We rarely comment here (except on matters of mental health) that our situation in the U.S. exacerbates in many of us. There was a particularly good guest column by a local pastor (and former history major) in our paper this morning. It is about us all being victims of American "Myth-tory". We thought we'd share the link with the group be…
We rarely comment here (except on matters of mental health) that our situation in the U.S. exacerbates in many of us. There was a particularly good guest column by a local pastor (and former history major) in our paper this morning. It is about us all being victims of American "Myth-tory". We thought we'd share the link with the group because (1) it's so in sync with Heather and, (2) it was published in a well-read mainstream publication today:
Thank you for posting the link. At 73, I was in junior and high school during the civil rights turmoil. I remember the scenes of the dogs being sicced on black bodies, the fire hoses, etc. I did learn about the Tuskegee experiments, but not from Mr. McClosky, my American history teacher. I got the usual "Gone With the Wind" whitewashed version I thought was only taught in the South. When I saw "Hidden Figures" I was nearly applauding in the theater! I grew up just over 100 miles from Cape Canaveral. Why did I not know about this woman???
Dad was a WWII vet, and I grew up believing all the razzmatazz patriotic 'how America saved the civilized world' BS. Until Vietnam. That was when the scales began to drop from my eyes. I learned it's possible to love your country and seriously distrust (and dislike) your government. The country I love is the aspirational one, the promise of the original idea of America that has yet to be made real. Not the Potemkin village we have been told was reality.
American efforts in WWII did save the civilized world from the demon Hitler, and your father's contribution (and my father's and mother's) was key. But the rest...
MaryPat, have you read "No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt" by Doris Kearns Goodwin? During WWII the White House was full of anti-semites, even refusing to allow thousands of Jews to land on US soil - several thousand of them were children. The US didn't enter the war until Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese. That the US helped defeat Hitler was an addendum to the story.
Many Americans went to war with the best of intentions in their hearts - ones like your parents. But it is important for us to understand how deeply rooted the sins against the Jewish people are - the movement that Emperor Constantine gave bureaucratic power to - the Christian Church - has much unacknowledged blood blood on its hand.
No, I haven't read it and will order it (or check my historian neighbor's library for it). Thanks for the recommendation. I love Doris Kearns Goodwin. I think I knew this once, but not all of what FDR (and Eleanor) was up against. Your last sentence was so illuminating to me, raised as a good Catholic, about how much of that vitriol I still must discard. I often tell a funny story about how, at my grandmother's 100th birthday party, my Uncle Larry said to my dad, ""You know, her dad was Jewish." And my dad, stunned, said, "NO. Grandpa was Catholic!" My Uncle Ray then asked, "Then why did he wear a yarmulke?" And my dad, now in a panic, said, "He liked beanies." Then Larry said, "He has a Star of David on his headstone!" My dad, retorted "He loved stars." My kids and I listened and giggled. The next day, to my dad's credit, he went to the cemetery, took a picture of the stone, and then consulted a rabbi, who took one look and said, "Shalom, Charlie." Now, I am thinking the source of his panic was not from being left out of a family secret, but from realizing he was of the race he had been taught by the nuns to despise since childhood. That is not funny. That is a tragedy.
I find it so strange that Jews & Catholics so often marry - both intractable religions that insist "The child will be raised in the ______Faith." I had a Jewish friend married to an Argentine Catholic. I never met him he may have been absent. I attended her second son's Bris with her & her father. IDK if they went to Temple, but they kept some tenets of their faith.
Here is another history myth you can add to the list of those whitewashing and anglicizing history, the story of the Alamo and the Texas Mexican war.
Nothing will probably generate more controversy here in Texas than getting the story of the Alamo right. However, we've been telling the Alamo story wrong for nearly 200 Years. now it's time to correct the record.
Carefully researched history shows the following:
Historians have explained how Mexican officials, eager to stabilize their northern borderlands after their own agreements with Apache tribes fell apart, permitted Americans to settle in what is now Texas. Americans moved to the area to grow cotton in the boom years of that era. When Mexico banned slavery in Texas in 1830, Americans rebelled. In October 1835, they joined with Mexican opponents of President Antonio López de Santa Anna’s government and went to war. By December, the Texian Army had pushed Mexican troops out of the Mexican territory of Texas, and the Texians hunkered down in the Alamo Mission near what is now San Antonio. In January, reinforcements, including James Bowie and Davy Crockett, arrived. About 200 Texians were there on February 23, 1836, when 1800 of Santa Anna’s troops laid siege to the Alamo. On March 6, Santa Anna’s troops attacked, killing almost all of the defenders (but not Davy Crockett, who surrendered and was executed later).
