The teaching of history in US public schools very specifically focuses on peaceful protest and little else.
They want to delegitimize the use of force and downplay state violence, which is why you probably weren’t required to read ‘Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee’ or taught about the Tulsa Massacre or the Battle of Blair Mountain. It’s why Malcolm X and Nat Turner are mostly ignored while all you hear about in your black history segments is MLK and Harriet Tubman. It’s why we’re taught about the euphemistically-named ‘Reservation’ system, when in fact, these were shitty, oppressive concentration camps for indigenous people and they were required to go there or be killed while their ancestral lands were stolen. (Which is not too dissimilar from what’s happening in Gaza right now with the support of both American ruling parties.)
In hindsight, it’s rather shocking to me that in my fifth grade class we were taught about conquistadors and no one batted an eye when I had dead bodies in my diorama about Francisco Pizarro. There’s probably no way that would fly today.
I’m still learning shit in my 40’s, reading history for my own enjoyment, that I should have been taught in school. Here’s another tidbit you probably never learned about: An executed slave named Mark whose body was used as a landmark after his execution, even by Paul Revere: https://www.paulreverehouse.org/mark-hung-in-chains-slavery-paul-reveres-midnight-ride/
The teaching of history in US public schools very specifically focuses on peaceful protest and little else.
They want to delegitimize the use of force and downplay state violence, which is why you probably weren’t required to read ‘Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee’ or taught about the Tulsa Massacre or the Battle of Blair Mountain. It’s why Malcolm X and Nat Turner are mostly ignored while all you hear about in your black history segments is MLK and Harriet Tubman. It’s why we’re taught about the euphemistically-named ‘Reservation’ system, when in fact, these were shitty, oppressive concentration camps for indigenous people and they were required to go there or be killed while their ancestral lands were stolen. (Which is not too dissimilar from what’s happening in Gaza right now with the support of both American ruling parties.)
In hindsight, it’s rather shocking to me that in my fifth grade class we were taught about conquistadors and no one batted an eye when I had dead bodies in my diorama about Francisco Pizarro. There’s probably no way that would fly today.
I’m still learning shit in my 40’s, reading history for my own enjoyment, that I should have been taught in school. Here’s another tidbit you probably never learned about: An executed slave named Mark whose body was used as a landmark after his execution, even by Paul Revere: https://www.paulreverehouse.org/mark-hung-in-chains-slavery-paul-reveres-midnight-ride/
Also, if anyone reads my comment above and has suggestions for books or articles or tidbits that could benefit from reading, I’d love to hear them.