Project 1619 and Critical Race Theory
I like watching C-Span History TV. You get lectures from various historians and colleges. I find them thought provoking. I often find them wrong.
Recently I watched a lecture about the “importance” of teaching Project 1619 and Critical Race Theory (CRT) in public schools. The problem with this is that we are teaching kids that America is an evil country, that the Declaration of Independence was based on racism, and that even our Constitution was racist. Since these two documents are “evil and racist” our country is founded upon the evils of racism and therefore racist and therefore evil. Really? Then why aren’t Americans fleeing this country? Why are our borders being overrun?
What 1619 and CRT fail to acknowledge is that the Declaration Of Independence and Constitution did was put us on a path and provide a framework to achieve great, lofty goals. Our country is less than 250 years old. We are growing and changing. What 1619 and CRT fail to understand is that we are a nation of people – with all the weaknesses and foibles of people. They condemn us for being human. They forget that the Declaration is the beginning of ideals – not the end – and that the Constitution’s greatest asset is that it can be changed. Duh – we didn’t start out perfect. Duh – we aren’t perfect yet. But are we evil? Is the standing upon our ideals evil? Or are those ideals bedrocks as we move forward?
Slavery pre-dates 1619. Slavery has been around for thousands of years. Even American Indians (I know, “Native Americans” although I too am a Native American as I was born here), every continent, every major culture, most countries had slaves. The Vikings hade them, the Sioux hade them, England had them, Spain had them, France had them, the Aztecs, Chinese, etc. all had them. African Americans had black slaves. Slaves were captured and sold by black Africans. Yet, 1619 and CRT don’t deal with this. Is it a wonder we also had this curse? I don’t condone it. It was bad. I just understand the context.
So our founding fathers were guilty of slavery. But we must acknowledge they were heroes none the less. They put us on the path forward. They stood at Valley Forge. They manned the ramparts at New Orleans. They risked their very lives by signing a document. America has a lot of heroes. Were they human? Were they perfect? You can’t brush them away because of what they did. Courage, dedication, loyalty, faith. These are what 1619 and CRT hope to destroy.
My critics will attempt to point out that slavery is not being taught in schools. Bull feces. Ask any 14 year old whether slavery was taught in school and they will say yes. But ask them whether America is a great country and they will say no. Ask whether they have read the Declaration of Independence or Constitution and they will say no. Ask them what they are learning and they will tell you about how the white man has oppressed people. Schools today may do better teaching less sex education, transgenderism, white oppression, Facebook/Twitter, etc. and concentrate on the core. I attended public schools and by the time I was 15 I had read the Declaration, Constitution and even the Gettysburg Address. But then again, my teachers were less concerned about how I felt and more concerned about what I knew and could do.
The facts in 1619 and CRT are good. But their delivery is bad. Their context is bad. That they are filled with opinions and political agendas is bad. That they condemn this country is bad.
But then again I am an old guy – and I just don’t get it.