I'm a few days late - darn that short February! - but I wanted to write one more post for Black History Month. There really is some great history in Barton's "American Heritage Series." I highly recommend it.
One thing Barton points out is that it's impossible to separate party politics from American history without being dishonest to the history:
* With the United States' inception - in the Declaration of Independence and again in the Constitution - there were already measures to begin eliminating slavery.
..... * In 1789 the Northwest Ordinance, passed under George Washington, prohibited slavery in federal territories. OH, MI, IN, IL, IA, WI, and MN all became free states as a result.
..... * In 1808 Congress, under Thomas Jefferson, outlawed the slave trade in the U.S.
* By 1820 most of the founding fathers were dead and Democrats became the majority party in Congress. They introduced a new congressional policy and while they had control between 1820 and 1855 they sought to undo much of what had been accomplished.
..... * The Missouri Compromise reversed the NW Ordinance. Slavery was now officially promoted by U.S. congressional policy for the first time.
..... * In 1850 the Fugitive Slave Law, passed by a Democratic Congress, required northerners to return escaped slaves under penalty of huge fines.
.......... * This became an excuse for southern slave hunters to kidnap free blacks in the north and sell them in the south.
.......... * 20,000 blacks left the north for Canada
.......... * The Underground Railroad reached the height of its activity under this policy.
..... * In 1854 the Kansas Nebraska Act allowed slavery in territories where previously forbidden
* In May 1854, some anti-slavery Democrats, Whigs, "Free-Soilers" and Emancipationists formed the Republican party to fight slavery and secure equal rights for blacks.
..... * This was an attempt to return to original intent - back to the "founding principles of the Republic" - hence the name of the party
..... * In 1856 Republicans entered their first presidential election. 6 out of the 9 planks of the party's platform set forth bold declarations for equality for blacks based on the Declaration of Independence
..... * The Democratic candidate, Buchanan (who won), warned that the efforts of abolitionists were dangerous and would diminish the happiness of the people.
..... * In 1857 a Democratic Supreme Court issued the Dred Scott Decision, which stated that blacks were not persons and had no rights.
..... * The 1860 Republican Platform blasted this decision, as well as the Fugitive Slave Law and announced their intention to end slavery. The Democratic Platform defended these decisions, and even handed out copies of them along with the platform.
* 1860 - President Lincoln, the Republican candidate, is elected with only 40% of the popular vote, but 59% of the electoral college. Republicans also took majority control of Congress.
..... * There had been a split among Democrats. Both northern and southern Democrats had no problem with slavery. What divided them was the issue of cessation. Northerners did not feel the issue of slavery was worth leaving the Union for. Southern Democrats disagreed. The party split and each half sent its own nominee to the presidential election.
..... * Southern Democrats left Congress. They formed their own nation - the "Slaveholding Confederate States of America."
..... * In 1862 slavery is outlawed. The Emancipation Proclamation becomes effective 1/1/1863.
..... * In 1864 Congress passed civil rights laws demanding equality before the courts, equal pay for soldiers, and the Freeman's Bureau Bill.
* In 1864 Democrat George B. McLellan ran against Lincoln for President of the Union
..... * He blasted Lincoln for subjecting nearly "one million 'white' men" to this war for "forcible abolition and negroe equality."
..... * The Republican party platform called for a constitutional amendment to end slavery. Upon winning the election, work began almost immediately on the 13th Amendment.
* The 13th Amendment was passed with 118/118 Republicans voting for it and only 19/82 Northern Democrats (the south was then its own country) voting for it.
..... * Lincoln signed the amendment symbolically - the only time a President has signed a constitutional amendment.
..... * Rev. Dr. Henry Highland Garnet commemorated the event with a sermon in Congress in 1865. He became the first black to speak in the halls of Congress. In his sermon he mentions the names of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Jay, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, LaFayette and Lovejoy - founding fathers he knew to be anti-slavery.
* After the Civil War blacks in southern states began registering to vote and many were being elected to state congress.
..... * 7/4/1867 - 150 blacks and 20 whites form the Republican party of Texas.
..... * Blacks formed many other southern Republican parties as well. And Republicans gained majority control in most states.
