slightly O/T: textbook controversy - Edison being removed?

[phonogfp]

Who's Tesla?

I remember a day in May 1977 while working part-time in a middle school. I asked a group of 8th graders, "Who knows what happened 50 years ago today?" No one knew. After a bit of coaxing, I finally told them that Charles Lindbergh had completed the first solo flight across the Atlantic on that day, 50 years before. Blank stares. Not one kid knew who Charles Lindbergh was.

Seven or eight years ago I looked through our son's American "History" textbook and was surprised by the political slant taken in the text. In this case, I noted that if a person was white and male, he either rated a footnote (Edison included), suffered character assassination, was completely ignored (such as Charles Lindbergh), or was praised for having followed a course that in latter days has been termed "politically correct."

As someone who respects ACCURATE history, such a stance seems as flawed (and annoying) as prohibiting the teaching of evolution. I'd far prefer teaching kids the whole story, and let them sort out the "good" guys and the "bad" guys. There are comparatively few of either sort - - they're all human beings. And it should be stressed to kids that judging people of the past using the values of the present will skew the truth. Society changes over time, values change, and most people in large or small ways will reflect the times in which they live. That's no crime, despite what latter-day "historians" want kids to believe.

To bring this back to talking machine history, similar characterizations been written for people like Frank Seaman and Edward Easton. They're "avaricious", "underhanded", or "nefarious." Yet, when we examine primary documents of the period, we find a different story. Thomas Edison has been elevated to a deity by some, yet well-researched biographies (such as A Streak Of Luck by Robert Conot) show a different picture. He was quite a human being. Yet latter-day historians are quick to distill Edison's character into a single event: the electrocution of an elephant.

It appears that it's a rare author who can present a forthright picture of an historical figure. Everyone seems to have an axe to grind, and the only way to get the straight scoop is to do your own research - - what a shame.

George P.

[Starkton]

My daughter's U.S. History II professor told the class that Tesla is largely forgotten. Do you agree or disagree with that statement?

I disagree. In 2006 an interesting film featuring David Bowie as Tesla was screened: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prestige_(film)

By the way, I used to have quite a number of Bowie LPs.

http://www.illustrated-db-discography.n ... m_new2.gif

[gregbogantz]

Well, I don't quite know how to respond to the question "Is Tesla largely forgotten?" He was apparently little known outside of his own time. When I went to school back in the '60s, Tesla was hardly mentioned in any of my classes. And this was back when education generally was more thorough and accurate than it is today. The only mention of Tesla that I can recall was the Tesla coil that we had in my high school physics class. (Today it would be considered a dangerous death ray and wouldn't be allowed in a public high school without an armed guard, goggles and helmets for all the observers, and an evacuation drill for the students.) But the teacher didn't elaborate on any of the background of the device or its inventor. Even Edison was not particularly well represented even then. And this was a school system in Ohio, not far from Milan. Today, Tesla has rather come into vogue as people discover what an eccentric character he was. He's now touted as the "mad scientist" type with glowing fluorescent tubes in his hands and sparks emanating from equipment surrounding him.

I am fundamentally an Edison man, but I have to admit an admiration for Tesla's genius. Read one of his biographies for some intriguing and truly bizarre stories. He was diametrically opposite to Edison in his approach to science and technology. As an electrical engineer, I still find it hard to fathom how Tesla envisioned the entire science of polyphase electric rotating machinery (induction motors and alternators) completely in his head before he actually built the first prototype of any of it. Tesla was famous for completely envisioning his inventions down to the last detail, then simply building them. Few original drawings exist of his earliest inventions because there weren't any. They were all in his head. Edison often joked about how he didn't trust an invention that worked the first time (as the phonograph did). But that was the norm for Tesla. Brilliant man. Perhaps too brilliant for his own good, as he descended into lunacy in his later years.

[Zeppy]

My daughter's U.S. History II professor told the class that Tesla is largely forgotten. Do you agree or disagree with that statement?

Perhaps he was talking about the 80s hair band?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2q_-xN2N54[/youtube]

[phonophan79]

Edison is voted back in! Here's an update:

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The heated debate over textbooks continues in Texas.

Texas is in the process of adopting its social studies standards, which only happens every ten years. The standards cover U.S. Government, American History, World History, and more, and they affect how students in grades K – 12 see America, its founding principles, and its heroes for the next decade.

