#learn your history americans

[agoodflyting]

As a former US History teacher, I do an ugly witch cackle every time an American media pundit says 'don't settle political disagreements with violence'.

America only exists because a bunch of people settled a political disagreement with violence. America has solved almost every political disagreement with violence since our inception and IT WORKS VERY WELL FOR US.

See:

The Sons of Liberty - a widespread colonial-era domestic terrorist organization that created the phrase No Taxation Without Representation and then proceeded to tar and feather tax collectors, riot, burn down public buildings, and generally use violence to protest their issues with Parliament.

"Solving issues with words is for pussies! Tar-and-feather your local tax collector!" - Patrick Henry, probably

2. The Golden Hill Riot - (1770) Local mob confronts a bunch of their own country's soldiers who are posting handbills denouncing terrorist activities in a town in New York, and it degenerates into... yep, yep, it was violence.

"Catch these fists, lawful authorities!"

3. Burning of the Gaspee - (1772) In which the government tries to limit illegal smuggling and the local people respond with patient protesting and letter writing which eventually - no, no, scratch that. They set a royal navy ship on fire.

"Limit MY illegal activities will you?" 4. The fighting at Lexington and Concord (1776)- in which a bunch of domestic terrorists responded to their lawful government's attempts to confiscate a cache of illegal weapons with (checks notes) oh look, it was violence. Lots and lots of violence. So much violence that the crown was forced to declare the entire territory to be 'in a state of rebellion'.

"ACAB!" "What is ay-cab, Patrick?" "I don't know, Hezekiah, it just felt right to yell it while firing my musket at the Crown's authorities."

In fact, the entire history of the American Revolution could be accurately summed up with the phrase: "Using violence to protest oppressive government works very well, actually."

And that's not even getting into the POST-REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD.

Shay's Rebellion (1786) - In protest to an economic system that was destroying the lives of poor farmers, a bunch of Revolutionary War veterans form mobs and force the debtors courts to close in several cities in Massachusetts. It leads to a full-scale insurrection that isn't immediately successful but FORCES THE FLEDGLING FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO RECONVENE TO RECONSIDER ITS ECONOMIC POLICIES WHICH THEN RESULTS IN THE DRAFTING OF THE US CONSTITUTION. Violence? Working.

The Whiskey Rebellion - (1791-1794) Whiskey farmers use violence and intimidation to resist paying federal taxes on the ingredients used to make their product. The rebellion is initially put down by the Federalist government, but the tax is later repealed by Thomas Jefferson.

Nat Turner's Rebellion (1831) - Enslaved man leads an armed slave revolt in Virginia. Massacres 50-60 people in order to spread terror through the white community and to force white people to acknowledge the brutality of slavery. While the rebellion was put down, Turner's revolt achieved its goal. The state of Virginia is so afraid of more slaves catching onto this idea that they pass laws making it illegal for black people (free or enslaved) to learn to read, and requiring a white person to be present at all black-led religious services (Turner used his status as a preacher to help spread word of the rebellion) because they were so afraid of a repeat. Because violence works.

Anti-Rent War (1839) - Large scale riot, rent strike, plus some good old fashioned tarring and feathering of landowners, to protest an unfair system that protected landowners at the cost of renters in upstate New York. The leaders were put on trial, but the overall insurrection successfully forced laws to be written that protected renters from predatory landlords.

Dorr's Rebellion - (1841) A force made up mainly of poor industrial workers and Irish immigrants stage a violent rebellion against the government of Rhode Island, in order to force a repeal of the ancient laws that only allowed wealthy land-owners to vote. Previously, Rhode Island was the only state that still had laws like this and they had no intention of changing them until (checks notes) yep, until violence.

Bleeding Kansas - (1854-1859) For some stupid reason, the citizens of Kansas were being allowed to vote on whether the new state would allow or ban slavery. (Popular sovereignty amirite?) Pro-slavery people from other states started moving into Kansas in order to swing the vote the way they wanted, and they used the time-honored slavers tactic of engaging in terrorism to keep anti-slavery voters down. What started as a war of words between pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces escalated to violence but instead of taking the moral high road, abolitionists like John Brown burned buildings, attacked pro-slavery newspaper offices, and even fucking massacred pro-slavery activists by hacking them to death with swords. Kansas was eventually admitted to the union as a Free State. Violence? Working.

John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry (1859)- John Brown is just an icon ok. Brown led a group of black and white abolitionists to steal weapons from a federal arsenal, with the intention of giving the guns to slaves to help them stage a bigger, more widespread rebellion. When the Law tried to stop them, Brown started a shootout. He was caught and executed by the state of Virginia, but after his death he became a massive folk icon and hero to abolitionists, and his death directly contributed to starting the American Civil War. John Brown's Body was a popular folk song among Union forces during the war.