..... * In Louisiana the first 95 Representatives in the House and the first 32 Senators were all black. In Texas the first 42 blacks elected to state congress were Republicans. In Alabama that number was 103. In Mississippi, the first 112. In South Carolina, the first 190. In Virginia - 46, in Florida - 30, in North Carolina - 30 and in Georgia - 41. That means that here in Florida 30 black republicans were elected to the state legislature before a black democrat was.
..... * Many in the south opposed this progress. Many racists were ignoring the 13th Amendment. This lead Congress to pass the 14th Amendment.
* 23 civil rights laws were passed between 1861 and 1875. The next one wouldn't be passed for another 89 years in 1964.
..... * In 1876 Democrats regained majority control in the House of Representatives
..... * The south loses Reconstrution. Racism takes over.
* In 1866 The Klu Klux Klan (KKK) was started by extreme Democrats to keep Republicans out of office.
..... * Not only were there Republicans in the south, essentially ALL blacks were Republican, so they were sure targets. If they terrorized a black person, they were surely terrorizing a Republican. With whites it wasn't so certain (see below the push-card they carried).
..... * Many blacks were terrorized by the KKK through violence. Release was only granted with a promise to NOT vote for Republican tickets. Violation of this promise was punishable by death.
..... * The KKK carried a pocket-sized "push-card" titled "Radical Members of the South Carolina Legislature," which pictured 63 "radicals" - all of home were Republicans. They were called radical because they were biracial and allowed blacks to vote. 50 were black. 13 were white.
..... * The KKK carried out 4800 lynchings. 1300 of these lynchings were of white people.
..... * In 1871 Joseph Hayne Rainey (a black Representative from SC), while defending a bill which would allow the federal government to punish Klan violence, reported on the KKK shooting of Dr. John Winsmith, a white Senator who defended the rights of SC blacks.
..... * In the 1920s & 30s the KKK was a wing of the Democrat party. Many Democrats, including George Wallace and Miriam "Ma" Ferguson, had trouble winning primaries and elections without the Klan endorsement.
..... * Around 1910, 40,000 Klan members marched in Washington, DC. This group included US Senators, Representatives, and Supreme Court Justices - all Democrats.
* Theodore Roosevelt (a Republican), appointed Booker T. Washington as a White House advisor, and many other blacks to federal office positions as well.
..... * When Woodrow Wilson took over in 1913 he fired all the blacks in federal office and showed the film "The Birth of a Nation," which portrayed the KKK as heroes who "rescue" the south from blacks. This was the first film to ever be shown in the White House.
* In 1892 the Democrats regained control of the House, the Senate, and the presidency with the election of Grover Cleveland.
..... * The new congress repealed the civil rights laws which came before them - the Klan laws, forced segregation laws, etc.
..... * They established 11 different ways to keep blacks from voting - ridiculous "literacy" tests, poll taxes, property taxes, grandfather clauses ("black-coats" laws), and "hide & seek" polling places.
* The campaign poster for the Democrats, titled "What Happened when Republicans were in Power," showed a photo of the 1872 Alabama state legislature (which had blacks and whites together). It read at the bottom, "If you believe in white supremacy, vote the straight Democratic ticket on November 6."
..... * It wasn't until 1944 that the Supreme Court struck down a Democrat policy that stated that blacks couldn't be elected to Democrat office
..... * If not for the Supreme Court forcing the re-drawing of representation lines, Barbara Jordon and Andrew Young would never have been elected in 1972
* The 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act, introduced by JFK (because of rising racial tension he felt we had to do something) and then passed under Johnson, were first introduced by Republican President Eisenhower, but were killed in a Democratic Congress.
..... * Congress was 2/3 Democrat. The Democrats had the authority to pass these bills without a single Republican vote, but they'd have failed to do so.
..... * 269 votes were needed. The Democrats had 315. They only gave the bill 198 votes. The Republicans were required for the extra votes.
..... * 83% of Republicans supported these two acts. Only 62% of Democrats supported them.
I don't write this to demonize the Democratic party. Neither party is either all good or all bad. As Christians, we need to align with principles, not with parties. But these facts show that black history is very partisan, yet thanks to historical revisionism we never hear about it. Let's do a better job of teaching our kids true history so we don't repeat the mistakes of our past!
