History for humans

Robert asked:


Black History Month: Not just History for History Sake

by Anthony Stewart

Dr. Carter G. Woodson, Educator, Entrepreneur, Author and Activist, created “Negro History Week” (now known as Black History Month) for the purpose instilling in Blacks a true value of self based in a real and accurate study of Black Life and History. He believe that if Black students were raised up and educated in an environment that taught the significant Black contributions to the civilized world, (in the areas of economics, politics, government, science, mathematics as well as the Arts),that it would not only create in them a love for self and kind, but that it would also make them better citizens.

Dr. Woodson in “The Mis-Education of the Negro” showed that Blacks were not educated to be citizens, they were mis-educated to be tools of service to his once slave master. Therefore the Black perspective of Government and Politics in general was never based on a proper perspective of either. You can’t truly demand that which you don’t believe you are entitled to. If Blacks however, had an education that taught them of the great kingdoms and forms of government created by Blacks on which this modern government is based, then the proper motivation to engage politics could exist. Then, the demand for proper representation could be pursued from a historical as well as legal basis.

According to Dr. Woodson, Black’s needed a concentrated infusion of information based in Black History in America and most certainly abroad. Knowing that the prevailing attitude of Whites towards Blacks and Blacks toward themselves would not allow a complete overhaul of the educational system to reflect the above, He chose to create a period of a week, for that infusion. This week was not just to study history but to study how daily Black Life could be used to better understand the educational concepts being taught in the classrooms. It would be used to teach math and science based on Black life in the field, with local fruit carts, on railroads and plants. It would be used to teach from within ones’ own environment.

Dr. Carter G. Woodson’s own life was based in two forms of education. The one which was given him by the finest institutions in America and France, and the one which he gave himself through studying Black Life and history during his travels. From the latter, he found a wealth of information and resources from which he drew to write articles and publications. He would eventually become known as the “Father of Black History” in America. This was not a title he gave himself. He knew well and had studied the Works of W.E.B. DuBois and Drusilla D. Houston, who had written and published extensively on Black History. It was Dr. Woodson though, who would take their research and his own and transform it into a national movement of study within the Black communities. Dr. Woodson kept at the forefront of his life, “…history as a constructive force FOR THE DEVELOPMENT of Black people…” not just history for history sake.

It is in that spirit we should engage “Black History Month” and engage life.

Anthony Stewart

Narrator, “The Mis-Education of the Negro” Audiobook

http://www.themiseducationofthenegro.com

M Bauer Pulis asked:


March is Women’s History Month. I tried to do some reading about distinguished American Women, and found somewhat limited resources available online. It was difficult to even find out that Women’s History Month wasn’t even established until 1987 – a mere 21 years ago. So, I’ve gathered some Women in History links for Women’s History Month. Most of the links are related to Women in American History - but there are also general links for Women’s History timelines and History of the Women’s Movement etc. - anything I felt could be related to Women’s History Month, and just want to share the informational links with all who are interested.

IN CELEBRATION OF WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH:

Women’s History Month: http://www.loc.gov/topics/womenshistory/ http://www.nwhp.org/whm/history.php http://www.jhu.edu/wforum/events/nationalwomenshistorymonth.html http://usinfo.state.gov/scv/history_geography_and_population/population_and_diversity/women_in_the_us/womens_history_month.html http://www.nwhp.org/ http://www.defenselink.mil/specials/womenhistory03/ http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Teachers/womenmonth.html http://www.feminist.org/other/womenshistorymonth/default.asp http://www.nmwh.org/

Distinguished Women of Past & Present: http://www.distinguishedwomen.com/subject/field.html

Biographies of Notable Women: http://womenshistory.about.com/library/bio/blbio_list.htm

Timeline Women’s Movement: http://www.infoplease.com/spot/womenstimeline1.html

History of Women’s History: http://www.infoplease.com/spot/womensintro1.html

Women’s History: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women

History of the Women’s Movement: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_feminism

NOTABLE AMERICAN WOMEN

Jane Addams: http://www.educationalsynthesis.org/famamer/Addams.html

Madeline Albright: http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0803112.html

Susan B Anthony: http://www.educationalsynthesis.org/famamer/Anthony.html

Anne Bradstreet: http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0808679.html