I'm going to stop there because this is so so long already and I haven't even gotten to the 20th century and union wars. This is literally just 100 years of American history that I've got here. Not even half of our (already young) country's existence and we have just... the longest track record of using violence to achieve political goals.

In conclusion? Violence is not the answer. Violence is the question and the answer is Yes.

[vaguely-concerned]

shathann fucked up in so many ways with raising taash but she also makes me. so so SO sad. welcome back deeply flawed dragon age mother figures in various shades of 'well. I mean you tried. I guess' (from 'not at all' to 'I can see what you thought you were going for at least' as appropriate) we tango once more

[lelouch]

its so crazy ppl from other countries On Line have to learn english and american terminology and geography and politics but some americans will get sooo pissed off when you tell them it would be better if they learned from other countries too? insane

[shalom-iamcominghome]

I'm a convert as well and as a person of Native American descent, I do believe that Jews and Native Americans share a unique experience of our history being ignored. We both have very small populations which makes it easier to not think about us and the world treats us as fictional and at the same time extinct. As a leftist, people would try to learn about Native Americans because they see us as these poor innocent brown victims which is dehumanizing and I noticed that they didn't even bother with Jews as if they think we get too much attention or control the world.

I had to tell my ex friends over and over that no we weren't oppressed because of our religion and they still never got it. The most basic Jewish things are not known by most or understood by those who do know!

Posting without additional commentary because this is perfect. Thank you for sharing, I'm sending a ton of love your way🫂🫂🫂

[egberts]

I'm just gonna start blocking people who send me essay length asks trying to argue about stupid shit because their personal experience was different

[lotus-flower-writes-history]

The Unofficial Black History Book

Huey P. Newton (1942-1989)

'The Revolution has always been in the hands of the young. The young always inherit the revolution.' - Huey Newton

This is his story.

Huey Percy Newton was born on February 17th, 1942, in Monroe, Louisiana. The youngest of seven children to Armelia Johnson and Walter Newton, he was named after former Governor of Louisiana, Huey Long.

His family relocated to Oakland, California, in search of better economic opportunities in 1945. His family struggled financially and frequently relocated, but he never went hungry or homeless.

Growing up in Oakland, Newton recalled his white teachers making him feel ashamed for being African-American, despite never being taught anything useful. In his Autobiography, ‘Revolutionary Suicide’, he wrote – “Was made to feel ashamed of being black. During those long years in Oakland Public Schools, I did not have one teacher who taught me anything relevant to my own life or experience. Not one instructor ever awoke in me a desire to learn more or to question or to explore the worlds of literature, science, and history. All they did was try to rob me of the sense of my own uniqueness and worth, and in the process nearly killed my urge to inquire.” 

He also had a troubled childhood; he was arrested several times as a teenager for gun possession and vandalism.

Huey was illiterate when he graduated from high school, but he taught himself to read and write by studying poetry before enrolling at Merritt College. 

During his time there, he supported himself by breaking into homes in Oakland and Berkeley Hills and committing other minor offenses. He also attended Oakland College and San Francisco Law School, ostensibly to improve his criminal skills.

He joined Pi Beta Sigma Fraternity while still a student at Merritt College and met Bobby Seale, a political activist and engineer. Huey also fought for curriculum diversification, the hiring of more black instructors, and involvement in local political activities in the Bay Area. 

In addition, he was exposed to a rising tide of Black Nationalism and briefly joined the Afro-American Association, where he studied Frantz Fanon, Che Guevara, Mao Zedong, E. Franklin Frazier, James Baldwin, Karl Marx, and Vladimir Lenin.

Huey had adopted a Marxist/Leninist viewpoint in which he saw the black community as an internal colony ruled by outside forces such as white businessmen, City Hall, and the police. In October 1966, he and Bobby Seale founded The Black Panther Party for self-defense, believing that the black working class needed to seize control of the institutions that most affected their community.

It was a coin toss that resulted in Newton becoming defense minister and Seale becoming chairman of the Black Panther Party. Newton’s job as the Minister of Defense and main leader of the Black Panther Party was to write in the Ten-Point Program, the founding document of the Party, and he demanded that blacks need the “Power to determine the destiny of our Black Community”. It would allow blacks to gain “Land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice, and peace.”

The Panthers took advantage of a California law allowing people to carry non-concealed weapons and established armed patrols that monitored police activity in the Black Community. 

One of the main points of focus for the Black Panther Party was the right to self-defense. Newton believed and preached that sometimes violence, or even the threat of violence, is required to achieve one's goals. 

