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This is a poll about what topics you learned about in history in school. Let me set the stage

Posted by ty97 Jun 5 '24, 10:40

I've been thinking back to what I recall being taught in history growing up. I of course went to high school and college in the US in 90s. What I feel I recall is that:
- most history was about the US, probably not a surprise. But I feel like I didn't learn much world history at all
- History seemed to 'end' with World War II. I don't recall learning anything about the 50s-70s

Now, some caveats
- I thought history was a dumb subject in school. Why do I have to take this? Why do I need to know this? (Those are not arguments I make now, but it was my thinking then). Therefore perhaps I just don't recall a lot of it?
- Perhaps I recall mostly US stuff because that felt most germane to me?
- Summation: Perhaps I only remember learning US stuff because I just register must attention to the other stuff. Or maybe I was never taught it? I don't really know.

So, POLL:
- How balanced was your history learning in school, especially with regards to world history?
- Did history include modern history (the last 40 years or so)?

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And yes, of course, this poll was caused by wandering known a wikipedia rabbit hole last night about air disasters, particularly those related to hijackings in the 70s.

Responses:

One year we finished with the teacher saying "you'll pick up the Civil War next year" and next year a teacher said "picking up after the 1860s now" - Max Jun 5, 11:59
Due to timing, our US History 1 went from 1600 to 1865 and US History 2 was Reconstruction to WW2. - Will Hunting Jun 5, 11:27
History will teach us nothing. -- nm - LFG Jun 5, 11:23 4
- “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” -- nm - mud Jun 5, 11:30 3
  - I almost assassinated an Archduke once but then I remembered. -- nm - Dano Jun 5, 11:46 2
    - I need glasses. I read this first as, 'I almost choked on an artichoke once.' -- nm - Jovian Jun 5, 12:34
    - LIR: -- (link) - mud Jun 5, 11:49 [Backboard]
The first time I can remember learning about anything post Reconstruction was.. 12th grade? - Strongbad Jun 5, 11:09
Very US centric with some Western Europe. We did get to the Vietnam War though which was fairly recent history at the time. - Dano Jun 5, 11:08
In HS we learned some world history but it stopped at WW2. Overall it was definitely heavily about the US. -- (edited) - Krusty Jun 5, 11:02 2
- Yep, it stopped at WWII. We learned nothing about Vietnam, Korea, Civil Rights movement, etc -- nm - Jovian Jun 5, 11:04 1
  - A little about Vietnam, a mention of Korea and a good amount about the civil rights movement which was a big topic but didn't - Krusty Jun 5, 11:09
I had a fantastic history teacher who smoked his pipe continuously in the classroom and neither the school principal nor other teachers would ever - Loyola Jun 5, 10:59 1
- I love hearing little things like this. Great memory. -- nm - Krusty Jun 5, 11:05
Jacques Cartier, the couriers du Bois, Plains of Abraham, Henry Kelsey, Simon Fraser, Quebec Act, 1812, 54.40 or fight, Riel Rebellion - Reagen Jun 5, 10:55 3
- Lots of social history too - the Cree and Blackfoot and Sioux. -- nm - Reagen Jun 5, 11:18 1
  - i wouldn't say they taught us Manifest Destiny unironically but . . . it was also part and parcel with the Monroe Doctrine as if they were just - hollywood big shot Jun 5, 11:27
- [googles 'Henry Kelsey'] ..ah -- nm - mud Jun 5, 10:59
Tangent poll, did you read Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States in college and how much did it blow your f*cking mind? -- (edited) - znufrii Jun 5, 10:48 2
- I read it as an adult. Not much of it was shocking, but I enjoyed it. -- nm - Mop🧹 Jun 5, 11:08
- "so you finally read a book, and it's bullshit." -- nm - tony soprano Jun 5, 10:54
i did up through AP history in HS. in hindsight . . . even mid-80s AP history curriculum was not great. - hollywood big shot Jun 5, 10:43 1
- *High Five* Law School AND high school curriculum buddies! -- nm - landbeck Jun 5, 11:02
Up to WW2, But it was the 60s. I do remember learning some about trail of tears and slavery, civil war while in AL and FL then -- nm - zeitgeist Jun 5, 10:43 3
- I 100% will swear I never knew that 'trail of tears' mean until adulthood - ty97 Jun 5, 10:44 2
  - Oh and that was Andrew Jackson who still disgraces the $20 bill. I know 45 shelved replacing with Harriet Tubman, but didn't it get put back? -- nm - zeitgeist Jun 5, 10:54
  - While I had heard some trivia about the Tulsa massacre (first time civilians were bombed by airplane) it wasn't till recently... - zeitgeist Jun 5, 10:52
As a footnote example - ty97 Jun 5, 10:41 4
- i'm not sure the context in which the average HS history class would be drilling down into every tinpot despot of the 20th century - hollywood big shot Jun 5, 10:46 3
  - I'm more thinking college here, but I guess I was only required to take two college history classes -- (edited) - ty97 Jun 5, 10:47 2
    - We had no required courses in college except writing. We had to take courses from different areas (like history) but had flexibility within them. -- nm - Dano Jun 5, 11:14 1
      - We had a general education curriculum that every major took. Can't recall if it was set by the school or the state -- (edited) - ty97 Jun 5, 11:31

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This is a poll about what topics you learned about in history in school. Let me set the stage

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