Clara Barton: http://wneo.org/WebQuests/TeacherWebQuests/women/clarabarton.html

Shirley Temple Black: http://wneo.org/WebQuests/TeacherWebQuests/women/shirleytemple.htm

Antoinette Blackwell: http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0807814.html

Elizabeth Blackwell: http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0807815.html

Rachel Carson: http://wneo.org/WebQuests/TeacherWebQuests/women/rachelcarson.html

Hillary Clinton:

http://www.infoplease.com/us/government/presidential-campaign-2008-hillary-clinton.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillary_clinton

Amelia Earhart: http://wneo.org/WebQuests/TeacherWebQuests/women/ameliaearhart.html

Mary Baker Eddy: http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0816737.html

Gertrude Ederle: http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0816749.html

Geraldine Ferraro: http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0818528.html

Dian Fossey: http://www.educationalsynthesis.org/famamer/Fossey.html

Mae Jamison: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/frontiers/jemison.html

Helen Keller: http://wneo.org/WebQuests/TeacherWebQuests/women/helenkeller.html

http://www.educationalsynthesis.org/famamer/Keller.html

Jacqueline Kennedy: http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/firstladies/jk35.html

First Ladies: http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/firstladies/

Maya Lin: http://wneo.org/WebQuests/TeacherWebQuests/women/mayalin.html

Belva Lockwood: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0878411.html

Antonia Novello: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0878914.html

Annie Oakley: http://wneo.org/WebQuests/TeacherWebQuests/women/annieoakley.html

Sandra Day O’Connor

http://wneo.org/WebQuests/TeacherWebQuests/women/sandradayoconner.html

http://www.educationalsynthesis.org/famamer/OConnor.html

Georgia O’Keefe: http://www.educationalsynthesis.org/famamer/OKeefe.html

Rosa Parks: http://www.educationalsynthesis.org/famamer/Parks.html

Pocahontas: http://www.educationalsynthesis.org/famamer/Pocahontas/

Jeanette Rankin: http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0841128.html

Janet Reno: http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0841536.html

Condoleezza Rice: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0878620.html

Sally Ride: http://wneo.org/WebQuests/TeacherWebQuests/women/sallyride.html

http://www.educationalsynthesis.org/famamer/Ride.html

Eleanor Roosevelt: http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/firstladies/ar32.html

Betsy Ross: http://www.educationalsynthesis.org/famamer/Ross.html

Wilma Rudolph: http://wneo.org/WebQuests/TeacherWebQuests/women/wilmarudolph.htm

Sacagawea: http://wneo.org/WebQuests/TeacherWebQuests/women/sacagawea.html

http://www.educationalsynthesis.org/famamer/Sacajawea.html

Sojourner Truth: http://www.educationalsynthesis.org/famamer/Truth.html

Harriet Tubman

http://wneo.org/WebQuests/TeacherWebQuests/women/harriettubman.html

http://www.incwell.com/Biographies/Tubman.html

Maggie Walker: http://www.educationalsynthesis.org/famamer/Walker.html

Edith Wharton: http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0852017.html

Laura Ingalls Wilder

http://wneo.org/WebQuests/TeacherWebQuests/women/LauraIngallsWilder.html

Victoria Woodhull: http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0808679.html

Jeff Beck asked:


