Oh, man, he really needed to take my American religious history class that emphasized violence as central to American history.
Every semester I taught the class, I would ask students what they thought America was about. They always said freedom & equality.
I, then, spent the semester showing that folks don't practice what they preach.
I, then, spent the semester showing that folks don't practice what they preach.
The whole class was about colonialism, violence, genocide, enslavement & conflict.
By their midterms, primarily white students were overwhelmed because American history wasn't what they were used to.
By their midterms, primarily white students were overwhelmed because American history wasn't what they were used to.
And by the end of the class, I received evaluations from white students about how I was biased because I spent too much time on people of color & "feminists."
They also told me America was about freedom & equality 🙄
They also told me America was about freedom & equality 🙄
I mean, think about this, really. I spent 13 weeks showing them how endemic violence is in American history: primary sources, academic articles & books, lectures & group discussions.
And some students refused to entertain the idea that America was about anything but freedom.
And some students refused to entertain the idea that America was about anything but freedom.
I have similar experiences with white audiences when I present on the 1920s Klan. The Klan isn't really American (or Protestant) because they are an outlier. Their brand of politics isn't really American either. And folks say this after I show how American & religious they were.
Anyway, I clearly have stoing feelings about the attempts to erase America's violent history.
So, I'll see myself out.
So, I'll see myself out.
