RE: Lincoln Assassination in schools
I know this is a little off-topic, but they don't teach anything about the Pilgrims, either, not after about the 4th grade. People can't help but think of them as cartoon characters in Puritan Sunday suits, with blunderbusses and happy little Indians with feathers behind their heads, and, of coiurse, the sweating turkeys. Our greatest national holiday is based on the culture those people planted at Plymouth, but schools see no need to recognize them or discuss why we have a holiday based on their lives.
(09-02-2012 11:47 AM)jonathan Wrote: It was mentioned in another thread how little the the average American citizen knows about the Lincoln Assassination, and it started me thinking about how much of it is currently taught in schools. I know when I was growing up, to the best of my memory, here is what we were taught…
1. Abraham Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth in Ford's Theater
2. John Wilkes Booth was an actor
3. It took 12 days to catch him
That's it. And that was in the 5th grade because I can remember our teacher Mrs. Jordan telling us these things. After that, I guess it was assumed that we all knew the extreme basic facts, and I can't remember any new facts ever being taught. I discussed this with a friend of mine who grew up in a different part of the country and he said that's all they were taught also.
A few years ago, while browsing Border's bookstore, I picked up Manhunt by James Swanson, and thought I'd give it a shot. At the time, I remember thinking that the assassination was a pretty big deal, and yet I knew next to nothing about it. Now I realize that the opinions of Manhunt kind of run the gamut, but from that book I began to learn that there was much more to the story than an actor walking into the theater and shooting the President. I learned that there was another attack by a man named Powell. I learned about Mary Surratt, Davy Herold, George Atzerodt, and a "simple country doctor". I learned about the Petersen House, the Garrett place, Willie Jett, Mrs. Quisenberry...the Lincoln funeral train. And, of course, I was fascinated. So I read more.
So how much about the assassination is currently taught in schools, generally speaking? I realize that it would likely differ depending on location, and I realize that there's a serious limit on how deeply into the assassination a school could dig, but surely it's worth a few days time. After all, this was a defining moment in, and one of the crimes of, our nation's history. The question was posed recently about Alaska, and what would have happened there if Powell had been successful in his attack on Seward. Would we even own Alaska?? Shouldn't I have been taught about the attack on Seward, and should't we have pondered the Alaska question when I was in school? It wouldn't have taken long.
I grew up in a fairly typical American school system, and I realize there are a lot of factors to consider when deciding what to teach and what to skip. I just think it's sad that such a huge event was glossed over for so many years of my education. I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but I think that history is just so incredibly important to learn and to learn from. As time goes by, that feeling only becomes stronger. To me, history puts so many things in perspective. When we see all the people and events that have come and gone, when we consider all the people and events yet to come, we start to understand our spot. We realize that all things will pass, and so in that odd kind of way, history sooths a troubled mind. I hope that I'm wrong, and that the assassination gets more attention than it did when I was growing up. I just feel like there are certain events that deserve a little special attention. How could the Lincoln Assassination possibly not qualify?
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Lincoln Assassination in schools