Friday, March 6, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Black History Month - Pt. 2
Some more interesting history I've picked up watching David Barton's "American Heritage Series:"
In school these days we learn of very few great black patriots, even though there are so many great inspiring stories. We tend to hear mostly the victim stories -- which I do not wish to minimize, because they are important -- but why not more hero stories as well? Were there really so few blacks worth talking about before Rosa Parks and MLK? Here's a few:
* Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) - escaped slave and famous abolitionist.
..... * Preacher at Zion Methodist Church
..... * After a couple years of speaking to the contrary, he became firmly convinced that the Constitution was an anti-slavery document.
* Richard Allen (1760-1831) - founder of the first black denomination in America
..... * Became a Christian as a slave when a Methodist preacher came riding through the plantation. Was a fervent and zealous believer, preaching to everyone - fellow slaves and his slavemaster. His slavemaster became a Christian as well and freed him.
..... * Moved to Philadelphia and began preaching to crowds of 2,000 weekly - in a white church!
..... * A soldier in the Revolutionary War.
..... * A friend to Dr. Benjamin Rush, signer of the Constitution. He and Rush co-founded the AME denomination.
..... * During the Yellow Fever epidemic of 1793, which claimed the lives of 1/10th of Philadephia; after the healthy, the leaders, and even the doctors had abandoned the city; Richard Allen stayed behind with Dr. Rush and Bishop Absalom Jones to care for the sick.
* Absalom Jones (1746-1818) - first black bishop in the Episcopal Church
..... * His speech in St. Thomas Church in Philadelphia commemorated the 1808 abolition of the slave trade
* Wentworth Cheswell - a black judge, elected in 1775 in New Hampshire
..... * Rode with Paul Revere in the famous ride to warn of the arrival of the British - Revere riding in one direction and Cheswell in the other
* James Armistead (1748-1830) - a soldier and double-spy in the American Revolution
..... * There's a famous painting hanging in DC of Marquis de LaFayette at the Battle of Yorktown (1781), who is seen as a real key to defeating the British in the Revolution
..... * Behind him is James Armistead, and no he's not just holding LaFayette's horse, he's a co-hero in the Revolution
..... * He convinced British General Cornwallis he was an escaped slave who hated the Americans and started feeding British secrets to the Americans. Cornwallis then asked him to spy for him. He began feeding bad information to the British.
..... * Armistead was instrumental in trapping Cornwallis on the peninsula at Yorktown (between the American army and French navy).
..... * He literally took years off the Revolution.
* Peter Salem - a soldier in the Revolution, featured with Lt. Grosvenor in a famous painting of the Battle at Bunker Hill
..... * Americans were winning early in the battle but ran out of ammo and started losing. Salem found and killed the British commander, which stopped the battle.
..... * He saved hundreds of American lives, received 14 commendations from ranking officers, as well as recommendations from the Continental Congress and his state's legislature
* Lemuel Haynes (1753-1833) - preacher and evangelist, soldier in the Revolution.
..... * After the war he returned home to his church. He preached an annual sermon about George Washington on Washington's birthday.
* William Nell (1816-1874) - first black appointed to any post in the federal government
..... * Author of "Services of Colored Americans in the Wars of 1776 and 1812," 1852 and "The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution," 1855. These were big books, which meant there were a lot of patriots mentioned!
* Harry Hoosier - considered by founding father Dr. Benjamin Rush to be the greatest preacher of the First Great Awakening, even better than George Whitfield and Jonathan Edwards.
..... * He drew greater crowds than Bishops Asbury and Coke.
..... * The Indiana Hoosiers are named after him.
..... * The founding fathers said that without the First Great Awakening there would be no independent America.
* Andrew Bryan and John Moran - other great black pastors.
* Rev. Henry Highland Garnet - first black to speak in Congress in 1865 - to commemorate the passage of the 13th Amendment
* Hiram Rhodes Revels (1822-1901) - first black elected to the US Senate, and a preacher of the gospel
* Joseph Hayne Rainey (1832-1887) - first black elected to the US House of Representatives
..... * Served as Speaker of the House!
* Robert Brown Elliott (1842-1884) - a member of the US House of Representatives
..... * Served as Speaker of the House while in the SC State House of Representatives
..... * First black commanding general of the SC National Guard
Read their speeches and more at Neglected Voices.