Members of the Black Panther Party once stormed the California Legislature while fully armed in order to protest the outcome of a gun bill.

Newton also established the Free Breakfast for Children Program, martial arts training for teenagers, and educational programs for children from low-income families. 

The Black Panthers believed that in the Black struggle for justice, violence or the potential for violence may be necessary.

 The Black Panthers had chapters in several major cities and over 2,000 members. Members became involved in several shoot-outs after being harassed by police.

On October 28, 1967, the Panthers and the police exchanged gunfire in Oakland. Huey was injured in the crossfire, and while recovering in the hospital, he was charged with killing an Oakland police officer, John Frey. 

He was convicted of voluntary manslaughter the following year.

Huey was regarded as a political prisoner, and the Panthers organized a 'Free Huey' campaign led by Panther Party Minister Eldridge Cleaver. And Charles R. Geary, a well-known attorney who was in charge of Newton’s legal defense.

Newton was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter in 1968 and sentenced to 2-15 years in prison. However, the California Appellate Court ordered a new trial in May 1970. The conviction was reversed on appeal, the case was dismissed by the California Supreme Court, and Huey was acquitted.

Huey renounced political violence after being released from prison. Over a six-year period, 24 Black Panther members were killed in gunfights with the police. Another member, George Jackson, was killed in August 1971 while serving time in San Quentin Prison.

The Black Panther Party, under the leadership of Newton, gained international support. This was most evident in 1970 when Newton was invited to visit China. Large crowds greeted him enthusiastically, holding copies of "Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung," as well as signs supporting the Panther Party and criticizing US imperialism.

In the early 1970s, Newton's leadership of the Black Panther Party contributed to its demise. He oversaw a number of purges of Party members, the most famous of which was in 1971 when he expelled Eldridge Cleaver in what became known as the Newton-Cleaver split over the party's primary function.

Newton wanted the party to be solely focused on serving African-American communities, whereas Cleaver believed the party should be focused on developing relationships with international revolutionary movements. The schism resulted in violence between the factions and the deaths of several Black Panther members. The Black Guerrilla Family (BGF) was one of several factions that had broken away from the main party.

Then, in 1974, Newton was accused of assaulting a 17-year-old prostitute named Kathleen Smith, who later died, raising the charge to murder. Instead of facing trial, Huey fled to Cuba with his girlfriend at the time, where he remained for three years. The key witness in the trial was Crystal Gray. And three Black Panther members attempted to assassinate her before she gave her testimony.

Huey returned to the States in 1976 to stand trial but denied any involvement. The jury was deadlocked, and Newton was eventually acquitted after two mistrials.

In 1978, he enrolled in the History of Consciousness program at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and earned his Doctorate in 1980.

"War Against the Panthers: A Study of Repression in America," his dissertation, was later turned into a book.

On charges of embezzling Panther Party funds, Huey P. Newton was sentenced to 6 months in prison followed by 18 months on probation in 1982.

On August 22, 1989, Newton was assassinated by a member of the BGF, named Tyrone Robinson.

Huey was 46 years old at the time of his assassination. Robinson was convicted of Huey’s murder in 1991 and sentenced to 32 years to life in prison. 

His wife, Fredricka Newton, carried on his legacy. 'Revolutionary Suicide,' his autobiography, was first published in 1973 and then republished in 1995.

Huey Newton was not perfect, but he did fight to protect the rights of the Black Community. The rights that we're still fighting for today.

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My Sources

[hwsforeignrelations]

Everybody learns at their own pace everybody learns in their own time everybody everybody learns at the time best for them everybody-

[pupkou]

can we come together as a community and be honest with ourselves .. because i’m tired of seeing everything turned into an egg roll. not everything needs to be an egg roll

[barbossas-wench]

Autistic Filipino born American vent

I've kept hearing fil-ams talking about their experience of their parents refusing or teach their kids Tagalog or other Filipino language

Let me share my experience

When I was young, my mom loves to taught me and my younger brother Tagalog.

When I was diagnosed with autism by a white male psychiatrist, he encouraged my mom to not teach me or speak Tagalog to me bc it make me "confused" me when she speaks the language

Last year, when I met my new psychiatrist (who's a woc) diagnosed me a bipolar, when my told her about my diagnosis and my language, she told us that her autistic grandchild is pretty multilingual

I'm autistic and I learned several languages like Spanish (even though it got rusty since pandemic).

Now I'm having cultural crisis

[kcarkwright]

Native American Legends—An Anthology

Now that I am at the tail-end of my first novel, I’m having that panic-stricken anxiety of what comes next; the agent, the editing, beta readers and word counts (seriously, my book may be over 200k words. I overshot it lol). My biggest panic, though, is its second book, and what I wish for it to look like.