World History is a long and complex topic. Though many accomplished authors such as Bill Bryson and H. G. Wells have attempted to condense history into a single book, very few have succeeded. There is just too much of it. Attempts to boil down the last 10,000 years have resulted in either superficial books with very little depth, or great textbook like tombs too inaccessible for the casual reader.
Happily, A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage succeeds where others have failed. Standage’s book does this by sacrificing the breadth of every possible topic for an impressive depth and focus. Instead of trying to sum up the complete history of man, this book spotlights a single topic, in this case beverages, and then takes the reader on a journey through time to see how his topic interweaves the past. Standage is a delightful writer, mixing his light hearted style with exceptional historical savvy not just on the topic of drinks, but throughout.
Despite my now positive opinion of this book, I have to confess that when I first picked up A History of the World in 6 Glasses, I did not expect to enjoy it. Not only am I skeptical of any book claiming to sum up the antiquity of man in 300 pages or less, but I myself do not drink any of the 6 beverages this book discusses. As such, learning the history of these drinks did not sound immediately appealing. However, what I quickly learned is that this book is not a history of 6 drinks, but rather just as the title states, a history of the world, told through the story of 6 drinks. As the book points out in the introduction, second only to air, liquid is the most vital substance to man’s survival. The availability of water and other drinking sources have “constrained and guided humankind’s progress” and “have continued to shape human history”. Throughout time, beverages have done more than quenched our thirst; they have been used as currencies, medicines, and in religious rites. They have served as symbols of wealth and power, as well as tools to appease the poor and downtrodden.
A History of the World in 6 Glasses is broken down into six sections, one for each drink, the first of which is beer. Man’s first civilizations where founded on surplus cereal production, much of which was brewed. Ancient day beers were high in vitamin B, a vitamin previously only obtained through meat. This allowed the population to focus their nutrition efforts more and more on cereals, effectively ushering in the transition from hunter-gatherers to farmers. Additionally, because early beers were boiled (to convert more starch into sugars), the beer was significantly safer to drink than water. This significant improvement in lifestyle “freed a small fraction of the population from the need to work in the fields, and made possible the emergence of specialist priest, administrators, scribes, and craftsmen.” Not only did beer nourish man’s first civilizations, but in many ways, made them entirely possible.
Wine, the next beverage in the book, played a major role in the flourishing Greek and Roman cultures. As wine did not originate from the Mediterranean, the Greek’s desire for this drink opened up vast seaborne trade, which spread their philosophy, politics, science and literature far and wide, and still underpins modern Western thought. A History of the World in 6 Glasses points out how these advancements originated and grew at formal Greek drinking parties, called symposia. The Romans, who absorbed much of Greek culture, continued the strong use of wine. As the book notes, if you trace the wine drinking areas of the world on a map, you will find you have traced the Roman empire at its height.
After a thousand years of hibernation, Western civilization was awakened by the rediscovery of ancient knowledge, long safeguarded in the Arab world. However, in an attempt to circumvent this Arab monopoly, European monarchs launched massive fleets into the sea. This age of exploration was greatly enhanced by the Arab knowledge of distillation, which made a whole new range of drinks possible. A History of the World in 6 Glasses describes how these condensed forms of alcohol (namely Brandy, Whiskey and Rum) were so popular, especially in the new American colonies, that “they played a key role in the establishment of the United States.”
The fourth beverage presented in this book is coffee. Because of its sharpening effect on the mind, coffee quickly became the drink of intellect and industry. Replacing taverns as the sophisticated meeting place, the coffeehouse “led to the establishment of scientific societies and financial institutions, the founding of newspapers, and provided fertile ground for revolutionary thought, particularly in France.” A History of the World in 6 Glasses goes on to recount the intricate effect coffeehouses had on Victorian culture, going so far as to dedicate an entire chapter to what the book calls “The Coffeehouse Internet”.
Even though the inception of tea date back many thousands of years, it didn’t take hold upon western culture until the mid-seventeenth century. Once established as England’s national drink, the importing of tea from first China and then India led to trade and industrialization on an unprecedented scale. A History of the World in 6 Glasses describes the immense power of the British East India Company, which “generated more revenue than the British government and ruled over far more people”, wielding more power than any other corporation in history. This imbalance of power had an enormous, far-reaching effect on British foreign policy, and ultimately contributed to the independence of the United States.
Like most of the drinks discussed in A History of the World in 6 Glasses, Coca-Cola was originally devised as a medical drink. More than any other product, Coca-Cola has stood as the symbol of America’s “vibrant consumer capitalism”. Rather than shrink at the challenge, Coca-Cola took full advantage of the challenging times it found itself in, gaining ground through the depression, and then traveling alongside our soldiers into WWII, becoming a global phenomenon. According to the book, Coca-Cola still accounts for “around 30 percent of all liquid consumption” today.
A History of the World in 6 Glasses makes it clear that the history of mankind is a history of our consumption. Whether we are drinking “liquid bread” in Mesopotamia, pondering revolution in a Coffeehouse in Paris, or throwing tea leafs into the ocean in Boston, these drinks have had a profound impact on who we are. As Standage says in the introduction to his book “They survive in our homes today as living reminders of bygone eras, fluid testaments to the forces that shaped the modern world. Uncover their origins, and you may never look at your favorite drink in quite the same way again.” I highly recommend this book to anyone thirsty for knowledge about the world around them… or even if they’re just thirsty for a good drink.

