Terry Mitchell's "The Democratic Presidential Race: A Status Report" on SearchWarp.com drew a "Wow" from me. Terry took the presidential election news further, to focus on the full record of key facts prior to the final primary results. His approach included some reasonable speculations about possible outcomes, based on undisputed facts.
Revisionist thinking drifted into some teaching and writing about history awhile ago. With that shift, many teaching basics received neglect and forgetfulness. I hope for an extreme re-shifting, with basic United States history as a study requirement from third through 12th grades. The plan should include contexts of events and times. And, there should be no overtly personal biographical speculations. Supposition in history writing and teaching entered mainstream biographies and textbooks some time ago. This threatened to become the norm. Although the most reliable biographers refused the trend, others grabbed onto it for whatever reasons. Part of that trend included unproved, if "likely," speculations about "who" really married "whom," or "who" fathered "whom" and "when" ; what this person or that said off the record or did behind the scenes, in secret, introduced a habit of over-speculation and hypothesis. It almost obliterated, for a time, attention to known facts of history.
Under that powerful influence, historical and nation-shaping events got less attention. It was like a "People" magazine approach to history, although gossip and innuendo are not part of knowing "who" was part of the Continental Congress, drafted or signed the Declaration of Independence, led troops in the Revolutionary War, refused intimidation as did Rosa Parks, or marched for equal rights for all.
I hope the fundamental documents of America's history will be taught and reviewed annually by outstanding teachers. It would do no harm if only the basics were covered until every student groaned with knowing smiles over the familiarity of the material.
If you have read the Federalist Papers (I have only read parts), if you know all parts of the Bill of Rights (sorry, I was never taught that) and the British document that led to it (school covered some of that); if you are very familiar with the U.S. Constitution and every Amendment (how many are there; name each one), then I will open the floor for objection.
It would be good, would it not, to encourage the teaching on a facts-only basis, like Terry Mitchell's primary record of facts. If accepted again, such an approach would inevitably lead to a greater sense of American identity for students and their families.
If adopted again, such deliberate effort would result in higher voting rates.
If the norm again were for American-born citizens to know U. S. history as well as foreign applicants for United States citizenship, the United States would be a people once again fully aware of what it can mean to be unified. Such knowledge of basic uniting principles regardless of different opinions and experiences of individuals and groups could ease a nation's divisions and insecurities.
I hope that the facts of what formed this nation will be known very well by all Americans being raised in this free land. Some who have no idea what that means will finally realize the priceless inheritance they have.
Such a springboard can be not only seen but used throughout their lives to secure an even more open and strong people of national and individual liberties. |
