{Historical notes from blogger}
In this regard, here is a story I have never told (I think): When I was
a sophomore at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, I was blessed to
have two of the greatest teachers of history perhaps in the world:
Staughton Lynd and Howard Zinn.
Yes, that Howard Zinn: author of A PEOPLE’S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. One assignment, I don’t recall from which teacher, was to read W.E.B. DuBois’ BLACK RECONSTRUCTION.
The failure of Southern reconstruction after the Civil War had been laid on newly liberated black people, who had been formerly enslaved. All the newspapers and politicians (white of course) colluded in this deception. Countering this, DuBois wrote about what had happened from a principled and highly documented black perspective.
His book about what really happened to the South after the Civil War was not to be found in all of Atlanta. I was finally permitted to see the one copy that remained, battered and torn, and under glass, in the rare books room at my school.
Somehow my teachers managed to make copies of this great book and give them to our class. Reading it changed the way I saw the North, the South, electoral politics, rich and poor people, and the power of the media to shape people’s thinking and their lives.
The Civil War, in which so many died hideously, and because of which so much was lost, could have affected America quite differently. For instance, think of what it would have meant if the enslaved Africans and African-Americans (lots of white and mixed race progeny ended up enslaved of course) had received the forty acres and a mule promised each of them for their 300 years plus of unpaid servitude?
With land of their own, people of color would not have remained serfs and fifth class citizens for another hundred years. White people would not have suffered the humiliation (many of them) of being, racially, in the same camp as bullies, racists, thieves and murderers.
*** {Historical notes: People through out history in this world have not lived a perfect balanced life. Example - Having personally been to Africa, plus in the 1990's meeting a man from Liberia working here in the USA = this is a summery.
[First Liberia was founded by former African slaves from the USA.]
He told me that the returned US slaves came into Liberia and very soon became the masters just like from where they had come.
This problem exist even today there; since the upper class former U.S. Negros rule and dominate the Native Africans! This is not a race thing rather it is a human fault... When will people come to see sin as it is and that each of human has been given freedom of choice by the Lord God! The devil came to destroy!
WHAT THE DEVIL WANTS FROM YOU
It is time to clean the house! No joke! The devil cannot be your friend! He is a thief and he is a killer.
The devil’s plan for your life is three-fold: To Steal… To Kill… and To Destroy….. He has NO good plan for You and Your life!
The are many other happenings in history - more blogs on this later!}
There are books today as important to the understanding of the Americas as BLACK RECONSTRUCTION (DuBois’ writing is graceful and a delight of read, no matter the sorrow or outrageousness of the tale).
For instance, as an American you can hardly claim to know where you live if you haven’t read THE SLAVE SHIP by Marcus Rediker or THE HALF HAS NEVER BEEN TOLD, a chilling study of the capitalist foundation of America—enslaved people forced to produce as if they are machines—by Edward E. Baptist.
THE COLOR PURPLE asks many questions of its readers, but a very important one is: Who do you believe?
In that regard, it has astonished me that “Pa” the rapist stepfather who bedevils Celie’s life, is routinely believed by everyone. Even readers of the novel! He lies about everything, including Celie’s age, her character, and her looks. But he is believed, even by people who do not like him. Why is this?
And shouldn’t we examine this tendency to be gullible, or to be afraid to say what we know is true, in our own lives?
At the end of our time together this month, we will have a live Q&A. Perhaps we might discuss this? {From a lesson series}
Yes, that Howard Zinn: author of A PEOPLE’S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. One assignment, I don’t recall from which teacher, was to read W.E.B. DuBois’ BLACK RECONSTRUCTION.
The failure of Southern reconstruction after the Civil War had been laid on newly liberated black people, who had been formerly enslaved. All the newspapers and politicians (white of course) colluded in this deception. Countering this, DuBois wrote about what had happened from a principled and highly documented black perspective.
His book about what really happened to the South after the Civil War was not to be found in all of Atlanta. I was finally permitted to see the one copy that remained, battered and torn, and under glass, in the rare books room at my school.
Somehow my teachers managed to make copies of this great book and give them to our class. Reading it changed the way I saw the North, the South, electoral politics, rich and poor people, and the power of the media to shape people’s thinking and their lives.
The Civil War, in which so many died hideously, and because of which so much was lost, could have affected America quite differently. For instance, think of what it would have meant if the enslaved Africans and African-Americans (lots of white and mixed race progeny ended up enslaved of course) had received the forty acres and a mule promised each of them for their 300 years plus of unpaid servitude?
With land of their own, people of color would not have remained serfs and fifth class citizens for another hundred years. White people would not have suffered the humiliation (many of them) of being, racially, in the same camp as bullies, racists, thieves and murderers.
*** {Historical notes: People through out history in this world have not lived a perfect balanced life. Example - Having personally been to Africa, plus in the 1990's meeting a man from Liberia working here in the USA = this is a summery.
[First Liberia was founded by former African slaves from the USA.]
He told me that the returned US slaves came into Liberia and very soon became the masters just like from where they had come.
This problem exist even today there; since the upper class former U.S. Negros rule and dominate the Native Africans! This is not a race thing rather it is a human fault... When will people come to see sin as it is and that each of human has been given freedom of choice by the Lord God! The devil came to destroy!
WHAT THE DEVIL WANTS FROM YOU
It is time to clean the house! No joke! The devil cannot be your friend! He is a thief and he is a killer.
The devil’s plan for your life is three-fold: To Steal… To Kill… and To Destroy….. He has NO good plan for You and Your life!
The are many other happenings in history - more blogs on this later!}
There are books today as important to the understanding of the Americas as BLACK RECONSTRUCTION (DuBois’ writing is graceful and a delight of read, no matter the sorrow or outrageousness of the tale).
For instance, as an American you can hardly claim to know where you live if you haven’t read THE SLAVE SHIP by Marcus Rediker or THE HALF HAS NEVER BEEN TOLD, a chilling study of the capitalist foundation of America—enslaved people forced to produce as if they are machines—by Edward E. Baptist.
THE COLOR PURPLE asks many questions of its readers, but a very important one is: Who do you believe?
In that regard, it has astonished me that “Pa” the rapist stepfather who bedevils Celie’s life, is routinely believed by everyone. Even readers of the novel! He lies about everything, including Celie’s age, her character, and her looks. But he is believed, even by people who do not like him. Why is this?
And shouldn’t we examine this tendency to be gullible, or to be afraid to say what we know is true, in our own lives?
At the end of our time together this month, we will have a live Q&A. Perhaps we might discuss this? {From a lesson series}
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