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How U.S. History is taught could change in N.C.
WRALNews.com ^ | February 10, 2010 | Bruce Mildwurf

Posted on 02/10/2010 6:38:48 AM PST by NCDragon

Raleigh, N.C. — A new proposal for the history curriculum in North Carolina public schools is causing uproar. Among the biggest concerns is covering U.S. history only from 1877 to the present in the 11th grade.

“There's nothing on the Confederacy, nothing on Robert E. Lee, nothing on Abraham Lincoln, nothing on any battle, nothing on reconstruction, nothing on the causes of the war, nothing on slavery. Nothing on slavery anywhere in the curriculum,” said Dr. Holly Brewer, associate professor of Early American History at North Carolina State University.

Brewer opposes the curriculum change and says students would not learn enough about important historical concepts, like slavery.

The state Department of Public Instruction argues that courses would touch on slavery, and other pre-Reconstruction issues, in civics and economics class.

Brewer disagrees and says it's not enough time to cover all that needs to be taught.

(Excerpt) Read more at wral.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; US: North Carolina
KEYWORDS: godsgravesglyphs; historyeducation; learning; northcarolina; teaching
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The comments are SPOT on!

Here is the Raleigh News & Obstructors take on it:

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/education/story/328722.html

1 posted on 02/10/2010 6:38:48 AM PST by NCDragon
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To: NCDragon

Slavery and reconstruction are important lessons. Students need to know what happened in history so they will know what we are up against today.


2 posted on 02/10/2010 6:42:11 AM PST by Soothesayer (The United States of America Rest in Peace November 4 2008)
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To: Soothesayer

Students need to know what happened in history so they will know what we are up against today.

Which is why no child should be left behind in government schools.


3 posted on 02/10/2010 6:45:18 AM PST by achilles2000 (Shouting "fire" in a burning building is doing everyone a favor...whether they like it or not)
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To: NCDragon

The elite want and need slaves and slavery...can’t have the peons and peasants being educated to that end....


4 posted on 02/10/2010 6:45:35 AM PST by mo
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To: NCDragon

Well, 1877 is the watershed year in the history of our Republic.

That was the year goatees finally displaced mutton-chops as the prefered facial hair for cranky old men (guilty).


5 posted on 02/10/2010 6:46:08 AM PST by Rinnwald
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To: NCDragon

I believe the government has zero business teaching our kids anything, and I don’t think schools should be publicy funded. This is the result. Take the schools back, give them to their respective communities and let them run it, like back in the day.

It’s funny, a lot of people think our modern lifestyle is the best and we have all this great technology etc, but in reality, they had a much better system when neighbors helped neighbors and farmers helped each other by chipping in for a machine and taking turns harvesting each other’s crops. Nowadays, most people are just in it for themselves. Be nice to be able to turn that clock back.


6 posted on 02/10/2010 6:50:34 AM PST by Bulwyf
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To: NCDragon
Among the biggest concerns is covering U.S. history only from 1877 to the present in the 11th grade.

“There's nothing on the Confederacy, nothing on Robert E. Lee, nothing on Abraham Lincoln, nothing on any battle, nothing on reconstruction, nothing on the causes of the war, nothing on slavery. Nothing on slavery anywhere in the curriculum,” said Dr. Holly Brew.

I hate to go all technical on the issue, but by the course's start date of 1877, 13 years after the end of the Civil War, the events mentioned with the possible exception of reconstruction, all occurred before the time covered by the course.

Not that they're not important, but if the class goes from 1877 to present then I wouldn't expect much of Civil War history to be included.

7 posted on 02/10/2010 6:55:00 AM PST by The_Victor (If all I want is a warm feeling, I should just wet my pants.)
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To: Rinnwald

Off Subject but a thing I have always been curious about. How did men use straight razors without chopping their face to bits.
But seriuosly, The left wants dumb people. People who are ignrorant about the past and thier heritage is easily controlled.
History was my best subject in school and to this day I read everything about the CW, the revolution, the Indian wars I can find.
Kids today dont know what they are missing in so many things.


8 posted on 02/10/2010 6:56:03 AM PST by Yorlik803 (better to die on your feet than live on your knees.)
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To: NCDragon
"Under the proposal's first draft, U.S. history would begin in 1877 so more time could be given to recent historical events, such as the Vietnam War and the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan."

IOW, so they can teach how the military is evil, and we should just join hands with our enemies, sing "We Are The World", and beat our swords into plowshares. That way, we can plow for those who didn't.

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!

9 posted on 02/10/2010 6:58:26 AM PST by wku man (Who says conservatives don't rock? Go to www.myspace.com/rockfromtheright)
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To: NCDragon

Socialists have long seen history as their greatest enemy, because socialism is reliant on people forgetting history, not having pattern recognition of socialism’s failures, and the ability to rewrite the past “on the fly”, to whatever pragmatic purpose exists at the moment.

And socialism has been aware of its opposition to history to even before the foundations of socialism itself. Prior to socialism existing as a complete philosophy or religion, there were proto-socialist theories. But even they recognized the threat history presented to their faith.

Current blatant efforts by socialists to rewrite American history include pretending that the Democrat party always and wholly supported the civil rights movement, that the “Dixiecrats” were Republicans, or at least fully supported the Republicans against the Democrats, etc.

Since the Civil War cannot be easily rewritten, it is to be ignored.


