(no subject)
Dec. 10th, 2004 11:28 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
theweaselkingNorth Carolina school teaches history using a booklet written by white supremacists, that defends slavery.
The booklet "Southern Slavery, As It Was," attempts to provide a biblical justification for slavery and asserts that slaves weren't treated as badly as people think. It puts forth the view that slaves lived "a life of plenty, of simple pleasures."
Principal Larry Stephenson said the school is only exposing students to different ideas, such as how the South justified slavery. He said the booklet is used because it is hard to find writings that are both sympathetic to the South and explore what the Bible says about slavery.
"You can have two different sides, a Northern perspective and a Southern perspective," he said
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I actually agree with him on the principle of showing both sides. I do not, however, trust that he's telling the truth, because this is a Christian school in the USA, and history shows again that he's more likely to be lying than telling the truth because of that. I suspect they're *not* telling their students "Hey, here's some propaganda written by racists who happen to fund our school and who we've brought to speak at the graduation."
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Here are some excerpts from the booklet:
* "To say the least, it is strange that the thing the Bible condemns (slave-trading) brings very little opprobrium upon the North, yet that which the Bible allows (slave-ownership) has brought down all manner of condemnation upon the South." (page 22)
* "As we have already mentioned, the 'peculiar institution' of slavery was not perfect or sinless, but the reality was a far cry from the horrific descriptions given to us in modern histories." (page 22)
* "Slavery as it existed in the South was not an adversarial relationship with pervasive racial animosity. Because of its dominantly patriarchal character, it was a relationship based upon mutual affection and confidence." (page 24)
* "There has never been a multi-racial society which has existed with such mutual intimacy and harmony in the history of the world." (page 24)
* "Slave life was to them a life of plenty, of simple pleasures, of food, clothes, and good medical care." (page 25)
* "But many Southern blacks supported the South because of long established bonds of affection and trust that had been forged over generations with their white masters and friends." (page 27)
* "Nearly every slave in the South enjoyed a higher standard of living than the poor whites of the South -- and had a much easier existence." (page 30)
The booklet "Southern Slavery, As It Was," attempts to provide a biblical justification for slavery and asserts that slaves weren't treated as badly as people think. It puts forth the view that slaves lived "a life of plenty, of simple pleasures."
Principal Larry Stephenson said the school is only exposing students to different ideas, such as how the South justified slavery. He said the booklet is used because it is hard to find writings that are both sympathetic to the South and explore what the Bible says about slavery.
"You can have two different sides, a Northern perspective and a Southern perspective," he said
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I actually agree with him on the principle of showing both sides. I do not, however, trust that he's telling the truth, because this is a Christian school in the USA, and history shows again that he's more likely to be lying than telling the truth because of that. I suspect they're *not* telling their students "Hey, here's some propaganda written by racists who happen to fund our school and who we've brought to speak at the graduation."
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Here are some excerpts from the booklet:
* "To say the least, it is strange that the thing the Bible condemns (slave-trading) brings very little opprobrium upon the North, yet that which the Bible allows (slave-ownership) has brought down all manner of condemnation upon the South." (page 22)
* "As we have already mentioned, the 'peculiar institution' of slavery was not perfect or sinless, but the reality was a far cry from the horrific descriptions given to us in modern histories." (page 22)
* "Slavery as it existed in the South was not an adversarial relationship with pervasive racial animosity. Because of its dominantly patriarchal character, it was a relationship based upon mutual affection and confidence." (page 24)
* "There has never been a multi-racial society which has existed with such mutual intimacy and harmony in the history of the world." (page 24)
* "Slave life was to them a life of plenty, of simple pleasures, of food, clothes, and good medical care." (page 25)
* "But many Southern blacks supported the South because of long established bonds of affection and trust that had been forged over generations with their white masters and friends." (page 27)
* "Nearly every slave in the South enjoyed a higher standard of living than the poor whites of the South -- and had a much easier existence." (page 30)
(no subject)
Date: 2004-12-10 09:39 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-12-10 10:18 am (UTC)They weren't badly cared for, relative to free blacks and poor whites in the northern industrial states living in slums working in factories for a pittance.
Anything that claims they led happy lives is blowing smoke up your ass, but anything that tells you that slaves were mercilessly beaten constantly is just as wrong. You don't kill the goose that's laying your golden eggs, and that's what slaves were for southern plantation owners.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-12-10 10:59 am (UTC)That is, to my mind, just as bad as saying that no slaves were ever treated well, and it's got an extra added tone of "And we should go BACK THERE, it would be BETTER!" - especially if you look up the organisations that the authors belong to.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-12-10 11:51 am (UTC)Wankers.