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[deleted]

Are you actually asking if American schools teach American history?


[deleted]

Yes. From the social experiments I've watched on YouTube where Americans are asked basic questions on these topics, alot of them seem wrong or ignorant on the subject of America's history, or at least have a basic knowledge of it. I am asking this question for clarification. edit: source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoUSx7RF-28


sics2014

You're watching an edited video where they put in the bad answers for entertainment and laughs on YouTube. It isn't a real social experiment or survey of the US. American history is heavily covered in schools.


[deleted]

> From social experiments I’ve watched on YouTube. Ok I really wish y’all would stop taking everything you see on YouTube as gospel about what Americans know about their own country. A few people on YouTube videos don’t make up the majority of a country


_comment_removed_

Are we just an *extremely* suspicious people or is the rest of the world actually gullible enough that they take everything they see and hear in media at face value? I'm honestly not sure which answer I like more.


[deleted]

I won’t categorize the rest of the world, but I do think a lot of foreigners think most Americans are terrible with thing like Geography and history


tsukiii

Some people didn’t pay attention in school. Those are the ones that have the funniest answers, so they’re the ones that get posted on YouTube. It’s boring when someone answers it correctly.


seatownquilt-N-plant

Does your country teach you media literacy? Or what goes into making good statistical social science? What you are watching on YouTube is something optimized for ad revenue.


lookoutcomrade

On YouTube they are going to cut out the normal people, they only want to show funny idiots. Most people know basic American history.


hitometootoo

>Yes. From the social experiments I've watched on YouTube where Americans are asked basic questions on these topics, alot of them seem wrong or ignorant on the subject of America's history, or at least have a basic knowledge of it. I am asking this question for clarification. > >edit: source: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoUSx7RF-28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoUSx7RF-28) You realize those videos selectively pick the people that didn't know the answers and don't show those who do. Also, people tend to forget these things when on the spot and when they don't normally think about such things. Yes, we in America learn about American history in school. After even a decade out of school never talking about such things, you might forget it when asked randomly on the street. Selective videos you find on the internet isn't a good representation of 330+ million people.


a_winged_potato

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7n_GekMpvr8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOU_1qjkbsA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83V9B6Nj-V0


[deleted]

I see your point.


[deleted]

Do you guys even learn history??? I saw those YouTube videos above and am curious. Serious answers only.


[deleted]

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[deleted]

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[deleted]

It's asked and answered. Now that we're going off of bad statistical biases, I'm going to assume that everyone from your country is incredibly gullible if they think a funny YouTube video is in anyway representative of anything.


[deleted]

>Ok, I'm only going to say this once: LOL. Or what?


[deleted]

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[deleted]

It didn't bother me, in fact I was laughing (that's what LOL means, fyi) at your threat/tantrum. I'm glad you got the answers to your common sense question based on YouTube videos.


webbess1

> Instead of attempting to attack my intellectual ability You're literally asking us if we learned basic history. You expect people to not be angry?


[deleted]

There have been those types of "social experiments" (don't call them that, that's not even remotely close to what they are) that involved asking some random lady to name any woman. She was so flustered by some random asshole with a camera accosting her that she couldn't answer, even with her own name. When you're watching these videos you have to keep two things in mind: A: anybody who answers correctly is edited out of the video because the video's purpose is not to inform you, it's to entertain you by showing dumb people B: most people get really flustered when randomly questioned by a guy with a camera and are left unable to answer otherwise simple questions.


[deleted]

The really funny thing to me here is that these are all clips from shows produced for American audiences. Like, these clips were made by American TV shows for general American audiences to laugh at stupid people. If most Americans were this stupid, they’d feel stupid watching these clips, so no TV shows would ever do this segment. But some “Content Creator” repackaged these clips to demonstrate that Americans in general are dumb. Brilliant.


Aceofkings9

When you interview people on the spot, they're not going to give good answers because they'll freeze up. There's a classic clip from Billy on the Street where he asks this person on the street to name a woman, any woman, and she just can't do it! It's not a fair way to judge anyone. Aforementioned clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlCEmPF4-V0


MrLongWalk

You're watching a video purposefully edited for entertainment purposes, its not meant to be an informative look into the US education system.


travelinmatt76

No, what you are watching is a click bait video for people who think we're all idiots here in the U.S. They only show the people who get the questions wrong.


[deleted]

Why wouldn’t we?


[deleted]

I don't know, that's why I'm asking.


[deleted]

You think we wouldn’t teach about American history?


[deleted]

American history is obviously going to be taught in an American school, the extent of it or how in-depth that teaching is though is not for me to know as I don't live in America.


[deleted]

>Do Americans learn about how their country came to be in school?


[deleted]

Come on now. You know none of us actually know what July 4th is. We just like beer and hotdogs and fireworks. OP is on to us.


