Posted on 02/25/2014 3:40:04 AM PST by Altura Ct.
The award-winning film 12 Years a Slave, a striking and brutally vivid retelling of the true story of Solomon Northup, will be incorporated into public high school classrooms around the nation beginning in September 2014, according to a The National School Boards Association (NSBA) press release.
The NSBA is partnering with New Regency, Penguin Books, and the filmmakers to distribute copies of the acclaimed film, book, and study guide to America’s public high schools, giving students an unvarnished view of slavery in America that is seldom introduced inside the classroom.
The initiative, coordinated by Montel Williams, is modeled against an initiative Williams launched that ultimately led to distribution by The Montel Williams Show of copies of the Civil War film Glory to public high schools.
“12 Years a Slave is one of the most impactful films in recent memory, and I am honored to have been able to bring together Fox Searchlight and National School Boards Association to maximize its educational potential. When Hollywood is at its best, the power of the movies can be harnessed into a powerful educational tool. This film uniquely highlights a shameful period in American history, and in doing so will evoke in students a desire to not repeat the evils of the past while inspiring them to dream big of a better and brighter future, and I’m proud to be a part of that,” said Williams.
“Since first reading 12 Years a Slave, it has been my dream that this book be taught in schools. I am immensely grateful to Montel Williams and the National School Boards Association for making this dream a reality and for sharing Solomon Northup’s story with today’s generation,” said Steve McQueen, director of 12 Years.
“The National School Boards Association is honored to partner with Fox Searchlight Pictures and Penguin Books to ensure that every public high school student in America has the opportunity to stare the stark realities of slavery in the eye through books and film,” said NSBA President David A. Pickler. “We believe that providing America’s public high school students the opportunity to bear witness to such an unrelenting view of the evils of slavery is essential toward ensuring that this history is never forgotten and must never be repeated.”
This groundbreaking film won the 2014 Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama, the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Picture, the PGA Award for Best Picture, the BAFTA Award for Best Film and is nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Motion Picture of the Year.
For later
This is fine and dandy, except that it will be presented without historical context, which is that every civilization in history practiced slavery.
Western Civ of the 19th century, however, ended it. No other previous civilization had apparently even considered such a step.
Nothing but victim status politics to further fuel the race baiters and hate crime industry.
white people fought and died to end slavery
I’m a bit skeptical about this story.
There were several hundred thousand free Black people living in the South when this guy was kidnapped in New York.
I mean, what was the legal mechanism that protected all those Southern free Blacks, but completely failed to protect this guy from New York?
Oh well, a new generation to be indoctrinated into believing that white europeans in this country were the fascists of that time.
And we now have "core curriculum" to use as a vehicle for this indoctrination.
And that, students, is why blacks need affirmative action and all conservatives are racist.
It was a river of white men’s blood that set the slaves free in America.
But that part of the story is “de-emphasized.”
Being a amatuer historian....I’d stay there are roughly forty “lessons” in American history which ought to be strongly emphasized. To sit and waste weeks and weeks....on just one single lesson...is short sighted.
What makes the primary and election of 1860 so special? Why did Jackson take down national bank? Why was the Louisiana Purchase so significant? Why was Andrew Carnegie significant? What was the real trigger of WW I? Why was the Depression of 1920-1921 a greater depression than the 1930s?
Maybe showing this ‘12 Years a Slave’ movie has some context to the Civil War discussion, but there are so many great lessons to be taught.
Leftist indoctrination, start them young on the white guilt.
“Nothing but victim status politics to further fuel the race baiters and hate crime industry.”
Saw a bit of a program last night on ID (Investigation Discovery?); this black guy was driving through Illinois & Indianna researching “sundown towns” (where blacks were supposed to be out of the town by sundown). From what I could gather, this was to ensure that northern states kicked into the racial grievance till as well. These were little rural places they visited; they used the low percentage of blacks there today to bolster their “grievance”. The Klan couldn’t have done a better job of removing blacks from mainstream America than today’s liberals do...
It’s like what they are doing with the Jesus movies and churches.
Hollywood entertainment is entertainment.
My son had to right a persuasion paper about a subject. Any subject. He wrote about how the Civil War was bad for the black slaves. I admired his gumption and thought “How is he going to show this?”
He actually did a really good job, and I learned a whole bunch. He got an A too. Publik Skool even!
Yes, slavery is bad, but.....
What was the real trigger for WW1.
Uhm. The catholics were pissed at kiaser willie?
Vietnam.
The catholics asked JFK to help the persecuted gietnam catholics?
This is where watchful parents (shouldn’t they always be watchful) will prepare their children to bring in supplemental information. If they do not manage to go with alternatives to public school systems in the first place.
In my student days this issue was talked about as “man’s inhumanity to man.”
It’s even an excellent springboard for talking about sin, about how men fail and even resist God’s desires for mankind. This is not just about having to learn, it’s about having to unlearn. Sin, what a bummer thing to talk about! Well it’s a bummer when the topic is used as a tool for priding oneself and shaming people. When it’s recognized as an endemic yet now defeated foe, as modern medicine has defeated many diseases, then it can be more rationally discussed.
OMG - “right” should be “write”. (I’m glad his mom proof-read his paper and not me!
(Scrawled in black paint on an old roof at my alm mater: “I kant even spel Enginer, and now I our won!”)
Will it be mentioned that Republicans fought to end slavery while the Democrats fought to retain it?
Just like they tried to do with Amistad, which was mostly fiction.
Courage New Hampshire should be required curriculum.
While its not a specific true story, the overall story line is some of the best most detailed history I’ve seen on screen.
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