Quote:
Originally Posted by Surgicalcric
(Post 13064)
Where the heck did/does this crap come from?
|
It came partly as a response to a political culture and accompanying policies and social practices that centered increasingly around notions of white supremacy. Within this project, who was a citizen and who was not (and, after 1857, who could never be a citizen), was defined by race.
By emphasizing the prefix, at least one group of Americans sought to present a competing narrative of their place in society. Carter G. Woodson, a proponent of this approach, put it this way in 1921.
Quote:
We have a wonderful history behind us. . . .If you are unable to demonstrate to the world that you have this record, the world will say to you, "You are not worthy to enjoy the blessings of democracy or any thing else." They will say to you, "Who are you, anyway? Your ancestors have never controlled empires or kingdoms and most of your race have contributed little or nothing to science and philosophy and mathematics." So far as you know, they have not: but if you will read the history of Africa, the history of your ancestors -- people of whom you should feel proud -- you will realize that they have a history that is worth while. They have traditions . . . of which you can boast and upon which you can base a claim for a right to a share in the blessings of democracy.
Let us, then, study . . . this history . . . with the understanding that we are not, after all, an inferior people. . . . We are going back to that beautiful history and it is going to inspire us to greater achievements. It is not going to be long before we can so sing the story to the outside world as to convince it of the value of your history. . .and we are going to be recognized as men.*
|
In some circles, it is increasingly fashionable to argue that this emphasis is anti-American. Perhaps, as originally conceived, the practice reflects a deep faith in America's core principles, the belief that Americans are children of the Enlightenment rather than prisoners of their own hatreds and fears, and the power of history.
_________________________________________________
* Carter G. Woodson as quoted in August Meier and Elliott Rudwick, "Carter G. Woodson as Entrepreneur," in their Black History and the Historical Profession, 1915-1980, Blacks in the New World, ed. August Meier (Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1986), p. 9. |