This is just a tiny sampling of the many great black patriots of American History. Why don't we hear more about them? David Barton's theory is that in recent years it has become taboo to talk about Christians in public school. Most of the black heroes of our past were Christians - strong Christians about whom it would be hard to speak without mentioning their faith. So they're not talked about at all.
It's too bad we don't hear about them. So many people are inspired by Obama's recent election to the presidency. This was momentous, to be sure. It's America's "top-job." But this was not a first step - it was more of a finish line. Obama's election is really the culmination of the efforts of so many before him. Some are so inspired it's as though they've had no one before him to inspire them. Well, what about all these heroes mentioned above? Why not countless other inspirational stories?
I recently watched a disturbing video on YouTube highlighting what I believe to be some unhealthy Obama praise. It featured a group of young black men marching in military clothes into a room and chanting "Alpha, Omega" repeatedly (which was the disturbing part). Then each took a turn saying why, "because of Obama," they were inspired to become the next black "fill-in-the-blank," e.g. architect, engineer, lawyer, etc. Were they never really inspired before? Why not be inspired by the thousands of other black architects, engineers and lawyers in this country? We need to do a better job teaching kids our history. There's so many inspiring stories to hear!
In school these days we learn of very few great black patriots, even though there are so many great inspiring stories. We tend to hear mostly the victim stories -- which I do not wish to minimize, because they are important -- but why not more hero stories as well? Were there really so few blacks worth talking about before Rosa Parks and MLK? Here's a few:
* Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) - escaped slave and famous abolitionist.
..... * Preacher at Zion Methodist Church
..... * After a couple years of speaking to the contrary, he became firmly convinced that the Constitution was an anti-slavery document.
* Richard Allen (1760-1831) - founder of the first black denomination in America
..... * Became a Christian as a slave when a Methodist preacher came riding through the plantation. Was a fervent and zealous believer, preaching to everyone - fellow slaves and his slavemaster. His slavemaster became a Christian as well and freed him.
..... * Moved to Philadelphia and began preaching to crowds of 2,000 weekly - in a white church!
..... * A soldier in the Revolutionary War.
..... * A friend to Dr. Benjamin Rush, signer of the Constitution. He and Rush co-founded the AME denomination.
..... * During the Yellow Fever epidemic of 1793, which claimed the lives of 1/10th of Philadephia; after the healthy, the leaders, and even the doctors had abandoned the city; Richard Allen stayed behind with Dr. Rush and Bishop Absalom Jones to care for the sick.
* Absalom Jones (1746-1818) - first black bishop in the Episcopal Church
..... * His speech in St. Thomas Church in Philadelphia commemorated the 1808 abolition of the slave trade
* Wentworth Cheswell - a black judge, elected in 1775 in New Hampshire
..... * Rode with Paul Revere in the famous ride to warn of the arrival of the British - Revere riding in one direction and Cheswell in the other
* James Armistead (1748-1830) - a soldier and double-spy in the American Revolution
..... * There's a famous painting hanging in DC of Marquis de LaFayette at the Battle of Yorktown (1781), who is seen as a real key to defeating the British in the Revolution
..... * Behind him is James Armistead, and no he's not just holding LaFayette's horse, he's a co-hero in the Revolution
..... * He convinced British General Cornwallis he was an escaped slave who hated the Americans and started feeding British secrets to the Americans. Cornwallis then asked him to spy for him. He began feeding bad information to the British.
..... * Armistead was instrumental in trapping Cornwallis on the peninsula at Yorktown (between the American army and French navy).
..... * He literally took years off the Revolution.
* Peter Salem - a soldier in the Revolution, featured with Lt. Grosvenor in a famous painting of the Battle at Bunker Hill
..... * Americans were winning early in the battle but ran out of ammo and started losing. Salem found and killed the British commander, which stopped the battle.
..... * He saved hundreds of American lives, received 14 commendations from ranking officers, as well as recommendations from the Continental Congress and his state's legislature
* Lemuel Haynes (1753-1833) - preacher and evangelist, soldier in the Revolution.
..... * After the war he returned home to his church. He preached an annual sermon about George Washington on Washington's birthday.