Tyler Benson asked:


When the working day is over and you have spare time to sit in the living room in front of the TV with a cup of hot chocolate, we think about the events that happen during the day and the things that we didn’t manage to do. We may regret or file genuine happiness and satisfaction, but everything we do is in the past, its history. Nobody will reject the fact that history is one of the most important out of the other disciplines. To know other subjects we are supposed to learn history and use it to our profit and prosperity. History gives us the “today”, by which we mean all the things we use to make our lives easier and more comfortable. History is not only a college book or an article or a news paper published three hundred years ago, it is every single thing that we’ve experienced, our own history, united with others. The beginning of the history comes not only from the first record of human existence but from the first trace, a footprint of a first creature with abstract thinking.
We pose ourselves with questions daily. Where do we come from? What are we destined to do? What are me and the surrounding? These questions may sound very philosophical and practically useless, but still sometimes we lye sleepless in bed thinking about what awaits you next day. If to take a closer look at the events that we consider history, we may find these answers easily. There is a hypothesis about things running in the circle. Old things return to change something new. Here we even can apply a proverb “Something new is fairly forgotten old”. I think it is also the reason for us to learn history and to predict, or at least try, the future and your role in it. When do people usually start to learn history? Not out of the first history book of course. The learning process starts when you hear the world famous “once upon a time” from your granny or father. This is the history of your family, you are to know perfectly well and understand the importance of knowing it.
At school and at the university you learn history, weather you like it or not. Some of us become excited and read piles and piles of history books and usually get best results in writing history essays. Some consider this to be nonsense, used only to waist our time. But what is the way your outlook and your ideology were formed? According to the common sense, out of history. It is the biggest treasure of ours and we have to value it. We take lessons from famous scientists and technicians that lived even hundreds of years before our grandparents were born. Their lives are like a history essay, short revision of a nice old story. We use their experience and their inventions daily, even every hour. It is very important for us to show respect to those who left us priceless works that we enjoy every day, watching plays in theatres and reading books. We don’t want to be ungrateful for we are also to leave a trace in history. What kind of trace, will depend on our attitude towards what we do and the knowledge of history, the inheritage we are to pass to our posterities.

Genevieve Grant asked:


The writing of United States history books has been dominated by status quo educators and traditionalist leaning historians. It seems that thousands of them have written thousands of books with very little diversity of philosophical perspective and even less regard for a host of uncomplimentary facts. If someone should voice the opinion that United States history books read like a conspiracy of white power mythologists, he or she could turn to a mountain of evidence for support. No country’s history is as reproachless as traditionalists make that of the United States of America seem when they write and teach United States history.

But the perspective of the traditionalist educators is now being challenged. One book that looks at United States history from less than a complimentary perspective is Mba Mbulu’s An Introduction to White History: The History of White America. Unlike many historians of American history, Mba Mbulu supplements his university studies with years of independent research, and is able to present a picture of American history that will be met with such subjective knee jerk reactions when read by status quo Americans that I feel impelled to write about it.

Mba Mbulu’s An Introduction to White History is a summary of the concepts, principles and motivating factors that led to the establishment and expansion of the United States of America. Since it is usually implied that “American” history is the history of “superior” white people, this precise title makes it clear that such is not the case. There are several histories that make up American history, and the history of white Americans is only one of them.

What An Introduction to White History brings to the forefront is the unusually powerful and concentrated role finances and the profit motive have played in the political and social development of white America. It is white Americans’ unusual preoccupation with finances and profits that distinguishes them and their institutions from those of all other Americans. It behooves all other Americans to not underestimate that unusual preoccupation when determining the essence of their relations with white America, and it behooves teachers and other educators to account for that unusual preoccupation when they teach their students.

One can acquire a more complete basis for understanding the underlying principles that guide this writing by reading Chapter One of Ten Lessons: An Introduction to Black History (also written by Mba Mbulu).

Traditionalist educators in schools and colleges in the United States should give more consideration to how nonwhite Americans view this country. They might not like the contrary perspectives they are made aware of, but that might create the jolt that motivates them to be less subjective and better teachers. Traditionalist educators should expand their field of vision if their objective is to educate instead of indoctrinate. They should culture the ability to accept the intellectual equality and legitimacy of perspectives other than their own. Mba Mbulu’s An Introduction to White History: The History of White America could be the dose of reality so many of them so sorely need.