The Alamo myth too many subscribe to is yet another example of a whitewashed and Anglicized retelling of history. The real danger in this is why such inaccurate retellings of history exist. These historical inaccuracies and false retellings of history exist to subjugate some groups of people while elevating others inequitably, unjustifiably, and immorally.
These inaccurate retellings of history are not limited to only the present or to Texas. However, it is important to take a lesson from this. Lies matter, truths matter. It is important to know the difference and distinguish between them. We should learn of and learn from those truths even when they are unpleasant. Hiding historical truths keeps us from those learnings. Let's be sure we do not succumb to the temptation of whitewashing or erasing history just because it makes us uncomfortable or is unpleasant.
which is why I want every child to have a copy of Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States." As far as I know, there's not a better one since Zinn's...
I completely agree. Thinking about the definition of empathy - the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Americans have long demonstrated a lack of empathy, a defining characteristic of our culture and national character. The way we recall and teach our history reflects that lack of empathy. It is truly a tragic character flaw we should aspire and work to correct.
This is one of the reasons I appreciated Zinn's work and voice and now that of Dr. Richardson as well. I have found that it requires effort, research, and persistence to unlearn much of the mythologies I first was taught. I find this same effort and critical thinking skills are required to sift through the telling and analyses of current events as well. It is always wise to apply empathy to these efforts to see the unfolding of history from the perspective of the losers and not only the winning side of every event.
Wow - thanks for the compliment. No, a friend of mine, who at the time was the legal director of the ACLU, gave me the book and I've made sure all my kids and grandkids have a copy of it.
Bruce, have you read the new book, Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of an American Myth
by Bryan Burrough, Chris Tomlinson , et al.? I heard Burrough interviewed on NPR a few weeks back and was impressed by what he said. I have no idea what the totality of his sources were. I know he's a native Texan. He said Jim Bowie was a drunk who had failed at just about everything he'd undertaken and was best known for his knife. Davy Crockett was best known, if at all, as a former congressman. I think the interview was on Weekend Edition Saturday about three weeks ago, if you're interested.
Yes, I have read it. It was what caused me to cite the above facts. The battle of Texans to defy the abolishment of slavery by Mexico in Texas is the proximate cause of what Texans refer to as the fight for Texas independence. The mythologizing of what was in fact the fight to retain enslavement of blacks is the real story. That enslavement was the economic underpinning of cotton farming in Texas, at that time the primary crop and economic engine of Texians.
We need to learn and remember the truths and facts of real history if we are to learn from that history and make a better future, even when that history is ugly and unpleasant.
I couldn't agree more. I wish someone back in my youth had framed the whole Civil War as being not only over slavery, but the economic incentives to maintaining slavery. It seems so obvious once it's pointed out, but it was also easily obscured by the 'it was about slavery' explanation. (Or worse yet, states' rights).
Like Heather pointed out in one of her talks, when we're 'taught' history in school our minds and lack of life experience just are not ready to really grasp the whole picture. Throw in the deliberate distortions and propaganda, and it's near impossible! Lucky for me I loved learning about the past and continued to study to this day. But millions don't and they retain the mythology you and the Rev. pointed out.
For those not familiar with the Kahn Academy, a non-profit committed to providing free, world-class education for anyone, everywhere, I encourage you to visit and become familiar with their website and courses available for online learning from pre-K through AP college prep.
I have used their material with my grandchildren and strongly recommend their resources.
On this particular topic - the history of the American slave economy - here is a wonderful example of the quality of the course material.
Thank you for reminding me of Kahn Academy, Bruce. I checked it out some years back and then sort of forgot about it. I will check out the link you provided, and thanks for that, too! We can't be too proactive, I think. It's incumbent on us to educate ourselves, since our schools seemed not to have been so inclined.
A friend told me recently I need to read some fiction for a change; I was getting too intense! LOL. She thought I needed some brain candy. About all I read is history, social sciences, health and now brain science research. If I didn't have to cut the grass I'd have more time to read!
WOWOW. I was thinking of my grandchildren when I checked your link to Kahn Academy here Bruce, but, WOW, I need it, and my grown kids would really benefit, too. My 2nd thought was. No wonder southern states are viciously fighting CRT and altering textbooks. May I share this with your comments? This was NOT in my history books.
Yes, at Texas Capitol yesterday as well to advocate for voting rights along with many others. We do what we can. Democrats here are fighting for voting rights not just for Democrats but voting rights for all, and all truly means all... even Republicans. Republicans are truly the contemporary version of the Luddites.
