Very, very interesting to say the least. Just about every migrant group to America has been horribly discriminated against ironically in a country that preached liberty and “oneness.” Unfortunately, this concept referred only to the Anglo-Protestant culture. I thought it was interesting to see the contradiction of the America’s to preach one thing and then do something completely opposite but the interesting part was the justification of their inhumane actions through religion and education. Initially in the last chapter or so I thought that Jefferson was the lesser of two evils in comparison to the radical nature of Mann and others. However I think Jefferson was just as coniving as Mann and others who preached mono-culturalism as expressed in his actions and devious plans to oppress the Native Americans yet “help” them in a sense. There were those who stood up for what was right but they lacked the backing to endure like Seward who supported the Irish Catholic schools but still fell subject to the terms of the Protestant culture who had the money. The struggle over equal education and education in general was major as these migrant groups (some free-will and others enslaved) realised the importance of education. The Native Americans though oppressed were successful in creating a functional educational system for both their own and those of freed slaves.
Though presently our schools are integrated, is the essence of education as our forefather’s saw it still in existence? How has the Native American, enslaved African and Irish- Catholic view of education as opportunity and advancement changed over time? What do you think caused the shift between the primary rejection of multiculturalism in the US as opposed to America’s “open” contemporary views of multiculturalism? Do you think the Anglo-Protestants saw slavery as an acceptable practice due to their religion?
