CompuServe Messages

Well, okay, I'm a historian, but I assure you that MY students knew Jefferson was a slaveowner and I don't remember a time when I didn't know, and the slave quarters of Mt. Vernon are still there and explained as they have been for the almost two centuries since it was opened to the public. The problem really is that up to a certain generation these were taught and were in history books; then, in the Sixties, they stopped teaching history and started teaching pablum. The ignorance is appalling. When I was teaching, though, my students got it straight because I simply ignored the crap. I also taught real African history, not this crazy stuff Jeffries and others are spouting that is pure fiction. The worst part of it is, if guys like that really did know anything they'd know they wouldn't have to rewrite history and make things up and co-opt other histories. They have quite a good one that they apparently never took the trouble to learn anything about. I get a particular kick out of this "The ancient Egyptians were black" stuff. The one thing we CAN know is that it wasn't true because, thanks to that ancient culture, we HAVE ancient Egyptian bodies around to look at! On the other hand, why is Zulu royalty the only royalty recognized as such by European monarchy of all the people of Africa? Answer: like Europe, Zulus trace their royal lineage back to King David. No kidding. And they have as much of a claim as the houses of Europe…. History is fun when you start really looking at it.