On This Day, 1866

American history.

History they don't teach us.

Memphis riots of 1866

The Memphis riots of 1866 were the violent events that occurred from May 1 to 3 in Memphis, Tennessee. The racial violence was ignited by political, social and racial tensions following the American Civil War, in the early stages of Reconstruction.[1] After a shooting altercation between white policemen and black soldiers recently mustered out of the Union Army, mobs of white civilians and policemen rampaged through black neighborhoods and the houses of freedmen, attacking and killing men, women and children.

Federal troops were sent to quell the violence and peace was restored on the third day. A subsequent report by a joint Congressional Committee detailed the carnage, with blacks suffering most of the injuries and deaths: 46 blacks and 2 whites were killed, 75 blacks injured, over 100 black persons robbed, 5 black women raped, and 91 homes, 4 churches and 8 schools burned in the black community.

Modern estimates place property losses at over $100,000, also suffered mostly by blacks. Many blacks fled the city permanently; by 1870, their population had fallen by one quarter compared to 1865.

Public attention following the riots and reports of the atrocities, together with the New Orleans riot in July, strengthened the case made by Radical Republicans in U.S. Congress. The events influenced passage of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution to grant full citizenship to freedmen, as well as passage of the Reconstruction Act to establish military districts and oversight in certain states.

Investigation of the riot suggested specific causes related to competition for housing, work and social space between Irish immigrants and their descendants, and the freedmen. The white gentry also sought to drive freedpeople out of Memphis and back onto plantations where their labor could be exploited. Through violent terrorism, the white community at large sought to force blacks to respect white supremacy as the time of fully legal slavery was nearing its end.

Note there.

This wasn't the only time or place in American history this took place, either. It was, by no means, an isolated incident. It also took place in New Orleans.  And Tulsa. And Chicago. And I don't know where all. Again, it's history we don't like to teach, we Americans. It's history we don't really want to know. Or acknowledge. Or take responsibility for.

Why, if we took responsibility for all the things Americans have done to blacks in our nation, we couldn't blame them for being poor. And under-educated. And in poor jobs. And poor housing. And for having bad health. And for being in prison. Or for rioting.

Now could we?

Dangit! Spivey's is closing

An institution. So says The Star: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/10/27/3232898/westports-30-year-old-spiveys.html

Texas: Rewriting history

"History is the version of past events that people have decided to agree upon." --Napoleon Bonaparte

It couldn't be more true.

And it's being proven again, down in Texas right now, as I wrote earlier.

Here are just a few of the real beauties that the Texas State Board of Education has come up with to add to or change in their textbooks, and so, in textbooks that can end up all over the rest of America:

--A greater emphasis on “the conservative resurgence of the 1980s and 1990s. Who knows why, except they do downplay the liberal gains of the 60's, too. Maybe this is their way of "getting even." (pathetic, isn't it?);

--A reduced scope for Latino history and culture: A proposal to expand such material in recognition of Texas’ rapidly growing Hispanic population was defeated in last week’s meetings.

Never mind that more 36.5% of Texas' population is Hispanic or Latino as of the 2008 census .

Never mind that more minorities will be born this year, compared to Caucasians.

Forget about Texas' rich history of Hispanics in the state's creation and growth. Forget all that. The Board just marginalized them, big time: "Oh, you exist, but we just don't think you're that important."

And you know what else? They won't even recognize the inherent racism of this;

--Changes in specific terminology: This one really cracks me up. Check this out--"Terms that the board’s conservative majority felt were ideologically loaded are being retired. Hence, 'imperialism' as a characterization of America’s modern rise to world power is giving way to 'expansionism,' and 'capitalism' is being dropped in economic material, in favor of the more positive expression 'free market.' (The new recommendations stress the need for favorable depictions of America’s economic superiority across the board.)"

These are Conservatives, for pity's sake, and they're ashamed of the word "capitalism". God, I love that. I bet they don't get the irony or hypocrisy of it;

--A more positive portrayal of Cold War anticommunism: This is another beauty. They prop up Senator Joe McCarthy and his communist witch-hunt, wherein he ruined people's lives. Nearly unbelievable. These are some sad, tragic, misguided people on that Board;

--Thomas Jefferson no longer included among writers influencing the nation’s intellectual origins: Okay, here's where they start really making me angry. It's one thing if you glorify communist-baiter Joe McCarthy (hateful jerk though he was), but to eject Thomas Jefferson as an influential source for America? Holy cow. That's almost unthinkable. Jefferson is known, in the world out there that is educated and civilized, as a truly brilliant man, writer and thinker. Just not in Texas. Knocking him off this pedestal does a true and deep disservice to the students of Texas and any- and everywhere else these textbooks land. This is sacrilege;

--A recommendation to include country and western music among the nation’s important cultural movements: The popular black genre of hip-hop is being dropped from the same list.

This ruling on "country and western music" and dropping hip-hop is, to me, where they show their real stupidity, shallowness and racism, by my--and I'm thinking a lot of other people's--thinking. Country and western music? Really? And you care about this? This is the part that starts to get laughable (but still, continued pathetic).

Oh, and, once again, Texas State Board of Education--your racism is showing.

If this weren't so tragic and stupid, I'd be laughing.

Link to original post:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_ts1253