* William Nell (1816-1874) - first black appointed to any post in the federal government
..... * Author of "Services of Colored Americans in the Wars of 1776 and 1812," 1852 and "The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution," 1855. These were big books, which meant there were a lot of patriots mentioned!
* Harry Hoosier - considered by founding father Dr. Benjamin Rush to be the greatest preacher of the First Great Awakening, even better than George Whitfield and Jonathan Edwards.
..... * He drew greater crowds than Bishops Asbury and Coke.
..... * The Indiana Hoosiers are named after him.
..... * The founding fathers said that without the First Great Awakening there would be no independent America.
* Andrew Bryan and John Moran - other great black pastors.
* Rev. Henry Highland Garnet - first black to speak in Congress in 1865 - to commemorate the passage of the 13th Amendment
* Hiram Rhodes Revels (1822-1901) - first black elected to the US Senate, and a preacher of the gospel
* Joseph Hayne Rainey (1832-1887) - first black elected to the US House of Representatives
..... * Served as Speaker of the House!
* Robert Brown Elliott (1842-1884) - a member of the US House of Representatives
..... * Served as Speaker of the House while in the SC State House of Representatives
..... * First black commanding general of the SC National Guard
Read their speeches and more at Neglected Voices.
This is just a tiny sampling of the many great black patriots of American History. Why don't we hear more about them? David Barton's theory is that in recent years it has become taboo to talk about Christians in public school. Most of the black heroes of our past were Christians - strong Christians about whom it would be hard to speak without mentioning their faith. So they're not talked about at all.
It's too bad we don't hear about them. So many people are inspired by Obama's recent election to the presidency. This was momentous, to be sure. It's America's "top-job." But this was not a first step - it was more of a finish line. Obama's election is really the culmination of the efforts of so many before him. Some are so inspired it's as though they've had no one before him to inspire them. Well, what about all these heroes mentioned above? Why not countless other inspirational stories?
I recently watched a disturbing video on YouTube highlighting what I believe to be some unhealthy Obama praise. It featured a group of young black men marching in military clothes into a room and chanting "Alpha, Omega" repeatedly (which was the disturbing part). Then each took a turn saying why, "because of Obama," they were inspired to become the next black "fill-in-the-blank," e.g. architect, engineer, lawyer, etc. Were they never really inspired before? Why not be inspired by the thousands of other black architects, engineers and lawyers in this country? We need to do a better job teaching kids our history. There's so many inspiring stories to hear!
Friday, February 20, 2009
Black History Month - Pt. 1
I wanted to write a couple blogs in honor of Black History Month. I'm a little late getting started, but here goes. I have to start by mentioning that there are some - even many within the black community (such as Morgan Freeman according to Wikipedia) - that reject the notion of a month honoring black history, suggesting instead that black history IS American history. Their point is well made. You can't separate black history from American history. So, here's some really interesting American history I've picked up lately...
I've been watching the "American Heritage Series" lately on TBN, featuring David Barton of WallBuilders. It's been great, and I highly recommend it. It's available on DVD, or if you have a dvr you can record. Back in December there were a few episodes on black history. To quote Dr. Dobson, listening to Barton speak is like drinking from a fire hydrant. He really knows his stuff! In the interest of sharing some of the things I've picked up in a timely manner, I'm going to use a lot of bullet points instead of formulating a proper essay. Forgive me if I fail to maintain a sense of timing or coherency.
* Black history in the Americas begins in 1619 with the arrival of the first slave ship to Jamestown. For the first 150 years African-American history (their presence here) was basically involuntary.
* African-"American" political history really begins with the founding of the "nation" and the Declaration of Independence in 1776
....... * Slavery was inherited by the British. Up until 1776 there was nothing Americans could do about it.
....... * There was even stronger anti-slavery language in Jefferson's first draft of the Declaration, and he opposed its removal during the revision process.
* At the Constitutional Convention, beginning in 1787, there were many Americans and many states opposed to slavery. Until then they were just a group of states - one could not affect the other. With the founding of the nation the efforts to abolish slavery in the nation could begin.
* The 3/5ths clause of the Constitution, used even today to suggest that at the time of our founding, blacks were seen as less than a whole man, has been wildly misrepresented. The clause had nothing to with a person's worth, but only with representation. It was, in fact, an anti-slavery clause.
