Productivity

Today I went with an amazing group of classmates to the Library of Michigan to research our I-496 Project and boy we got a lot accomplished. I don't know how much of it was related to our GM connection but we found a lot of great resources in the forms of newspaper clippings. While it was a great experience to see many of the old headlines it was also great learning about Michigan. While I only got to see it through Lansing roads and Interstate 496 it was still an experience. I hope we found things that we can use but if not it was still great learning about the area.

General Motors and I-496: The First Post of Many

As you know we are building an exhibit on I-496 and I was placed on the Research Team. Within that team I was given a more specialized topic and that was General Motors (GM) role. Me being an Africanist I really had no background knowledge on General Motors or the automobile industry. The first book I read on the topic was Billy, Alfred, and General Motors written by William Pelfrey. This gave me great insight on not only the growth of GM but also the growth of the automobile industry. The free wheeling style of Billy Durant (who looks like a professor I had at MSU named Barry Stein) and the rigid Alfred Sloan. Both of these men made great strides in the automobile industry with Durant building GM and Sloan saving GM.

Stupid time to ask this question but...

I just drove the entire stretch of I-496 for the first time and guess what it goes a lot farther than the neighborhood we are discussing. A lot of land was used and why are we only focusing on this one neighborhood? I realize it was the largest black community in Lansing at the time but I-496 impacted so many more people. This leads me to a lot of questions about our exhibit. Why are we only including one neighborhood? Did the people in Eaton County get treated differently than in Ingham county? What was destroyed out past this community to build I-496? I know if we included everyone are exhibit would be to huge with too many focal points. However, with a narrow scope of the project I don't feel that we can tell an accurate complete story.

RESOURCE ANNOUNCED

Thank you C-SPAN. They are releasing all of their footage online for free. This is great for historians. It makes digging through all of the political footage you want so much easier. I haven't had to chance to dig but I can't wait. Why wasn't this done over spring break :(

C-SPAN Video Archive
New York Timess Article

Curriculum Again

Who gets to decide history? In Texas it is the State Board of Education who has just passed sweeping legislative changes to its history, economics, and sociology curriculum. This has national impact because Texas is one of the nation's largest textbook buyers and as a result the textbooks are impacted across the nation. Many of the changes promote a more conservative and heritage based of American History. It wants to show that the Founding Fathers did not necessarily want a secular nation. It will also include the Black Panthers and not just Martin Luther King Jr. The conservatives are claiming their adding balance to the liberal education system while the liberals are claiming a rewrite of history.

Who is right? Who should decide what is taught? Below are links to the New York Times Article and the Houston Chronicle article.

New York Times
Houston Chronicle

Stuart Dunnings II

Stuart Dunnings II passed away on Wednesday due to natural causes. He is one of the men interviewed in Matt Miller's article which is assisting us in our I-496 Project. He was the first Lansing's first black lawyer and an important part of the legal community. Below is the link to Christine Rook piece about him from the Lansing State Journal.

Report

Curriculum and the Textbook Debate Again

Earlier in our semester we discussed the various curriculums in the United States. This article from the AP looks at the most popular science textbooks used for homeschools and dives into the debate of evolution and creationism. Established educators disagrees with the books and their anti-evolution beliefs. Is it important to show both sides of the debate. If a person understands both sides they are more rounded and I believe will feel that their side is correct after examining both sides. However, this means both sides need to be taught. Not just creationism nor just evolution both need to be in the classroom. For more on the article click on the link below.

Dylan Lovan's Article

More Smithsonian News

While looking at my favorite celebrity gossip website TMZ they had this article about the possibility of O.J. Simpson's acquittal suit being donated to the Smithsonian. The Smithsonian said they would not take the suit but it is interesting to determined what is history and what should be preserved.

Smithsonian Post

Thanks but no Thanks

Enola Gay Controversy Continued

A few weeks ago I published a post about the Enola Gay Controversy. Now a new book on the bombing Hiroshima has been put on hold due to some inaccuracies. Just more drama for the Enola Gay and the Hiroshima bombing. Below is the link from Yahoo News written by Hillel Italie of the Associated Press

Article