The Clearances

[sharpdressedscot]

Modern Germans resent being forced to learn in primary school about the holocaust and their ancestors part in that horror wrought by men, white americans try to ignore the plight of inner city poor blacks as a longterm result of slavery and their own version of the Highland clearances involving the native americans and the american west.

I'd like to point something out. When somebody's ancestors did something that hurt the world or people in it, people tend to want to forget it ever happened. Sure, we can't erase it but we can learn from it. And not everything in history was about inventions or people discovering things or places, people died! Last year as part of our education we had to watch "Roots," it's a story of an African slave and his new life on the plantation, after we watch it our teacher proposed a good question (Not word for word): "Should we learn about things like this, even if it is very graphic?"

[Galician]

I'd like to point something out. When somebody's ancestors did something that hurt the world or people in it, people tend to want to forget it ever happened. Sure, we can't erase it but we can learn from it. And not everything in history was about inventions or people discovering things or places, people died! Last year as part of our education we had to watch "Roots," it's a story of an African slave and his new life on the plantation, after we watch it our teacher proposed a good question (Not word for word): "Should we learn about things like this, even if it is very graphic?"

As a partial answer to this, SDS, I remember when "Roots" was first broadcast on TV as one of the first mini-series on that medium. News reports of the day reported how traffic stopped on those evenings, all over the country. Interest in genealogy--regardless of ethnic background--exploded in this nation as a direct result of that show. Maybe this forum itself is an indirect result of it.

[sharpdressedscot]

As a partial answer to this, SDS, I remember when "Roots" was first broadcast on TV as one of the first mini-series on that medium. News reports of the day reported how traffic stopped on those evenings, all over the country. Interest in genealogy--regardless of ethnic background--exploded in this nation as a direct result of that show. Maybe this forum itself is an indirect result of it.

Maybe so, I hadn't thought of that.

[gilmore]

I'd like to point something out. When somebody's ancestors did something that hurt the world or people in it, people tend to want to forget it ever happened. Sure, we can't erase it but we can learn from it. And not everything in history was about inventions or people discovering things or places, people died! Last year as part of our education we had to watch "Roots," it's a story of an African slave and his new life on the plantation, after we watch it our teacher proposed a good question (Not word for word): "Should we learn about things like this, even if it is very graphic?"

I am very surprised to read this.

It has been conclusively shown that at two separate points, Alex Haley hit brick walls in in his research and could go no further in tracing his ancestry. So, he took liberties with the facts and started tracing families' ancestries that were not his own.

This is fairly well-known in genealogical circles. I am sure that if you Google, you can find the details.

"Roots" is an interesting read, and it tells a story that comports with a narrative that some would like to believe, but much of it is fiction, not fact, so I am surprised to see it taught as if it was history.