Thank you for posting this, and her website. It is reflective of where we are as a country; I could mimic the Reverend's experience. My studies in history never took me to the paths of Juneteenth, red summer, the Tuskegee experiments, or the genocide of our Indigenous population. At 63, it is to my way of thinking a crime that I am only learning of these events in the past 5 years.
Super article - have to admit all I never was aware of any of those events till this past year and to top it off, until I saw the movie I had never heard of Katherine Johnson, the brilliant mathematician that was responsible for so much of NASA's progress! How so many of us could have been so massively snookered is really astonishing. The dumbing down of our entire educational system should be enough to stir anyone up - well, that is, unless no one is listening or reading about it. And then, there is the debacle at the University of North Carolina! I think that gal has proven her point in so many ways & made public exactly how these white, rich, empowered people think. I certainly dont blame her for moving on to Howard University - good for her.
A wonderful opportunity for Nikole Hannah-Jones. That tenure debacle was brought about by Republican political appointees to the UNC system Board of Governors and the Republican politicians who control (SIGH!) the legislature.
Yes - I saw her on CBS - read an article by her telling the whole story. Certainly doesnt put a good light on that board or anyone else at the University except for the Dean! Thats what should be done in all of these instances of "empowered" people.
Thank you for your perspective Rosalind. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a UCC church in Wisconsin. That positively shaped my whole social consciousness in so many ways.
We rarely comment here (except on matters of mental health) that our situation in the U.S. exacerbates in many of us. There was a particularly good guest column by a local pastor (and former history major) in our paper this morning. It is about us all being victims of American "Myth-tory". We thought we'd share the link with the group because (1) it's so in sync with Heather and, (2) it was published in a well-read mainstream publication today:
https://www.telegram.com/story/lifestyle/2021/07/10/keep-faith-all-lessons-history-class-didnt-teach/7893710002/
Thank you for posting the link. At 73, I was in junior and high school during the civil rights turmoil. I remember the scenes of the dogs being sicced on black bodies, the fire hoses, etc. I did learn about the Tuskegee experiments, but not from Mr. McClosky, my American history teacher. I got the usual "Gone With the Wind" whitewashed version I thought was only taught in the South. When I saw "Hidden Figures" I was nearly applauding in the theater! I grew up just over 100 miles from Cape Canaveral. Why did I not know about this woman???
Dad was a WWII vet, and I grew up believing all the razzmatazz patriotic 'how America saved the civilized world' BS. Until Vietnam. That was when the scales began to drop from my eyes. I learned it's possible to love your country and seriously distrust (and dislike) your government. The country I love is the aspirational one, the promise of the original idea of America that has yet to be made real. Not the Potemkin village we have been told was reality.
American efforts in WWII did save the civilized world from the demon Hitler, and your father's contribution (and my father's and mother's) was key. But the rest...
MaryPat, have you read "No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt" by Doris Kearns Goodwin? During WWII the White House was full of anti-semites, even refusing to allow thousands of Jews to land on US soil - several thousand of them were children. The US didn't enter the war until Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese. That the US helped defeat Hitler was an addendum to the story.
Many Americans went to war with the best of intentions in their hearts - ones like your parents. But it is important for us to understand how deeply rooted the sins against the Jewish people are - the movement that Emperor Constantine gave bureaucratic power to - the Christian Church - has much unacknowledged blood blood on its hand.
No, I haven't read it and will order it (or check my historian neighbor's library for it). Thanks for the recommendation. I love Doris Kearns Goodwin. I think I knew this once, but not all of what FDR (and Eleanor) was up against. Your last sentence was so illuminating to me, raised as a good Catholic, about how much of that vitriol I still must discard. I often tell a funny story about how, at my grandmother's 100th birthday party, my Uncle Larry said to my dad, ""You know, her dad was Jewish." And my dad, stunned, said, "NO. Grandpa was Catholic!" My Uncle Ray then asked, "Then why did he wear a yarmulke?" And my dad, now in a panic, said, "He liked beanies." Then Larry said, "He has a Star of David on his headstone!" My dad, retorted "He loved stars." My kids and I listened and giggled. The next day, to my dad's credit, he went to the cemetery, took a picture of the stone, and then consulted a rabbi, who took one look and said, "Shalom, Charlie." Now, I am thinking the source of his panic was not from being left out of a family secret, but from realizing he was of the race he had been taught by the nuns to despise since childhood. That is not funny. That is a tragedy.
Yes it is tragic. For Charlie but much more for a church that refuses to accept that their messiah was a brown-skinned Jewish rabbi.
