Okay. I think you are coming from a completely defensible position. Personally, I wish we taught history with less “narrative” because I think that is really the issue. Let’s acknowledge though that now everything has to follow a narrative. To me, the 1619 project is just a narrative from the perspective of the enslaved. From the enslaved, and their descendants, America may well look to be built by slavery. My ancestors moved west with each generation, taking advantage of “new” lands (the taken from Indians). I even have an ancestor who apparently illegally squatted on Indian lands in anticipation of them becoming available to homestead a year or two later! We don’t like to think of that, but it’s true. It’s also true that so goes the story of humans, not just Europeans…
As for white people = bad. I have some experience with that. In elementary school we watched Roots and a lot of the black girls would be mean to me after. I didn’t understand why… it wasn’t me, and it wasn’t them… but they felt different. Now it’s popular amongst my liberal circles to wallow in white guilt. I find it pointless. I have no control over what my parents do/did anymore than my 10th great grandfather! I think the solution to that needs to be context. Many people don’t know that there was slavery other places and that Africans were also profiting from the slave trade and initially slaves were treated the same as white indentured servants, until it became clear that there was more profit in exploitation.
To me, the history of America is a constant struggle between opposing forces, we just always look back and call the loser “bad”. I like what my youngest’s first grade teacher said during virtual school, “America is like us, still growing and getting better. Sometimes we make mistakes — that’s okay. We try to be better in the future.” I think a little more of that narrative, or rather perspective, would help a lot.
Okay. I think you are coming from a completely defensible position. Personally, I wish we taught history with less “narrative” because I think that is really the issue. Let’s acknowledge though that now everything has to follow a narrative. To me, the 1619 project is just a narrative from the perspective of the enslaved. From the enslaved, and their descendants, America may well look to be built by slavery. My ancestors moved west with each generation, taking advantage of “new” lands (the taken from Indians). I even have an ancestor who apparently illegally squatted on Indian lands in anticipation of them becoming available to homestead a year or two later! We don’t like to think of that, but it’s true. It’s also true that so goes the story of humans, not just Europeans…
As for white people = bad. I have some experience with that. In elementary school we watched Roots and a lot of the black girls would be mean to me after. I didn’t understand why… it wasn’t me, and it wasn’t them… but they felt different. Now it’s popular amongst my liberal circles to wallow in white guilt. I find it pointless. I have no control over what my parents do/did anymore than my 10th great grandfather! I think the solution to that needs to be context. Many people don’t know that there was slavery other places and that Africans were also profiting from the slave trade and initially slaves were treated the same as white indentured servants, until it became clear that there was more profit in exploitation.
To me, the history of America is a constant struggle between opposing forces, we just always look back and call the loser “bad”. I like what my youngest’s first grade teacher said during virtual school, “America is like us, still growing and getting better. Sometimes we make mistakes — that’s okay. We try to be better in the future.” I think a little more of that narrative, or rather perspective, would help a lot.