Hiro11

March 23, 1984

Ratt releases "Out of the Cellar":

The Bard of Wigan

American history?

Surely that's a contradiction in terms.

Folinskyinla

Hi:

Comment well taken. History is a record of the past. However, there is a dispute of what constitutes the cut-off between history and current events. The idea is how far back you have to go so as to have an objective viewpoint.

My undergraduate program required an original paper with original research from "primary sources." In 1971, my paper was to be on an item of California History. A cut-off of 1900 was imposed. I got special permission to do a study of the background of the California Alien Land Act of 1909. The historical background went back over 20 years. So I was allowed to do it.

At that time, World War I was just beginning to be considered "history", but World War II was not. Now World War II is considered to be "history" but Vietnam is still too recent.

Thydney

I bet you've had pies older than that

Tarkak9

some big porky pies too!!

simongb

I was going to post exactly the same thing! LOL. They don't have any history. Most of their history happened '5 mins' ago relatively speaking.

simongb

I saw a play last night that discussed the issues of Africans being brought here as slaves. This is a part of US history that I don't see being explored very much and when it is, it is done in superficial ways. I think it is tragic the way that Native Americans and African Americans were treated.

cindyabs

While the Native American population's worst treatment started in the nineteenth century, well after the United States became a country, I suppose you could say that their problems as a whole started with the European immigration here in the first place.

I believe slavery to be wrong and something that should never have been introduced to these shores, but I would like to point out that when slavery was introduced here it was some 150 odd years before we were flying the Stars and Stripes.

simongb

I really need to research more about both these issues. I am not well versed as to what happened and when it happened. It is just terrible that African Americans and Native Americans have suffered so much.

Thydney

Yeah it was terrible the supply of debtors and criminals

cindyabs

I agree, but I do get tired of the patronizing attitude from non Americans about the US having no history so to speak in terms of millennia or shameful incidents such as slavery and the destruction of the Native American way of life as something Americans invented.

This is something I do NOT have a sense of humor about.

simongb

and nor do I.You are on a British forum, hence the 'non American' view point. While the modern day US did not 'invent' slavery or the destruction of the Native American way of life, it perpetuates it daily.

Thydney

I think it's the fact you honed it to perfection that sticks it out

cindyabs

I am well aware of that, I'm married to a Brit and most of the time I am an Anglophile. Your reply to my earlier post freely and reasonably admitted that you did need to research what you had based your opinions on. Unfortunately after that, it was the straw that broke the camel's back for me. My ire was not meant to be totally directed at you, but rather was a build up from some other of the posts.

I would ask though, in what way we are currently perpetuating slavery here?

cindyabs

Must have been the previous inspiration and practice we observed.