I find it so strange that Jews & Catholics so often marry - both intractable religions that insist "The child will be raised in the ______Faith." I had a Jewish friend married to an Argentine Catholic. I never met him he may have been absent. I attended her second son's Bris with her & her father. IDK if they went to Temple, but they kept some tenets of their faith.
We must always strive to become that "more perfect nation."
Here is another history myth you can add to the list of those whitewashing and anglicizing history, the story of the Alamo and the Texas Mexican war.
Nothing will probably generate more controversy here in Texas than getting the story of the Alamo right. However, we've been telling the Alamo story wrong for nearly 200 Years. now it's time to correct the record.
Carefully researched history shows the following:
Historians have explained how Mexican officials, eager to stabilize their northern borderlands after their own agreements with Apache tribes fell apart, permitted Americans to settle in what is now Texas. Americans moved to the area to grow cotton in the boom years of that era. When Mexico banned slavery in Texas in 1830, Americans rebelled. In October 1835, they joined with Mexican opponents of President Antonio López de Santa Anna’s government and went to war. By December, the Texian Army had pushed Mexican troops out of the Mexican territory of Texas, and the Texians hunkered down in the Alamo Mission near what is now San Antonio. In January, reinforcements, including James Bowie and Davy Crockett, arrived. About 200 Texians were there on February 23, 1836, when 1800 of Santa Anna’s troops laid siege to the Alamo. On March 6, Santa Anna’s troops attacked, killing almost all of the defenders (but not Davy Crockett, who surrendered and was executed later).
Here is the real history from Time magazine:
https://time.com/6072141/alamo-history-myths/
The Alamo myth too many subscribe to is yet another example of a whitewashed and Anglicized retelling of history. The real danger in this is why such inaccurate retellings of history exist. These historical inaccuracies and false retellings of history exist to subjugate some groups of people while elevating others inequitably, unjustifiably, and immorally.
These inaccurate retellings of history are not limited to only the present or to Texas. However, it is important to take a lesson from this. Lies matter, truths matter. It is important to know the difference and distinguish between them. We should learn of and learn from those truths even when they are unpleasant. Hiding historical truths keeps us from those learnings. Let's be sure we do not succumb to the temptation of whitewashing or erasing history just because it makes us uncomfortable or is unpleasant.
which is why I want every child to have a copy of Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States." As far as I know, there's not a better one since Zinn's...
I completely agree. Thinking about the definition of empathy - the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Americans have long demonstrated a lack of empathy, a defining characteristic of our culture and national character. The way we recall and teach our history reflects that lack of empathy. It is truly a tragic character flaw we should aspire and work to correct.
This is one of the reasons I appreciated Zinn's work and voice and now that of Dr. Richardson as well. I have found that it requires effort, research, and persistence to unlearn much of the mythologies I first was taught. I find this same effort and critical thinking skills are required to sift through the telling and analyses of current events as well. It is always wise to apply empathy to these efforts to see the unfolding of history from the perspective of the losers and not only the winning side of every event.
I would add 1491: New Revelations of the America’s Before Columbus by Charles G. Mann. Yes, I too have a recommended reading list going.
That is a most insightful observation. I am going to check out Zinns! Thanks!
This is 10 yrs old and up. Zinn’s book for Young People series adapted by Rebecca Stefoff.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1583228691/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_api_glt_fabc_KEYX36HFCM5AK512DDXH
Okay, Rosalind, that's the 2nd book I am ordering today based on your recommendation. Do you have stock in Amazon?! Thank You.
Wow - thanks for the compliment. No, a friend of mine, who at the time was the legal director of the ACLU, gave me the book and I've made sure all my kids and grandkids have a copy of it.
Thanks for the information on Zinn's book; I've saved it and will be ordering a copy soon.
What about Jill Lapore?
Bruce, have you read the new book, Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of an American Myth
by Bryan Burrough, Chris Tomlinson , et al.? I heard Burrough interviewed on NPR a few weeks back and was impressed by what he said. I have no idea what the totality of his sources were. I know he's a native Texan. He said Jim Bowie was a drunk who had failed at just about everything he'd undertaken and was best known for his knife. Davy Crockett was best known, if at all, as a former congressman. I think the interview was on Weekend Edition Saturday about three weeks ago, if you're interested.
Yes, I have read it. It was what caused me to cite the above facts. The battle of Texans to defy the abolishment of slavery by Mexico in Texas is the proximate cause of what Texans refer to as the fight for Texas independence. The mythologizing of what was in fact the fight to retain enslavement of blacks is the real story. That enslavement was the economic underpinning of cotton farming in Texas, at that time the primary crop and economic engine of Texians.