More than that, because Texas is one of the largest consumers of textbooks in the nation, publishers use these curriculum standards for textbooks that are distributed in nearly every state in the union. Thus, what happens in Texas will impact the nation.

An unelected review panel, not the elected members of Texas State Board of Education (SBOE), attempted to push through a number of highly questionable changes to the standards – removing Independence Day, Neil Armstrong, Daniel Boone, and Christopher Columbus – from them. They even dumped Christmas and replaced it with Diwali. After a huge outcry from citizens and strong leadership by conservatives on the Texas State Board of Education, each of these changes was reversed.

Liberals and conservatives are divided over some issues including race and religion.

If you view the fight over school books in Texas as a major battle in the culture wars -- then the social conservatives on the state's board of education have been winning most of the skirmishes.

Conservatives pushed through language that will require a focus on Roman Catholic Saint Thomas Aquinas and French theologian John Calvin.

And there will be textbook passages that examine the phrase "laws of nature and of nature's god." which appears in the Declaration of Independence.

That one passed 11 – 3 -- one person abstained. Conservatives also beat back a measure that would have required textbooks to emphasize the separation of church and state.

The liberals on the board were getting frustrated by that point.

There was more frustration when liberals on the board tried to require a focus on minority recipients of the Medal of Honor.

Sadly, the attacks didn’t stop there. Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison were removed from World History, yet Mary Kay and Wallace Amos (of Famous Amos Cookies) were added, it appears, for more “diversity.” That’s unbelievable. Edison is the greatest inventor in American history with over 1,000 patents; oh, and by the way, that Einstein guy was pretty successful too!

Again, that’s part of why the liberals attack. They don’t like the concept of American exceptionalism, both by those who were born here and by the other great high-skilled men and women who are so attracted to the United States that they moved here from other countries.

Thankfully, the conservatives on the SBOE once again held the line. Edison and Einstein are back in World History. An attack to remove “B.C.” and “A.D.” -- denoting historical time periods before and after the birth of Christ – also lost, and, so far, the attempt to remove the statement about the religious basis of the founding of the country has failed.

These battles are not over. More votes are coming.

[Zeppy]

[sarcasm] wow....that certainly was a balanced update of the debate, and not remotely one sided [/sarcasm]

[Zeppy]

My daughter's U.S. History II professor told the class that Tesla is largely forgotten. Do you agree or disagree with that statement?

Perhaps he was talking about the 80s hair band?

I don't know JP, I'm thinking more along the lines of Van de Graff after seeing that hair, even though Tesla, the band, claims some inspiration by Nikola Tesla according to their website. Yet another case of an attempt to cheat Tesla of his greatness. It isn't my preferred genre of music but it sure did influence my three younger sisters to invest in hair spray! Somehow I could see Nikola Tesla as a band member if he were alive today. Brad, we need some art work!

Well, I grew up in the 80s...and even then I felt they were the type of band that should be relegated to always being an opening act....perhaps a little like their namesake?

[phonophan79]

[sarcasm] wow....that certainly was a balanced update of the debate, and not remotely one sided [/sarcasm]

LOL, you're right... but I chose this one because it had a lot of actual textbook examples... and more importantly, that EDISON was voted back in.

[phonophan79]

[sarcasm] wow....that certainly was a balanced update of the debate, and not remotely one sided [/sarcasm]

LOL, you're right... but I chose this one because it had a lot of actual textbook examples... and more importantly, that EDISON was voted back in.

Why people with LIBERTY would choose anything but private education, especially for their children, makes absolutely no sense.

Even so, I argue that the tabulation of reports being presented as [presumably] fact do not have enough substance for intelligent debate. It wreaks of the 5rd grade (or remedial 6th grade) mentality of Fox News.

[Henry]

As an electrical engineer, I still find it hard to fathom how Tesla envisioned the entire science of polyphase electric rotating machinery (induction motors and alternators) completely in his head before he actually built the first prototype of any of it. Tesla was famous for completely envisioning his inventions down to the last detail, then simply building them. Few original drawings exist of his earliest inventions because there weren't any. They were all in his head.

Same was true for Mozart. When asked how he could notate his compositions with such speed and precision, he is said to have replied that he had already composed the music in his head. But unlike Tesla, Mozart left manuscript scores ("drawings") of most of his works.