Time to Stop Fighting the Civil War in History Class

Obama means 'honest' discourse on race

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted Apr 20, 2009 11:56 AM CDT

(Newser) – Ask a Northerner what caused the Civil War and he'll say slavery, while Southerners are likely to say states’ rights, or economic differences. That self-justifying shorthand is reflected in what's taught in schools, too. But with the election of Barack Obama, historians say new ground has been broken in the discussion, the Washington Post reports. “We can be more honest. We can stop giving one-word answers,” says a scholar.

Obama’s election has rekindled a national discussion of race, historians note. “The stereotypes about the war are not accurate,” says an expert. “It’s time” for honesty from both North and South. “The North did not go to war to bring slavery to an end. And without slavery there would have been no Confederacy.”

A crowd watches as Barack Obama is sworn in Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009 in Nicodemus, Kan., a farming community settled by former slaves after the Civil War, now a national historic site. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Fighting at Gettysburg, Pa., during the American Civil War. (Getty Images)

A civil War reenactor plays Robert E. Lee August 9, 2003 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. (Getty Images)

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No Child Left Behind Waiver Granted to 10 States

At least 28 more plan to seek one

Obama to Colleges: No More Jacking Up Tuition

Introduces plan to control tuition costs

Robert E. Lee Is No Hero

It's time we honor the ones who were right: Richard Cohen

Another Teacher Blasted for Mock Slave Auction

And this time, all the black students told to play slaves

Obama's Next Target: Education Reform

'No Child' despised by both sides, but scope of reform disputed

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education • race • history • Civil War • slavery • secession • President Obama

MOST POPULAR STORIES

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More Newser Stories

No Child Left Behind Waiver Granted to 10 States

At least 28 more plan to seek one

Obama to Colleges: No More Jacking Up Tuition

Introduces plan to control tuition costs

Robert E. Lee Is No Hero

It's time we honor the ones who were right: Richard Cohen

Another Teacher Blasted for Mock Slave Auction

And this time, all the black students told to play slaves

Obama's Next Target: Education Reform

'No Child' despised by both sides, but scope of reform disputed

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Newser By Users

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