Comments for The History Blog http://blog.ctnews.com/wcsuhistory Past and Present Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:32:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Comment on Don’t Know Much about History by wcsuhistory http://blog.ctnews.com/wcsuhistory/2009/10/02/dont-know-much-about-history/#comment-16 wcsuhistory Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:32:37 +0000 http://blog.ctnews.com/wcsuhistory/?p=96#comment-16 Thanks for the comment. I suppose we have to take folks as we find them, and if students don't know who Woodrow Wilson is when they start class, they will when they finish. The Connecticut school system seems to do a good job of teaching students to write, but history education is haphazard. My son, for example, never studied the Civil War, despite taking AP U.S. history at a very good high school. But I think it speaks to a larger issue -- that we're growing less educated as a nation. And that leads to an inability to analyze problems such as the current health care debate! Thanks for the comment. I suppose we have to take folks as we find them, and if students don’t know who Woodrow Wilson is when they start class, they will when they finish. The Connecticut school system seems to do a good job of teaching students to write, but history education is haphazard. My son, for example, never studied the Civil War, despite taking AP U.S. history at a very good high school. But I think it speaks to a larger issue — that we’re growing less educated as a nation. And that leads to an inability to analyze problems such as the current health care debate!

]]> Comment on Don’t Know Much about History by ches http://blog.ctnews.com/wcsuhistory/2009/10/02/dont-know-much-about-history/#comment-15 ches Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:26:01 +0000 http://blog.ctnews.com/wcsuhistory/?p=96#comment-15 So I'm curious: how do you propose to teach your course? what can you assume this one third possesses as a knowledge base upon which you can build? Do they see any relevance in studying Am. hist? Assuming these kids went through the CT school system, how did they pass 8th grade and 10th grade American history? Does the other two thirds "know" considerably more? Do they understand the "causes" and outcomes of the Civil War? No wonder so few people understand the health care debate.....or what's going on in Afghanistan, or with the American economy, God rest its soul. So I’m curious: how do you propose to teach your course?
what can you assume this one third possesses as a knowledge base upon which you can build? Do they see any relevance in studying Am. hist?

Assuming these kids went through the CT school system, how did they pass 8th grade and 10th grade American history?

Does the other two thirds “know” considerably more? Do they understand the “causes” and outcomes of the Civil War?

No wonder so few people understand the health care debate…..or what’s going on in Afghanistan, or with the American economy, God rest its soul.

]]> Comment on Feeling a Little too Clever by wcsuhistory http://blog.ctnews.com/wcsuhistory/2009/09/17/feeling-a-little-too-clever/#comment-4 wcsuhistory Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:57:48 +0000 http://blog.ctnews.com/wcsuhistory/?p=88#comment-4 Great post. But progressive Southerners, particularly those with old roots in the South, do recognize secession was an act of rebellion against the Union in order to perpetuate slavery. One might wonder, however, if "the Great Rebellion" diminishes the latter fact. Great post. But progressive Southerners, particularly those with old roots in the South, do recognize secession was an act of rebellion against the Union in order to perpetuate slavery. One might wonder, however, if “the Great Rebellion” diminishes the latter fact.

]]> Comment on A New View of the Death Penalty by Scott Cobb http://blog.ctnews.com/wcsuhistory/2009/09/01/a-new-view-of-the-death-penalty/#comment-2 Scott Cobb Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:05:20 +0000 http://blog.ctnews.com/wcsuhistory/?p=31#comment-2 If you are shocked that Texas executed a person who was innocent of the crime for which he was executed, then join us in Austin at the Texas Capitol on October 24, 2009 for the 10th Annual March to Abolish the Death Penalty. http://marchforabolition.org At the 7th Annual March in 2006, the family of Todd Willingham attended and delivered a letter to Governor Perry that said in part: “We are the family of Cameron Todd Willingham. Our names are Eugenia Willingham, Trina Willingham Quinton and Joshua Easley. Todd was an innocent person executed by Texas on February 17, 2004. We have come to Austin today from Ardmore, Oklahoma to stand outside the Texas Governor’s Mansion and attempt to deliver this letter to you in person, because we want to make sure that you know about Todd’s innocence and to urge you to stop executions in Texas and determine why innocent people are being executed in Texas.” “Please ensure that no other family suffers the tragedy of seeing one of their loved ones wrongfully executed. Please enact a moratorium on executions and create a special blue ribbon commission to study the administration of the death penalty in Texas. A moratorium will ensure that no other innocent people are executed while the system is being studied and reforms implemented.” If you are shocked that Texas executed a person who was innocent of the crime for which he was executed, then join us in Austin at the Texas Capitol on October 24, 2009 for the 10th Annual March to Abolish the Death Penalty.

http://marchforabolition.org

At the 7th Annual March in 2006, the family of Todd Willingham attended and delivered a letter to Governor Perry that said in part:

“We are the family of Cameron Todd Willingham. Our names are Eugenia Willingham, Trina Willingham Quinton and Joshua Easley. Todd was an innocent person executed by Texas on February 17, 2004. We have come to Austin today from Ardmore, Oklahoma to stand outside the Texas Governor’s Mansion and attempt to deliver this letter to you in person, because we want to make sure that you know about Todd’s innocence and to urge you to stop executions in Texas and determine why innocent people are being executed in Texas.”

“Please ensure that no other family suffers the tragedy of seeing one of their loved ones wrongfully executed. Please enact a moratorium on executions and create a special blue ribbon commission to study the administration of the death penalty in Texas. A moratorium will ensure that no other innocent people are executed while the system is being studied and reforms implemented.”

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