I am writing a sci-fi/fantasy series focusing on mythology from areas that don’t get as much love as they should. Rick Riordan has done a justice for Greek, Roman, Norse and Egyptian—but there’s just so much more out there. And something near and dear to me, as an Indigenous POC, are the legends of the first people of North America. This is what I wish for my second book to focus on, and I’ve been casually (read: obsessively searching at 3 am) browsing for good sources and such to build the basis of my second book.

Looking up information on these legends…yeah, it can be tricky. Gentrified too, in the name of hippy shaman and ‘spiritual beings’ who attribute one belief of one tribe to what 'Native Americans’. believed as a whole (therefore sticking us all in one teeny tiny stereotypical box). So that’s why I wanted to provide you all with my favorite source for Native American legend!

FIRST PEOPLE

Not only does this site have hyperlinks to Indigenous-Run stores and a Photography Series of (non-sterotypical) Native people throughout the years, but they also have the largest Anthology of Native American/First Nations legends I’ve seen so far. A to Z—from Abenaki to Zuni and everything in between (like Nahua/Aztec and Blackfoot, tribes of yours truly!). It also possesses an Educational Resources page that helps connect readers with a wide array of informative websites to better extend your knowledge – or to lend a hand. It even has good clip art!

There’s a beautiful, informative, and non-colonizer-influenced page dedicated to educational videos, and another with treaties/agreements made throughout the year with many different tribes. There’s a glossary that explains the roles of different tribes’ deities, as well as the meanings of those tribes’ names and just how many are in North America (organized by state/Province, hyperlinked differently depending on location). And, finally, links to individual tribal websites, where you can hopefully learn more during that late-night-rabbit-hole deep dive.

Take a browse! This website has helped me feel connected with my people as someone who grew up without that chance, and even if you don’t need it as a writing resource—it’s such an interesting read!

If this website interests you so much that you wish to extend your thanks in the form of donating (hey, those hosting fees aren’t cheap!) use this link!

[pagan-mushroom]

So today, I had to correct an American tour guide. I use that term lightly. Where I live, we have a cathedral and it has many carvings. One of which is this one. Now, I volunteer in the cathedral. I volunteer in the library. I STUDY THIS STUFF.

It is a lion attacking a gryphon. Gryphons used to be the symbol of christ until major religious upheaval and such, so the lion was used

So..

Her: and here we have a lion killing a rhino.

Me:*walks up* excuse me that's wrong.

"I beg your pardon?"

"The animal the lion is attacking is not a rhino, it is a gryphon. It has wings. Up until the 17th century in england, the gryphon was the symbol of christ. The lion came in much later. Medieval people may have been stupid by today's standards yes... but there were fairs, court fairs and drawings of rhinos dating back to the 12th century. We have the books in the cathedral library."

Woman *blinks in confusion*

Me: oh! And if you care to look on the otherside, you will see the carving of the fat lion with the Skeleton of the gryphon

SHE THOUGHT IT WAS A RHINO.

Can... can Americans please learn?

[fagdykefriendship]

just because you’re american and didn’t have like geography class or whatever doesn’t mean you’re incapable of ever looking at a world map i’m constantly baffled by americans who say that it’s bc of our school system that they don’t know where other countries are. like.

[mooncurses]

If you are white american and you talk about Italo-American heritage as if it's some sort of joke I'm gonna spit in your face btw

[lotus-flower-writes-history]

February 21st, 1965 Malcolm X was assassinated at the age of 39

[girlcockholmes]

this website is not beating the piss poor reading comprehension allegations

[sparklehoard]

30, 31, 35

30(already answered)

31) also already answered bur 3 facts are repeatable. 1. When I was a a kid my leg faced too far inward. The elementary school had funds for physical therapy but they over-corrected and then the funds ran out so now my right legs faces too far out in my natural stance and walk. 2. When I was 9 I was 5'9ft tall. Looking at my school photos where they made me stand with the teacher in school photos im almost a whole foot taller than the rest of my classmates. 3. I kind of stole one of those Herb growers that use solar light to grow herbs in the kitchen. My mom had it sitting in it's box for 3 years and I took it and zip tied it to my beds headboard. I've been using it to fight the winter depression and I think it's working quite well.

35. Favorite subject was art. I do love art still but looking back I kind of hated text based assignments. Having the teacher tell you yours was the most interesting to read. Having the teach use your essay in an example of a good job. And then getting it back and you got graded a c+ for grammar mistakes. Like I understand for English and language classes but it felt bad that even if you were excelling you couldn't get a decent grade for the little things as a young kid. Art was something I felt didn't hold me back in that way.