You might have had it mentioned in other classes as the Trail of Tears. Compounding the crime against humanity was why he was forcing the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Seminole west: so there could be more slave plantations in newly vacant Florida."
"While he took a more aggressive approach than the presidents prior to him, they were honestly no better," Tony said. "Their method of genocide was of the cultural variety 'encouraging' the native peoples to convert to Christianity and speak only English, civilizing them in the minds of the fathers of our nation. And don't think of this as a thing of the distant past. Forcible assimilation continued well into the 20th century."
"In large parts of the country, it's still not recognized as a thing we did wrong," Steve added.
"So, today we will discuss if we believe a nation built on theft and genocide is one worth being proud of. Or if we have moved past that era and should let sleeping dogs lie. What is our obligation here?" Tony asked.
Re: Discuss
Re: Discuss
"What would be your first step forward if you were in charge of this country?"
Re: Discuss
"Learn," he settled on. "Before I can make any steps forward, I have to shut up, pay attention, and do my best to understand. I have to understand what was done, I have to understand what's still broken, and I have to understand how to move forward not just in a way that I think is best, but in a way that honors the needs and the wishes of the people that were hurt. Especially in a way that honors the needs and wishes of the people that were hurt. And then I have to actually follow through. It can't just be lip service in the hopes that they'll move on before the job is done."
Re: Discuss
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"Lack of knowledge... maybe a little. But not guilt. Selfishness."
Norman had a very low opinion of people in general, but he figured he was pretty on the mark with that one.
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"I don't know," he admitted. "Not everybody, but at least some people. The good ones, I guess. There are always going to be the ones who don't care, because caring means they have to do something about it, and admitting guilt means that it's their job to step up to make things change."
Re: Discuss
"How about at the end of the semester, we all come up with a way to make a difference in an area of your choice "
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The hard part would be coming up with something that actually made a difference for the living. The dead were always more than willing to tell him the kind of difference he could make for them.
Re: Discuss
Re: Discuss