Politix

Prev Next
Featured Quizzes
Politix Daily Headlines
Featured Debates
Issues

See all 17 issues

People
White House

See all people

EDUCATION

'Slaves Treated Well' Taught in Louisiana Voucher Schools

Creationist history books stretch limits of fact-based education

Next>

by Mary Noble

Senior Editor t

Image: rocksolidinc.com

Louisiana's school vouchers program has been outraging the left for a while, what with its funding of creationist textbooks that treat the Loch Ness Monster as a bona fide living dinosaur.

Now left-leaning magazine Mother Jones has highlighted some off-base historical factoids presented in creationist textbooks, which are used in schools funded through the LA voucher program:

Like this article? B Vote Up
?

What should Louisiana do about schools using these textbooks?

Comments (view in Forum)

  • Kajai
    !
    Ikr. But if we were taught the truth in school we would all understand that this country was built on lies, cheating, and stealing. How would we raise our children with values and morals. And people are shocked at the state of America today. Ha. History is the best way to predict what will happen in the future
  • DerivePI
    !
    Understanding people's motivations and discerning the truth from lies is one of the most important life lessons a person can learn. The most enjoyable teachers I had were the ones that were fluent in both sides of conflicting opinions.
  • Kajai
    !
    @ZosoRocks huh!! I think u misunderstood my statement. The history comment was with the part about being shocked at where America is today. It was comparing all the lies told these days for people to get what they want with the lies told in history

    The teaching our kids morals part was saying if true history was taught it would be hard to teach kids that lies cheating n stealing were wrong.
  • 1adam2
    !
    @Kajai well so they lied because did not know, why G-D commanded it all to happen. most people lie, because they do not understand. why G-D commanded it to happen. because they are all too involved, in idolitry to want to understand.
  • Hurricane74
    !
    Yes, America was stolen from the Native Americans and built up with the sweat and blood of Slaves. And even in 2012 you are not 100% free here. Of course school lessons are a bit different.
  • Thunderchicken
    !
    For that matter, the Indians stole from other Indians. And slavery knows no racial bounds. (I only throw that in because when many people think slave, they think Black. )
  • Real4WheelDrv
    !
    And to pile on with Thunder, Africans rounded up other Africans and sold them to slave traders because they wanted the other tribes' territory and wealth. Kinda puts the lie to the idea that slavery was a purely white occupation.
  • View all 11 replies >
  • o
    Sterling
    !
    Truth hurts.. Wickedness of liberation armies today.

    America is dangerous and very expensive place to live. I don't go much anymore, dangerous and mental illness of many of the people. Best to stay home...
  • Fishbone345
    !
    Louisiana usually ranks right at the bottom or near the bottom in every category of education. To me that says they aren't very interested in fixing problems, so things like this shouldn't be a surprise.
  • Blknred
    !
    Fantasy,i would have used nightmare but I definitely agree.im appauled by the community that allows this garbage to be taught.
  • Wilberhum
    !
    @Blknred I agree. (Amazing) If you remove all rights from someone then calm they are treated well is just total ignorance.
  • o
    Thumper
    !
    compared to what is being taught today in school books about evolution; that we came from stirring slime that formed from the vacuum of space and dinosaurs turned into birds and apes turned into humans; then I will go with the creationist.
  • Wilberhum
    !
    @Thumper I bet you got an answer for it all.
    No education on the subject, yet you think you know more the people with vast amounts of education and years of experience.
    You must truly be a genius.
  • View all 13 replies >
  • u
    lochlomond
    !
    Scrap them. They contain too much revisionist history. In reference to the slaves being treated relatively well, there should be some explanation. First of all, a slave is someone who exists, without actual compensation, to do the bidding of his master/owner. The absence of freedom is the presence of slavery. Some slaveowners permitted their skilled slaves to work for others. The more generous owners allowed their "people" to keep all or most of their pays. The exploitative masters pocketed the fruits of their slaves' labor. Slaves were valuable "commodities. A young healthy skilled male could bring $10,000 in a sale, and was thus a form of currency. During the years of the Irish Famine, roughly 1845 to the aftermath in the 1850's, many Irishmen arrived in Louisiana. They were often employed by slaveowners to reclaim swamp land. The wildlife as well as the insects led either directly or indirectly to many deaths, often because of malaria. Because the slaves were considered a valuable investment, the Famine Irish, who were considered a dime a dozen, as they say, were considered expendable. This does not suggest that the slaves were treated humanely; it was more a matter of economics.

    The most spirited slaves, those who attempted to escape, were beaten after each attempt. If they were killed, it was a financial loss to the owner. Generally speaking, slaves were provided with substandard housing, clothing, food and in some cases, the right to plant kitchen gardens of their own. The will of the master was imposed upon them in ways that we do not like to think about and they had no way to seek redress. Much of the antebellum South depended economically on slave labor and it was not an institution the planter class was willing to let go. Slavery caused the split in the Baptist Church, with the Southern Baptists condoning slavery. Pre-Civil war populations moved west in part because they could not compete against slave labor. If it were all that grggeat a thing, it would still be going on.
  • o
    Stratton
    !
    Anything that comes out of Bob Jones University should never be taken seriously or incorporated into a curriculum - honestly, I don't know how that place is even accredited. However, it's a total hatchet job to blame this on the voucher program, which simply allows parents to send their children to the school of their choice. Yellow journalism at its finest.
  • o
    JpMonty
    !
    You democrats should be proud of the the Louisiana schools teaching that slaves where treated nicely! Given the fact that the majority of slave owners where actual democrats!!! Oh my! I'm sure most of you brainwashed Sheeple didn't know that...

