Category: thomas jefferson

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“Why can’t we just move on? The past is the past.”

My own people owned people, but they don’t own that They say racism’s dead, man our President is black Two terms in the White House, that don’t mean jack If we still believe our present ain’t affected by our past–Andy Mineo “Uncomfortable” One question I hear over and over again when I speak or write about the history of racism, subjugation, and oppression in … Read More “Why can’t we just move on? The past is the past.”

Propaganda’s “Precious Puritans”and How We Teach the Puritans

Opening with discordant strings and followed by stomps and chains, Propaganda’s “Precious Puritans” challenges the teachings and thoughts of the Puritans, a group we typically teach every semester in our classrooms. When the song initially appeared in 2012, there were discussions online surrounding the song, specifically within a Christian context. (To see those see Thabiti Anyabwile’s post on the song. He has links to the … Read More Propaganda’s “Precious Puritans”and How We Teach the Puritans

David Walker and the Composition Classroom?

For various reasons, I always like to teach David Walker’s Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World (1829) in my Early American literature courses. Typically, I do not have students read selections from Walker’s Appeal until later in the semester; however, as I noted in a previous post, I am having students read it at the very beginning of the semester before moving … Read More David Walker and the Composition Classroom?

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Early American Literature Survey Syllabus

Note: Here is the syllabus I am discussing. This semester, I’m teaching an Early American Literature survey course (through 1865). Typically, I have approached this course chronologically, having students read Native American creation stories, Christopher Columbus, William Bradford, and so on, in that order until we reached Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson. However, this semester, I am trying something different. Instead of assigning students … Read More Early American Literature Survey Syllabus