patrick.net

I'm reminded of the Parable of the King's Advisor, who is pardoned/extended on his debts by the King and then goes and squeezes his underlings.

I was floored at encountering the Wyoming (Johnson County) Range War, and the Battle of Athens (Tennessee), two things I never heard about in school. Thanks Internets!

I always think about the Johnson County Range war when I hear Ranchers like the guy in Utah kvetching about Government.

thunderlips11 says

two things I never heard about in school. Thanks Internets!

There are many, many things you won't hear in school. A couple years ago I read the standard university of texas books for american history 101 and 102 (someone left them at ;my house). What a joke. 95% plus is about minorities. Anything not about minorities is about how bad white men are.

Example the entire 4 years of US fighting of WWII was covered in 5 pages out of 1400. No mention of halsey, patton, king, arnold, clark, spaatz,montgomery, zhukov,de giualle, chan kei shek, channault, stillwell, etc.etc.etc. However there was 3 pages devoted to a black draftsman hired by boeing who refused to work on the line because he was trained as a draftsman. Obviously more important to learn about than the north africa campaign or the battle of the bulge..

I'm not going to say the writers of history books would embellish, but there was a tremendous amount of very detailed material about the American indians some of it dating to well before white men arrived. Very impressive feat to find this level of detail for a society that didn't have writing, was generally hated, and was persecuted heavily.

Then the authors managed to cover the entire 19th and 20th century without once mentioning the rail industry, shipping industry, the auto industry, the computer industry, the steel industry, the coal industry other than in reference to labor disputes. Unbelievable. What a joke.

If this is college level history then college students are getting ripped off big time and there is a whole generation that is clueless about the history of the country.

I had HS in mind, but you're right about college too.

You get a few paragraphs on Washington and then three pages about apocryphal character Betsy Ross, for whom there is no contemporary or near-contemporary evidence for her coming up with and sewing the first flag. In other words, her deeds are in the William Tell/General Ludd/King Arthur category. All we know for certain is that her FATHER'S business had a contract to sew some flags at some point.

Abigail Adams would be far more interesting and relevant.

And they actually referenced labor disputes? Most HS/Intro textbooks only refer to vague bad conditions and maybe child labor, then pass right on to the next chronological step.

I graduated with a degree in History from a top-tier Private School and did not hear anything about Byzantium - other than the vague knowledge it existed - until about 10 years ago when I came across it in... a Video Game. And started reading about it. Who knew the Roman Empire, albeit in much changed form, survived until 1452?

thunderlips11 says

And they actually referenced labor disputes? Most HS/Intro textbooks only refer to vague bad conditions and maybe child labor, then pass right on to the next chronological step.

You hit on the biggest problem with current textbooks. Each time increment gets equal number of pages. Big event time periods get really shortchanged, slow times are looking for filler.

If you are a history major grab a used college textbook some time. You will be horrified. I was. I would love to audit a class and raise hell.

also try and find me a public textbook in California that give the Mexican American War (probably the most important continental conflict) more than a few paragraphs.

thunderlips11 says

Who knew the Roman Empire, albeit in much changed form, survived until 1452?

heh, me too. Saw this:

http://www.amazon.com/Centuries-Byzantium-1261-1453-Second-Edition/dp/0521439914

in a Japanese book store. This was pre-Internet so my only media consumption came from books and magazines.

$80, basically one day's work, but it was great reading! Better than any movie.

Bellingham Bill says

http://www.amazon.com/Centuries-Byzantium-1261-1453-Second-Edition/dp/0521439914

I read this or another very similar work many years ago. The catholic church threw the byzantium empire and the orthodox church (which was the catholic church until the schism of 1054 (I think)) under the bus to pursue the crusades. Nice. The byzantiums saved almost all greek knowledge we have today. The latin church scholars scraped it off the parchment and reused the parchment rather than translating and preserving it.

bob2356 says

I read this or another very similar work many years ago. The catholic church threw the byzantium empire and the orthodox church (which was the catholic church until the schism of 1054 (I think)) under the bus to pursue the crusades. Nice. The byzantiums saved almost all greek knowledge we have today. The latin church scholars scraped it off the parchment and reused the parchment rather than translating and preserving it.

"Palimpsest"

Definitely a connection between the Renaissance and Byzantine refugees in the 14th and 15th Centuries.

Bellingham Bill says

Saw this:

http://www.amazon.com/Centuries-Byzantium-1261-1453-Second-Edition/dp/0521439914

in a Japanese book store. This was pre-Internet so my only media consumption came from books and magazines.

I'll have to check it out!

1453 by Roger Crowley was pretty awesome. Damn Genoese forgot to close the door.

John Julius Norwich has a great survey of the whole Eastern Empire, he's also got great books on the Popes and Venice, too. One thing I took away was that it seemed every time the Empire seemed to be fading from internal greed and violence as well as external pressure, an Isaurian or Peasant Emperor would take over, redistribute land from the 1%ers, revitalize the military with local forces and create "Rangers" who were basically land-based Privateers, encourage the crafts and trades, and Byzantium would come back strong and thrive again.

And I have to recommend, the Grand Strategy of the Byzantine Empire - although the author is a far right wing nutjob neocon extraordinaire.

It's amazing how people can be so insightful about the politics and contradictions of an Empire in the past - and then fail to apply the lessons to modern ones. See also VD Hanson, who never makes the connection between overseas aggression and hegemonic stupidity and the fall of Athens having any meaning for the USA. I think some of these guys actually accept we're going to fall into Chaos, but just want the most "Influence" spread first, going out with a bang.