....... * Slave-state signers wanted to count their slaves for representation, although they considered slaves as "personal property" and certainly would not let them vote. Due to the large slave populations in the south, slave-state representation would have been disproportionate in congress and they'd have been able to perpetuate pro-slavery legislation. Free-states would be happy to have slaves counted and to have them vote (as many free blacks did do in the North and the South), but argued that one who considers a slave as "property" which cannot vote, should not count their "property" towards representation. Counting 3/5ths of the slaves for representation was the compromise.
....... * Even Frederick Douglass (1818-1895), the escaped slave and famous abolitionist, concluded this as well, and that the whole of the Constitution was an anti-slavery document. After first escaping, Douglass was trained by radical abolitionists in NY, who told him the Constitution was a pro-slavery document and pointed to the 3/5ths clause as an example. He believed this and his early speeches reflected this view. But before he began traveling and speaking full-time for the Massachussetts Abolition Society he decided to research this for himself. After reading the Constitution himself, along with several other founding and founding-era documents, he concluded the 3/5ths clause and the Constitution to be anti-slavery.
* In 1789 George Washington signed the NorthWest Ordinance, which prohibited slavery in federal territories. As a result of this ordinance, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota all eventually joined the Union as free states.
* In 1808 Congress abolished the slave trade in the U.S. This was commemorated with a famous speech by the black Bishop Absolom Jones in St. Thomas Church, Philadephia, PA.
I hope to add more in the coming days. Please visit again.
I've been watching the "American Heritage Series" lately on TBN, featuring David Barton of WallBuilders. It's been great, and I highly recommend it. It's available on DVD, or if you have a dvr you can record. Back in December there were a few episodes on black history. To quote Dr. Dobson, listening to Barton speak is like drinking from a fire hydrant. He really knows his stuff! In the interest of sharing some of the things I've picked up in a timely manner, I'm going to use a lot of bullet points instead of formulating a proper essay. Forgive me if I fail to maintain a sense of timing or coherency.
* Black history in the Americas begins in 1619 with the arrival of the first slave ship to Jamestown. For the first 150 years African-American history (their presence here) was basically involuntary.
* African-"American" political history really begins with the founding of the "nation" and the Declaration of Independence in 1776
....... * Slavery was inherited by the British. Up until 1776 there was nothing Americans could do about it.
....... * There was even stronger anti-slavery language in Jefferson's first draft of the Declaration, and he opposed its removal during the revision process.
* At the Constitutional Convention, beginning in 1787, there were many Americans and many states opposed to slavery. Until then they were just a group of states - one could not affect the other. With the founding of the nation the efforts to abolish slavery in the nation could begin.
* The 3/5ths clause of the Constitution, used even today to suggest that at the time of our founding, blacks were seen as less than a whole man, has been wildly misrepresented. The clause had nothing to with a person's worth, but only with representation. It was, in fact, an anti-slavery clause.
....... * Slave-state signers wanted to count their slaves for representation, although they considered slaves as "personal property" and certainly would not let them vote. Due to the large slave populations in the south, slave-state representation would have been disproportionate in congress and they'd have been able to perpetuate pro-slavery legislation. Free-states would be happy to have slaves counted and to have them vote (as many free blacks did do in the North and the South), but argued that one who considers a slave as "property" which cannot vote, should not count their "property" towards representation. Counting 3/5ths of the slaves for representation was the compromise.
....... * Even Frederick Douglass (1818-1895), the escaped slave and famous abolitionist, concluded this as well, and that the whole of the Constitution was an anti-slavery document. After first escaping, Douglass was trained by radical abolitionists in NY, who told him the Constitution was a pro-slavery document and pointed to the 3/5ths clause as an example. He believed this and his early speeches reflected this view. But before he began traveling and speaking full-time for the Massachussetts Abolition Society he decided to research this for himself. After reading the Constitution himself, along with several other founding and founding-era documents, he concluded the 3/5ths clause and the Constitution to be anti-slavery.
* In 1789 George Washington signed the NorthWest Ordinance, which prohibited slavery in federal territories. As a result of this ordinance, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota all eventually joined the Union as free states.
* In 1808 Congress abolished the slave trade in the U.S. This was commemorated with a famous speech by the black Bishop Absolom Jones in St. Thomas Church, Philadephia, PA.
