Assignment
A new movement has started since the early 2000s, where some political groups are trying to remove American history from our children's school curriculum and textbooks, specifically slave history. However, these groups also do not want to cover segregation or civil rights. By removing the history that we have just covered in these last eight weeks, the African American communities would be denied their connections to American History. Recently, African Americans have created movements such as "Black Lives Matter" to counteract these other groups. Many tie slave history to the development of segregation and racism that has spread throughout our country. A Historical Trauma has affected generations of African Americans because of what their ancestors had to endure just to survive in this country. This distrust has developed towards different groups, agencies and organizations. For those who are not affected, trying to understand what it means to be an African American in the United States showcases the need for this history to be taught in all schools and to every American.
Your final forum is to prepare a letter to the editor of your local newspaper that would explain to all of America why African American History should be taught in American schools. Explain why every American should known this history and propose how knowing specific parts of this history could help mend race relations in the United States. You will be expected to use specific facts, events and people to show how knowing this history can explain the trauma that has affected so many Americans. These facts, events, and people must come from your required work this term and from research in the library or from the course bibliography. In your letter, demonstrate the breadth of knowledge you have gained from this work. Do not forget to use in text citations because you will be using multiple sources.
This post must be at least 500 words. If you wish, you can add to the letter some ways to heal our nation. What steps can we use to end racism and division among communities and cultures. You will, as usual, respond to at least two students. I will grade your two best responses. Any response beyond those two is encouraged, but is "free." I will not grade it.
Needs to include these topics
• West African slavery and the Middle Passage
• African Americans in Colonial Slavery
• A New Nation and the Slavery Dilemma
• Types of Enslavement and Slave duties
• The Abolitionist Movement
• Black Soldiers and the Fight for Equality
• Reconstruction.