10 posted on 02/10/2010 7:01:29 AM PST by yefragetuwrabrumuy
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To: Calm_Cool_and_Elected

ping for after my nap


11 posted on 02/10/2010 7:07:35 AM PST by Calm_Cool_and_Elected
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To: NCDragon

This class and the time span it examines is the crux of a liberalized US History. Any mention of the revolution or states rights is eliminated. These kids will be taught, and being 29 I encountered this in California schools, nothing but activism, Hull House, Jane Adams, temperance, John Dewey, progressivism and anything else Howard Zinn may have highlighted.


12 posted on 02/10/2010 7:08:09 AM PST by Historix
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To: NCDragon; All

Fox and this report are incorrect in criticizing this proposal IF it means that the kids will get this history in middle school.

Many states do that.

Frankly, it is very weird that North Carolina expects students to learn all of American history in one year.

THEY WON’T.

This proposal would allow for a split in history, doing colonial to Reconstruction in middle school, something tons of other states do and an idea that makes sense.

Frankly, these articles are not clear if this is the direction the state is going.

If NOT, I am adamently opposed to this proposal.

If so, I don’t see any reason anybody should be upset.

I would rather students really learn U.S. history than learn it all in one year.


13 posted on 02/10/2010 7:14:08 AM PST by rwfromkansas ("Carve your name on hearts, not marble." - C.H. Spurgeon)
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To: mo

The elite seek the destruction of the middle class, they want to kick the door closed on affluence.

Their ideal world has them as the elite in control of all the resources and lives in this country (or worldwide), and everyone else reduced to abject poverty and dependence (on them).


14 posted on 02/10/2010 7:16:16 AM PST by MrB (The difference between a humanist and a Satanist is that the latter knows who he's working for.)
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To: Yorlik803

My oldest boy, in high school, is finally admitting that history is interesting. He asked why we entered WWI. All I could come up with was unrestricted submarine warfare, the Zimmerman telegram, and ..oh yes, Woodrow Wilson.

We covered my side of the family fighting on the Salonika Front (we’re Serbian), and why the Serbs weren’t golden in starting that war (sorry family). We even covered why the Kaiser wasn’t all bad. I think the worst anybody can pin on him is violating Belgian neutrality, and the King of Belgium was no saint.

{Charlton Heston voice} History is people. It’s made out of people! {/Charlton Heston voice}


15 posted on 02/10/2010 7:22:07 AM PST by Rinnwald
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To: rwfromkansas; All

Apparently, I did find some information on the proposed standards....it would give U.S. history pre-Civil War in 4th grade, 5th and 7th.

N.C.’s system PRIOR to the proposal is so screwed up it’s almost pathetic.

The current standards do not give students real exposure to history AT ALL in elementary or middle schools. Wow. How incredibly backwards...

They don’t even have a government class for seniors like most states.

I don’t know who the idiots are running that state, but wow.

This proposal would actually bring them more in line with the rest of the country and out of the dark ages by requiring a full year of history in elementary school.

At the same time, it isn’t perfect because it has civics and economics with no real government class.....completely messed up.

This is what they should do:

1) freshman world history
2) sophomore history up to 1877
3) junior history post 1877
4) senior government/econ (drop civics and include some lessons in government) and these courses should be reserved for senior level because it is best to have these classes for the most mature students.

How incredibly stupid their current standards are not including U.S. history at all in middle school....wow.....they need to move in this direction, but at least the revision is a start to including that in middle school and elementary school.

Thus, I actually see this proposal as an improvement, NOT a bad thing.

The proposal still needs revision, but at least it’s better than the current system of NO history until high school.


16 posted on 02/10/2010 7:39:42 AM PST by rwfromkansas ("Carve your name on hearts, not marble." - C.H. Spurgeon)
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To: achilles2000

Big brother changes history weekly. It’s only a matter of time until they replace the flag with an Obama logo. I’m sure it has already happened in Neau Jersey and Commifornia.


17 posted on 02/10/2010 7:42:54 AM PST by Soothesayer (The United States of America Rest in Peace November 4 2008)
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To: Rinnwald

Inter alia, 1877 was the year Queen Victoria was named Empress of India. Hayes was elected president in the USA. Russia declared war on Turkey. Porfirio Diaz became President of Mexico. The Bayreuth Festival is initiated with a rendition of Wagner’s “Ring”. Bell invents the telephone. Schliemann publishes his work on the discovery of Troy. Koch discovers the Anthrax bacillus. The National Baseball League is founded in the USA.
Methinks that only the latter point would be worthy of inclusion in our modern school curriculum.


18 posted on 02/10/2010 7:46:18 AM PST by Melchior
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To: Soothesayer

Slavery, reconstruction, the usurpation of the states rights, the horrific treatment (on both sides) of not just soldiers, but the general population as well.

Brother against brother, fathers against sons.

I pray it won’t come to pass again, but whatever does happen is God’s will - not mine.


19 posted on 02/10/2010 7:50:35 AM PST by Ro_Thunder ("Other than ending SLAVERY, FASCISM, NAZISM and COMMUNISM, war has never solved anything")
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To: Soothesayer

How will they teach (and praise) the formation and importance of the ACLU without mentioning and explaining the Constitution ?


20 posted on 02/10/2010 7:51:26 AM PST by maine yankee
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