Adriana Albor Spring 2011 Position Paper1 Simon Schama: My Vision for History in Schools

I would assume that our natural reactions to Schamas article, as history students, would all be favorable. As a future educator, I totally empathize with the British educator who was quoted in the article to have said, My subject is disappearing. It is a source of anxiety and frustration to see how overlooked and undervalued history is becoming. I am anxious because when I graduate, I could not be in high demand as a history teacher; I am frustrated because Americans refuse to give history a chance as an intriguing and immeasurably important subject. What is especially horrifying about this phenomenon -the gradual dissolution of history from school curriculums- is that history is disappearing from the very places that are supposed to protect it! Institutions of learning, whose sole purpose is to perpetuate the beautiful endeavor of gaining wisdom and understanding are failing at just that! For a society so heavily influenced by technology (indeed I would go as far to say the society is strewn by so much technology), it is more important than ever before to remember to look back because were currently too preoccupied with looking ahead. With the broadening of the world stage and the increased interaction between its players, citizens are straying further and further from a healthy understanding of their own countrys policies and activities. World powers have become more accountable to each other than to their citizens. How did that happen? I am sure that there are a number of factors that can be mostly summed up into one term: globalization. But the factor I am most concerned with is the role that cutting history from curriculums has played. I strongly believe that a people with a firm understanding of their own history would be less susceptible to becoming victims of a policies and authoritative actions that do not serve their own best interests. Knowing history creates accountability and demands responsibility. No one can pull a fast one by you if you have your eyes wide open. History is an invaluable social tool.

Six Aspects of American History Every Child Should Learn: 1. Christianity: From Pilgrims to the Constitution to Presidential Inaugurations. -Children should understand and acknowledge the role of Christianity in the U.S.s history. Not for doctrinal discussions, but for a more accurate understanding of the American people who formed our history. If Christianity was such a huge part of the American Joes life, it should be acknowledged, not ignored. 2. Jamestown and New England Identities: How Each Shaped American Society Today. -The individualistic nature of 17th century Jamestown society was so different from communal, democratic, Puritan New England. Yet aspects of each society have influenced America tremendously and can still be seen today. In this section I think Native Indians should be explored not only their relationship with white settlers in both of these societies, but culture and pre-white settler history. 3. Slavery and Race: Which came first? -This section should cover a range of themes concerning American slavery as both a social and economic institution. The particular question I would encourage this unit to touch upon is whether slavery or the concept of race came first. Students would understand that race is a socially constructed idea and its development can be traced back to African slavery in the American colonies. Another aspect of this unit would be examining the evolution of slavery. How did the nature of slavery change between 17th and 18th centuries? What factors contributed to this change? How did American society change along with the character if American slavery? Or did slavery evolve as society did? How did the early U.S. go from society-with-slaves to a slave-society? (This choice was heavily influenced by John Savagians HS 355 course and the last question about American turning into a slave-society from a society of slaves is an idea from a reading we did of Ira Berlin.) 4. The Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and Jefferson and Hamilton. -How many Americans have actually read the constitution or the Declaration of Independence?! These are FUNDAMENTALS and they would provide the opportunity to sneak in a little political science into the classroom. Students must understand the mechanics of their government as well as the minds behind them. Jefferson and Hamilton are included in this unit because of

their vastly different takes on how the new country should have been run. Their differences/ feuds have contributed to the countrys current political identity. 5. Indian Removal: The Natives Holocaust? - This is a tremendously important saga in American history, and tragically overlooked. Thousands of Indians perished on their migration west. President Andrew Jackson got an era named after him. The Jacksonian era is characterized by a focus on the common man like never had been experienced in politics before. This epoch changed politics and popular political involvement in the United States as well as the American president profile. 6. American Expansion and Imperialism. - This unit would cover a range of events. Manifest Destiny, the Mexican American War, the Spanish American War, The Monroe Doctrine and the U.S.s involvement in Latin America, Involvement in China and the Open Door Policy. The first half on American Expansion would also lead to the expansion of slavery and the Civil War.