American History

Injustices like racism and imperialism are often incidental and peripheral developments of Western civilization. Historically, colonization began as a movement to enrich and expand the Western countries, thus, the rule became that every colony should contribute to the economic prosperity of the mother country. Because of this, when the natives see the disparity between themselves and the rich colonizers, the colonists became imperialists to keep the natives in line. Such cases include Central American states were geared to mercantilist demands dictated from Europe. The colonists also insured continuing dependence by prohibiting trade among the colonies and other European nations. Priority was given to the production of commodities for export rather than foodstuffs and other goods necessary for the well-being of the colonists.

The inclusion of women and minorities does not distort history, but rather, gives history larger picture to complete the picture of what really happened. The contributions of women and minorities, which are sometimes removed from traditional history, give another viewpoint in which to explain and tell how things happened and why they did. A case in point is Elizabeth Grymestons writings where she used her life experience as her witness, and drew immediate and powerful connections between yesterdays actions and tomorrows possibilities that served an English audience who wanted other perspectives on Catholic conformity.

Focusing on resistance movements does minimize history especially because it focuses on only one end of the spectrum without seeing the other side. Because it is important to look at all sides, we cannot be satisfied with just the African perspective of colonialism and oppression, but we must also see the views of the colonists to better understand the dynamics of history.

Egyptian nationalism should be taught in terms of how it has been evolving with the times and contrasting each and every phase in how it adapted itself and why. It would also be interesting to discuss the historical context in which Egypt maneuvers its nationalistic tendencies.

These songs can be used in social studies classes especially when looking at history, culture, sociology, anthropology, and even political science. These songs can contribute into digging into the psyche and all of the instances surrounding the attitudes of people in history and juxtaposing them to todays modern people.

Connections from these songs include the strength of the people in the face of adversity, a call to action, and the assurance of victory and freedom in the end from hearts that cant be quelled.
Maxine Greenes description of multiculturalism is the one closest to my understanding of the topic. With a myriad of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, multiculturalism, as I believed is something that needs mutual assimilation to be able to create a diverse, but peaceful community that hinges on conforming with others.

I agree with Albert Shankers perspective on multiculturalism. Considering that multicultural countries are often segregated, there are often judgmental attitudes against one another. This is evident even in New York where there are Black, Hispanic, White, and Asian blocs within the state. I, however, disagree with Octavio Pazs claim that there is no such thing as a pure culture. I believe that such pure cultures still exist in rural areas of countries such as in Asia, South America and Africa where tribal people continue on their way of life for years. I believe that Octavio Paz takes a myopic view of culture as seen in a New Yorkers eyes and that there are cultures that oppose the influence of other cultures, particularly Western culture, which they see as destructive to their way of life.
This chapter has opened my eyes to the perspective of approaching understanding society in the kaleidoscopic lens of culture. This chapter has made social studies curricula more diverse by expanding the world view of students and giving them a broader understanding of the society they inhabit in.