I hope to add more in the coming days. Please visit again.
On Race and Political Correctness
As I write this series on Black History Month I find it pertinent to write another quick disclaimer. First, both the scientific community and a biblical worldview* on the matter would lead us to the conclusion that there is no biological justification for the concept of "race." Skin color is as superficial a biological difference as the size of a person's earlobes or whether they can curl their tongue. In actuality we're all the same brown color (melanin), only different shades of it. Therefore I hate the term and will try to use quotes when using it. But, "race" matters because people make it matter. I wish I could make all racism vanish and make everyone "color-blind." But our country has a long, rich and often sad history of race relations which we should not forget. That is why this month I'm sharing some things I've learned recently that unfortunately I was never taught in school.
Second, I'm sorry if anyone takes objection over my preference and more frequent use of the term "black" over "African-American." At the time of this nation's founding most blacks in America were from Africa, but today that may not be true. Would we call a Haitian or black South-American immigrant an "African-American?" Also, with so many generations past, does the term still make sense? Is someone whose family has been on this continent for 400 years any more African-American than I am European-American? Aren't we all just "American?"
*We're all descended from the same two people and underwent adaptive changes after being geographically isolated post-Babel.
Second, I'm sorry if anyone takes objection over my preference and more frequent use of the term "black" over "African-American." At the time of this nation's founding most blacks in America were from Africa, but today that may not be true. Would we call a Haitian or black South-American immigrant an "African-American?" Also, with so many generations past, does the term still make sense? Is someone whose family has been on this continent for 400 years any more African-American than I am European-American? Aren't we all just "American?"
*We're all descended from the same two people and underwent adaptive changes after being geographically isolated post-Babel.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Science, Computers & Math... Oh, My!
For the last two years I've read a lot about philosophy of education, school start-ups and the like. The buzz words are definitely "math and science." Everywhere - in both public and Christian schools - you hear it said, "we need to do a better job teaching our kids math and science." This view is held because American students test poorly in these areas when compared to international students. Educators foresee America's economic demise if we fail to continue to be able to compete in science and technology. So, we see new charter schools, private schools and magnet programs starting with a focus on science and technology. We see parents being drawn to a school because of its fancy new science and computer labs. We hear talk of co-op science programs with the local university and/or community college (I've even been to meetings where people brainstormed ways to get high school students involved in the new medical school.) But is a focus on science, computers and math really what's going to keep America strong?
In 1960 the top five major influences on American youth were; family, school, friends, church and other. In 1980 they were; friends, family, media, school and church. In 2005 they were; media, friends, family, school and other. Media, once not on the list, is now the major influence on kids and church has dropped out of the top five. The pursuit of a career in media or the arts is largely discouraged by parents an educators as a "pipe-dream." "Only a few will make it." "There are so many struggling artists." "It won't pay the bills." Sure, as Christians we can have an influence no matter our profession. We can be salt and light anywhere - at our jobs, in our communities, etc. But why should we give up trying to have an influence in the media as well? What would it look like for a new Christian school to say it's going to focus on, or have programs that focus on, media and the arts? Isn't it in these areas that we have the greatest potential to reclaim this culture for Christ?
And what about history and literature? Americans test as poorly against other countries in literacy as they do in science and math. And the history children are learning from the most widely-used textbooks these days has been largely revised. President Woodrow Wilson said, "A nation which does not remember what it was yesterday, does not know what it is today, nor what it is trying to do. We are trying to do a futile thing if we don’t know where we have come from, or what we have been about." George Orwell wrote, "He who controls the past, controls the future; and he who controls the present, controls the past." Isn't it just as important to teach our children well in the areas of history and literature? I'd argue it's more important. Skill in and a love of reading will translate to every other area of school and life. After all, we need to be able to read our math and science textbooks. A knowledge and love of history will translate as well. The natural by-products will be patriotism, informed voting, civic involvement, and reduced likelihood of repeating our mistakes. America will not survive if we forget our past. If we fail to teach true history, we won't notice when the few in power re-write it. What would it look like for a new school to say they're going to focus on history and literature? They'd certainly serve a niche for the parents who don't want to jump on the "science and math" bandwagon.
