We learned about slavery, carpetbaggers, battles, prisons on both sides. Sadly, today the kids learn nothing about anything.

Thanks, N. I did enjoy it!

The truth about how and why slavery began, how slaves were thought of and how the institution of slavery fell apart piece-by-piece won't ever be taught in schools.

It's too abstract .

If I attempt to enlighten young people about how people thought in the 1600s and how thoughts change (especially when I tell them that slavery began to fall apart about 9 months after the first slaves arrived) and that mechanized farming eventually would have ended slavery, they are quick to pull out the "racist card".

I remember being taught a lot about Reconstruction, while slavery was whitewashed. When I was in school, Virginia history was taught as a separate subject in the 4th and 7th grades. However, I did not fall for all that too much. I saw through that. My parents were from Iowa and Minnesota.

I am glad if you are not prejudiced, but mixed racial origin is no guarantee. From what I have read, most Black Americans have some white in them (probably from rapes by slaves' masters before the Civil War), and yet a lot of them are prejudiced against whites.

Sometime later my boss asked me how I got on the 'Pecan List' for the Chairman's Plantation. I smiled and said I had no idea.

Okay. If you liked that one. You'll love this one. I was Administrative Assistant to the Vice Chairman of the Board and Chief Financial Officer of a leading company. No one told me the Chairman owned a plantation in Louisiana. One day, we needed a 'fill in' receptionist. I called up a beautiful African American girl from one of the Departments. The Chairman's secretary came to me all aflutter and informed me the girl was 'Black'. I said, "And your problem is?". ' Well Mr (Blank) wants her out of here'. I said,'Okay, you go tell her that!' I went to the young African American girl and thanked her for filling in. She laughed and went back to her office. We had lunch together later that day.

I don't object to teachers teaching the truth. The problem is that many people want to present their own stylized version of the events which isn't truth at all. And why? They want to manipulate people into giving them power regardless the fact that these events (slavery, etc.) took place generations ago.

Yeah, the word "scalawags" translated INSTANTLY in my mind to "scallywags," as Rhett and Scarlett's daughter called them!

Also here in Alabama, yep, me old dino remembers being taught that during the Sixties.

We weren't taught much of that here in Western NY, but I remember seeing such in "Gone With The Wind". It piqued my curiosity about reconstruction and I learned a lot on my own. After that I always was amazed at how many Southern boys were so willing to fight in the US military right up to today.

You've had quite an interesting life, N. Always love your stories!
VG

Here in Alabama, in the late 60's, we were taught about slavery, and the evils associated, but we were also taught about reconstruction, carpetbaggers and scalawags. Anyone else remember being taught about those?

He threatened to disown me.

Hey, I'm not shy. What they did best. Give the boys a treat with their style of marching! How to really sling it around .My father was aghast. I told him not to look..

Coming home with a clean car- quite a story.

But Guess what they taught me?
Dare we ask?

You can't be prejudiced when your grandmother is a full blood Comanche Indian, your father, aunts, and uncles, are half-breeds and your mother, your uncles and aunts are Jewish! I was and am completely color-blind.

One evening I was driving home from band practice and it got dark early and was raining. My car slipped off the road into a small ditch. Immediately three guys surrounded the car and one said, "Uh oh, which one are you. The older one or the baby?' I responded, 'The baby!' He turned to the other two and said "'let;s get this car out of the ditch, wash the mud off and get her on her way. Her daddy is gonna have a fit!' I made them promise not to tell my father. They said, 'We won't unless he asks why his car came home so clean after this rain." I told my father myself what happened and he gave each one of them $20 for 'taking care of baby'. i found out all three of them worked for him.

This is an effort to create hate among our children. My mother forbid me to even say the word 'hate'. Being Ashkenasi Jew you can understand her problem with that word. The black people in the community I grew up in were respected and treated equal. I even went to the black school (which was every bit as nice as our white school) and taught the girls in the band to twirl their batons. Guess what they taught me?