We need to learn and remember the truths and facts of real history if we are to learn from that history and make a better future, even when that history is ugly and unpleasant.
I couldn't agree more. I wish someone back in my youth had framed the whole Civil War as being not only over slavery, but the economic incentives to maintaining slavery. It seems so obvious once it's pointed out, but it was also easily obscured by the 'it was about slavery' explanation. (Or worse yet, states' rights).
Like Heather pointed out in one of her talks, when we're 'taught' history in school our minds and lack of life experience just are not ready to really grasp the whole picture. Throw in the deliberate distortions and propaganda, and it's near impossible! Lucky for me I loved learning about the past and continued to study to this day. But millions don't and they retain the mythology you and the Rev. pointed out.
For those not familiar with the Kahn Academy, a non-profit committed to providing free, world-class education for anyone, everywhere, I encourage you to visit and become familiar with their website and courses available for online learning from pre-K through AP college prep.
I have used their material with my grandchildren and strongly recommend their resources.
On this particular topic - the history of the American slave economy - here is a wonderful example of the quality of the course material.
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/civil-war-era/sectional-tension-1850s/a/the-slave-economy
Was excellent resource for parents during pandemic that were doing online school with kids.
Thank you for reminding me of Kahn Academy, Bruce. I checked it out some years back and then sort of forgot about it. I will check out the link you provided, and thanks for that, too! We can't be too proactive, I think. It's incumbent on us to educate ourselves, since our schools seemed not to have been so inclined.
A friend told me recently I need to read some fiction for a change; I was getting too intense! LOL. She thought I needed some brain candy. About all I read is history, social sciences, health and now brain science research. If I didn't have to cut the grass I'd have more time to read!
WOWOW. I was thinking of my grandchildren when I checked your link to Kahn Academy here Bruce, but, WOW, I need it, and my grown kids would really benefit, too. My 2nd thought was. No wonder southern states are viciously fighting CRT and altering textbooks. May I share this with your comments? This was NOT in my history books.
Bruce, looks like Texas GOP has their own cancel culture. Washington Post Sunday -https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/07/05/texas-republicans-rush-guard-alamo-facts/?utm_campaign=wp_week_in_ideas&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_ideas
Yes, at Texas Capitol yesterday as well to advocate for voting rights along with many others. We do what we can. Democrats here are fighting for voting rights not just for Democrats but voting rights for all, and all truly means all... even Republicans. Republicans are truly the contemporary version of the Luddites.
Thank you for posting this, and her website. It is reflective of where we are as a country; I could mimic the Reverend's experience. My studies in history never took me to the paths of Juneteenth, red summer, the Tuskegee experiments, or the genocide of our Indigenous population. At 63, it is to my way of thinking a crime that I am only learning of these events in the past 5 years.
Super article - have to admit all I never was aware of any of those events till this past year and to top it off, until I saw the movie I had never heard of Katherine Johnson, the brilliant mathematician that was responsible for so much of NASA's progress! How so many of us could have been so massively snookered is really astonishing. The dumbing down of our entire educational system should be enough to stir anyone up - well, that is, unless no one is listening or reading about it. And then, there is the debacle at the University of North Carolina! I think that gal has proven her point in so many ways & made public exactly how these white, rich, empowered people think. I certainly dont blame her for moving on to Howard University - good for her.
A wonderful opportunity for Nikole Hannah-Jones. That tenure debacle was brought about by Republican political appointees to the UNC system Board of Governors and the Republican politicians who control (SIGH!) the legislature.
Yes - I saw her on CBS - read an article by her telling the whole story. Certainly doesnt put a good light on that board or anyone else at the University except for the Dean! Thats what should be done in all of these instances of "empowered" people.
Thank you. Great article that so many of us can attest to.
" ... there is a Tsunami of American history I have ever even heard of ...". Thank you, Rev. Jane. Thanky you, Scott & John.
Thanks for this article.
Thank you, Scott and John. This brought me to tears.
Does she preach on-line?! I am so moved by what she wrote. She is so right.
We only know her from her writing in the Worcester Telegram, but here's her website URL: https://www.janewillan.com/
Thank You.
I see Scott and John have posted Jane's website. Not surprised to see, another UCC colleague of mine...
Thank you for your perspective Rosalind. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a UCC church in Wisconsin. That positively shaped my whole social consciousness in so many ways.
Thank you for sharing this article. It resonates with me as well.
Thank you. A good read.
Thank You. Important article. I will share, and share, and share...
Thank you so much for sharing this link, Scott and John. Powerful and on target.
Thank you Scott and John. This article shakes me to my core.