Sure, we need to be skilled in science and technology to compete economically. But not all of us agree that the economy is the most important thing. When voting, for example, some of believe we must look first at a candidate's social views before considering their economic policy. If, as Christians we fail to have a positive influence through media - if, as Americans we fail to know our history - we will one day all have great, secure high-paying jobs in a culture and country that we no longer recognize as Christian or American.
In the end I favor a traditional "college-prep" approach. I don't think high school is the place to "major" in anything. I don't believe in magnet programs. I think college is the place to specialize. High school is for the basics, and yes we need to teach them well (and no, a fancy lab does not an education make). But we need to teach them all well so they'll have the basic skills to pursue any college or career they choose. (I'd argue that in today's culture computers are a "basic," and students should know typing, word-processing, spreadsheet and presentation skills before getting to college. It should also go without saying that every Christian school should consider Bible their most important class and textbook.) There's nothing wrong with helping students at the secondary level to realize and enhance their gifts and interests, but this should be done through electives, clubs and other extra-curricular activities. We shouldn't be graduating students who don't know science and math, but we shouldn't be focusing on science and math at the expense of history and literature. Especially when, in my opinion, it's knowledge of and involvement in history, literature and media that will provide the tools to reclaim this culture for Christ!
In 1960 the top five major influences on American youth were; family, school, friends, church and other. In 1980 they were; friends, family, media, school and church. In 2005 they were; media, friends, family, school and other. Media, once not on the list, is now the major influence on kids and church has dropped out of the top five. The pursuit of a career in media or the arts is largely discouraged by parents an educators as a "pipe-dream." "Only a few will make it." "There are so many struggling artists." "It won't pay the bills." Sure, as Christians we can have an influence no matter our profession. We can be salt and light anywhere - at our jobs, in our communities, etc. But why should we give up trying to have an influence in the media as well? What would it look like for a new Christian school to say it's going to focus on, or have programs that focus on, media and the arts? Isn't it in these areas that we have the greatest potential to reclaim this culture for Christ?
And what about history and literature? Americans test as poorly against other countries in literacy as they do in science and math. And the history children are learning from the most widely-used textbooks these days has been largely revised. President Woodrow Wilson said, "A nation which does not remember what it was yesterday, does not know what it is today, nor what it is trying to do. We are trying to do a futile thing if we don’t know where we have come from, or what we have been about." George Orwell wrote, "He who controls the past, controls the future; and he who controls the present, controls the past." Isn't it just as important to teach our children well in the areas of history and literature? I'd argue it's more important. Skill in and a love of reading will translate to every other area of school and life. After all, we need to be able to read our math and science textbooks. A knowledge and love of history will translate as well. The natural by-products will be patriotism, informed voting, civic involvement, and reduced likelihood of repeating our mistakes. America will not survive if we forget our past. If we fail to teach true history, we won't notice when the few in power re-write it. What would it look like for a new school to say they're going to focus on history and literature? They'd certainly serve a niche for the parents who don't want to jump on the "science and math" bandwagon.
Sure, we need to be skilled in science and technology to compete economically. But not all of us agree that the economy is the most important thing. When voting, for example, some of believe we must look first at a candidate's social views before considering their economic policy. If, as Christians we fail to have a positive influence through media - if, as Americans we fail to know our history - we will one day all have great, secure high-paying jobs in a culture and country that we no longer recognize as Christian or American.
In the end I favor a traditional "college-prep" approach. I don't think high school is the place to "major" in anything. I don't believe in magnet programs. I think college is the place to specialize. High school is for the basics, and yes we need to teach them well (and no, a fancy lab does not an education make). But we need to teach them all well so they'll have the basic skills to pursue any college or career they choose. (I'd argue that in today's culture computers are a "basic," and students should know typing, word-processing, spreadsheet and presentation skills before getting to college. It should also go without saying that every Christian school should consider Bible their most important class and textbook.) There's nothing wrong with helping students at the secondary level to realize and enhance their gifts and interests, but this should be done through electives, clubs and other extra-curricular activities. We shouldn't be graduating students who don't know science and math, but we shouldn't be focusing on science and math at the expense of history and literature. Especially when, in my opinion, it's knowledge of and involvement in history, literature and media that will provide the tools to reclaim this culture for Christ!
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