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The Social Progressives SpeakBy Wendy Day, Section News
Throw out the textbooks. There is no need to read the Declaration of Independence or U.S. Constitution. No need to read about the Greatest Generation or Founding Fathers. No need to learn about America tearing herself apart and putting herself back together again to right the wrongs of slavery and segregation. Nope.
In fact, there is finally a book, and now movie, that gives the honest social progressive view of American history. The People Speak is a documentary to prove just how sexist, racist, and elitist America is. Howard Zinn wrote A People's History of the United States and now brings us The People Speak. He is portrayed as a revolutionary, except that now most standard textbooks mirror his view of American history. The History Channel is showing The People Speak; and it may be coming to a classroom near you. The movie is social progressiveness at its best. There is a stream of Hollywood faces, including producer Matt Damon. Here is one example from the movie: "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" was originally "Life, Liberty , and Property." According to Howard Zinn, the "Property" label proves the Founding Fathers were elitists. He claims that the Constitution was designed so that slave owners could run the country; also that the Bill of Rights was only added after protest, against the original intent of the Founding Fathers. The reality is that "Property" was changed to "Pursuit of Happiness" because the Founding Fathers didn't want further the cause of slavery by giving more credence to the terrible institution. The Founding Fathers originally wanted to include the term "Property" because without the right to own property, people cannot be free. Do we need to hear voices of dissension to honestly look at our Nation's history? Yes. But the history so many of our children are learning is almost entirely voices of dissention. What has fallen out of fashion is teaching about the good in our history, the heroes. Howard Zinn tries to bring down the American heroes and undermine the greatness of our country. Yes, America is flawed- because people are flawed. But I, like so many of you, believe that America is great. America has always held the promise of liberty. That is why so many fight to come here. What frightens me most about this one-sided negative view of America being taught as truth and beauty is that if we give up the will to fight for our country, we will surely fail. If we feel like offering apologies is more appropriate than fighting for freedom, we will fail. And if we believe this view of American history, we are more likely to land on the side of apology. What kind of stories would have been in this book if written 100 years from now?
Bottom line- ask your child's teachers and your local school boards about this film. Will they be showing it? Will they be showing some counter story, like the HBO miniseries John Adams? This will be a good litmus test for the condition of our education systems and its treatment of the history of our great nation. Will your school pass the test?
The Social Progressives Speak | 3 comments (3 topical, 0 hidden)
The Social Progressives Speak | 3 comments (3 topical, 0 hidden)
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