US PUBLIC EDUCATION HISTORY CLASS: And today kids, we are going to learn about all of the native indians, the Southwest Indians, the plains indians, AND the forrest indians. Are you excited to learn about all the indians that were here, kids?
Question to American comrades: How are the genocides of native Americans and ~~Lebensraum~~ manifest destiny being taught in American schools? What does the average American know?
I was unequivocally taught that it happened, white colonists were responsible, and that it was genocide. It came up a few times over the years in age-appropriate lessons (they don't go into detail when teaching third graders ofc) and every time the narrative was about the same.
HOWEVER our classes never dwelled on it much. It was taught with as much gravitas as any other random lesson, i.e. I was bombarded with a litany of names and dates to memorize for a standardized test which I promptly forgot in order to prepare for the next one, and the next one, and the next one...
My classes didn't distinguish between the indigenous peoples and I never learned about the native tribes that belong to my area. My teachers taught only what colonizers did to them, not who they were and are. And crucially, I was taught that this was all history and not that it is an ongoing genocide. And that the colonizers of the past are, somehow, disconnected from our government of the present.
Also we never made a connection between the Nazis and the colonists, or talked about class and capitalism at all, really.
I remember being taught that it was just their desire to expand to the Pacific Ocean, they believed it was their god given destiny. Big focus on that. I don't recall a lot of all of emphasis on how it impacted the natives.
every year in elementary school we watched some movies about how the pilgrims and Indians were friends and every year I would get in trouble for screaming "AND THEN THEY MURDERED THEM ALL". teachers would get mad and say that it was both sides fault. and then we hit middle school and got the full story, but teachers would both sides it. Also most of my peers one year believed that the genocide of the native Americans was good, needed to happen, and that they would do it again. then i went to a super libby highschool and learned even more.
I learned Christopher Columbus would chop the hands off of indians that didn't follow orders, and we wiped out 95% plus of their population
But I went to school in California. Unfortunately, other states can teach their version of history
I'm convinced all the people saying that America doesn't teach what happens to the Indians (besides the first Thanksgiving) stopped paying attention in history class after elementary school.
My education I got in Ohio was abysmal about this shit. Most of it was just review after elementary. And I say that as someone who would read the textbooks cover to cover.
A people’s history of the US was probably pivotal for me properly turning left, didn’t find it until well afterwards though.
Banned? DM Wmill to appeal.
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