chapter 5

I find it quite amusing and ironic how the common school of the mid 1800’s and the school systems of today not only differ but reflect opposite characteristics. Instead of opposing religion in school, be it praying or inappropriate teaching of creationism, as today’s schools do, then they were literally fighting over which bible and what prayers were to be used when teaching children. Also how education and the idea of school has developed from intentionally creating a dominant social class to the current standing of attempting to eliminate discrepancies between social classes. Or at least allow for achievement of a higher status  through education thus still shortening the gap between classes. While I’m glad for the new approach that education has in society, one can’t deny how brilliantly back in the day power was gained and kept though education. Particularly with the slaves and forbidding them to even read or write. It just goes to show how right Orwell is when he explains in both “Animal Farm” and “1984” that if you control the language, you control the people. Which reveals why the missionaries who were attempting to “civilize” the Natives were so displeased when Sequoyah developed a Cherokee alphabet; it would in fact remove power/control of the Native Americans from the missionaries by re-instilling connection with the savage ways. What I find peculiar is why did Whites, including the government, attempt to “civilize” Native Americans but not slaves?