    And when you think about, the democrats, and might i add neoaconservatives, of today still show their true slave owner aspects when it comes to issues, such as nanny state welfare! You democrats still want CONTROL! From welfare to oppressive regulations!!! Just admit it!!!

    As a libertarian, the only controller of anybody should be God and yourself!!!

    WAKE UP SHEEPLE!!!
  • Post Removed by Moderators
  • Post Removed by Moderators
  • u
    TeresaJ
    !
    Um, many slave owners did treat their slaves well (but they were still slaves); I don't know about the KKK, but that wouldn't surprise me; and gays don't have any valid claims to special rights, although I'm not sure I would put it that way. In the Christian mind, however, one sin is no different than another.

    The thing about history, or even news for that matter, is it gets colored through the eyes of the teller.
  • Thunderchicken
    !
    I wish I knew where I heard/read that some slave owners viewed their slaves as children that needed to be cared for. I want to say it's from a book of old letters that I once borrowed from a friend. I remember the language was like reading "The Last of the Mohicans".
  • o
    JpMonty
    !
    I read a Fredrick Douglas book last year, and in the book he explained how the slave owners would operate, and how they would do things to control the slaves so that they would not rise up against their masters. There are two different parts that really reminded me of our modern Democrat.

    In one part of the book he explains how the slave owners would care for their slaves. They would in most cases make sure that their slaves had enough to eat. Not more then they needed, but just enough to keep them working in the fields. They would allocate them so many rations per month and ration so many clothes per year. And if a slave had the audacity to ask for more they would give them so much that they could not finish it and then say "see, there is no making this slave happy" and beat them for it.

    Our modern democrat is very much the same. They want to give the poor (a large portion of the black population is victim to this) just enough to survive on. Welfare that keeps them poor, but reliant on them. Just enough food to keep them alive, a meager existence to say the least, but just enough to where the poor grow accustomed to receiving it and expect it all the time.

    And more recently they have expanded this practice to all walks of life. The modern democrat wants to provide for all of us. Just enough, but not too much. Just enough to get more people that are reliant on the government.

    Secondly, while in Baltimore, Fredrick Douglas learns a trade and works in the ship yards as a caulker. He became very good at it and commanded a large wage for this. However, he was not allowed to keep this money. His slave owner had rights too it. So every Saturday he would come home and give his master all his money and his slave master would be pleased and give him anywhere from 10C to 25C back out of the 6-8 Dollars that he earned back to him. And his master thought himself kind for this. I mean, the Master provided everything his slave needed, why would he need, or want more?

    Our modern democrat is very much the same. They really believe that they can spend OUR money better then we can. They tax us so heavily that we can barely afford the necessities. But the democrats keep telling us not to worry, that they will take care of everything. And every now and then they give us some of OUR money back to keep us happy and so that they can say they are trying.(cash for clunkers, housing credit,$500.00 back) And now they want to give us health care. That way we will NEED the government and will rely on them. But they will only give us so much. They will give us just enough to survive, until we become useless, then we will be forgotten and discarded.

    In conclusion, the Democrats and slave owners are alike in many different ways. The democrats would make slaves out of all us. Keep us dependent on them for everything. The slave owners of past did the same thing. Just give the slave enough to survive, but not to thrive. Conservatives ARE different, that they want to give people the opportunity to THRIVE and SUCCEED. The Conservative movement for me is just that. Let every man/woman go out and do the best they can with the means that they have. Let them go and get what they want, instead of giving it to them and you will have a FREE people. If we allow the government to give us anything, then we are allowing them to enslave us. And I do not want to be a slave. I do not want to answer to anyone. I do not want to ask for permission to do anything. I do not want to be GIVEN anything, because in the end, they will take everything.
  • o
    JpMonty
    !
    @VCP
    Im sure that you are asking that question in reference to the people on welfare, but I you to want to put a twist on your question. I want you to ask yourself the same question, but in reference to the slave!

    What happens to the slaves that can't make and survive on their own? Should the slave still be forced to be property of the slave owner, just to be taken care of?

    See how that situation sounds horrible to you? It's the same exact situation as people dependent on welfare, but with different wording...
  • VCP
    !
    @JpMonty if your going to dance around the question at least play some music. If you do not want to answer the question just say so, or plead the fifth. My original question still stands and awaits your direct answer.
  • Post Removed by Moderators
  • View all 13 replies >
  • u
    Nemesis3X
    !
    @RAWalker if that is true, I believe they are very naive as to think this won't open Pandora's Box at some point. If something like this was done to me, believe me, I, like this individual would choose my battles. Oh, the monsters they have the potential to unwittingly create or possibly have already.
  • o
    Sonny
    !
    Wow! what a"tortured" view of historical facts....I can't believe that anyone would allow their child to go to a school that uses this kind of propaganda...
  • truthsayer
    !
    They really know how to work us don't they. I wonder sometimes which media outlet or political pollsters mine the data we provide.
  • truthsayer
    !
    The parents of these children have chose to send there kids to the schools that use these books. I'm also sure that there are other voucher schools in Louisiana that teach the same lie's we were and are. Yes it does and has caused great harm to society. Did you notice the media didn't even try to identify text books from public schools that are full of half truths and in some cases out right lie's? You can bet it's a small number voucher schools that use the books as compared to the number of voucher schools that teach from the traditional text. This story was crafted to put a bad slant on voucher schools obviously. But it is an opportunity to point out how far educators and government will go to distract you from the truth. The best lie is a half truth.
  • R Load more comments...