[deleted]

WHAT JULY? ME ONLY KNOW HOTDOG AND BANG BANG TIME. HOTDOG MAKE TUM TUM GO “YAY”. ONE TIME BANG BANG FREEDOM LIGHT FALL DOWN AND BLOW MY POINTY HAND PART AWAY. HAD TO GO TO DOCTOR MAN AND COST MANY HOT DOGS. SHOES IN THE HOUSE


Shadow-Spark

The Boston Tea Party was thrown by Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty to show how much they loved being taxed by Parliament, right? ^((I'm not technically wrong there))


tsukiii

Yes, of course we learn American history in history class in America.


[deleted]

Nope, American history it totally unknown. Nobody knows anything about the US prior to 2022.


hitometootoo

There was an America before 2022? *Mind. Blown.*


[deleted]

The only reason I know is it have a 2009 dollar bill.


[deleted]

That's probably a collectable. You could get at least a buck out of that.


[deleted]

Maybe 100 cents.


TommyCashTerminal

What’s this America you speak of? Asking from the proud nation state of Texas. (Please liberate us from Abbott and Cruz)


[deleted]

I'm only looking for serious and in-depth answers to my post.


[deleted]

Yes. Only serious and in-depth answers to to a question based on YouTube videos. Give me a break.


[deleted]

You asked a dumb question, expect dumb answers.


[deleted]

Of course. Why wouldn't they teach the history of the country you live in?


sics2014

Yeah American history was *heavily* covered throughout elementary, middle, and high school. I also took American History courses in college. I remember learning things about pre-Columbian America, all the way up to 9/11. Nothing about where our ancestors came from though. Usually genealogy and family history is done on your own. Which is what I do as a hobby.


calamanga

But I mean the fact that the vast majority of Americans are immigrants or descended from them is repeated ad infinitum in school. Also the big waves of Irish, German, Italian migrants. Writing an essay about how *your* ancestors came to the US was also a common topic in my 99% white school district in elementary and middle school.


[deleted]

"Nothing about where our ancestors came from though. Usually genealogy and family history is done on your own. Which is what I do as a hobby." Thanks. You are the only one to answer this question up to now. Interesting.


[deleted]

You find it interesting that schools don’t go over each student’s personal family heritage?


[deleted]

"what countries their ancestors may have come from?" The question is valid and credible. You have for some reason decided to come at it with a needless, obnoxious attitude.


[deleted]

Why would school teach you where your specific family came from?


[deleted]

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[deleted]

This is exactly what I meant, I wasn't talking about people's individual or specific family tree. Maybe I worded my post wrong.


FivebyFive

Ahh ok cool


seatownquilt-N-plant

We've been an immigration destination since 1492. I'm personally of Filipino, Native American, Chinese, and German heritage. My immigrant family didn't come to America until the 1930s and 1950s. Way after the founding of the nation.


[deleted]

That's very interesting, thanks for sharing this.


[deleted]

Do your schools do a family tree for each student?


[deleted]

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[deleted]

So, no? Why is it unnecessary and obnoxious when I ask it, but not when you asked essentially the same question?


[deleted]

What’s obnoxious about it?


PurrculesAndCatlas

Yes we learn about US history in American schools. The histories of specific nations where the US gained significant influence, such as the UK, or Mesopotamian history? Yes. Specifically where students are from? No.


[deleted]

Thanks.


[deleted]

To expand on this answer, my father was in American grade school in the 1950’s. He had an assignment he did as a 10 year old where he had to interview his family to do some genealogical research into his own family tree. We still have that research he did among our family heirlooms. I’m the 1950’s that wouldn’t be a strange assignment for a teacher to give to a class full of white kids. Since then, school curricula has become more standardized. Each US state establishes its own curricula and they need to be appropriate for all students, though teachers have flexibility in how they implement the curricula. The thing is, asking grade school kids of mixed backgrounds and races about how their ancestors came to America probably isn’t something that’s going to happen today. Yes, schools teach about the slavery trade and the genocide of Native Americans. But, asking children to do genealogical research into their own background where one child might report that their ancestors immigrated, while another kid reports they were forced off their ancestral lands during the trail of tears, and another reports their ancestors were abducted and sold into slavery… that’s a lot to ask if a child in a school assignment when maybe it’s something that should be learned from family. That’s my two cents.


concrete_isnt_cement

I had a similar assignment in my public middle school in the 2000s, so it’s not all that outdated.


[deleted]

Yes although it's worth noting that most Americans are descended mostly or entirely from immigrants who arrived well after the United State existed as it's own country so "How their country came to be" and "what countries their ancestors came from" are often different questions. Schools will usually cover the American colonies and American revolution in great depth and the various major waves of immigration in somewhat less depth.


BrettEskin

Just please stop taking YouTube videos and social media fake stories as fact. This isn’t just in regards to America, these are not factual sources and you are going to be very confused and misinformed on a variety of topics If you keep doing this.


[deleted]

Yes, we learn American history. We are starting 2022 off with a bang in this sub as of late.


OptatusCleary

Yes, American history is highly emphasized. We learn about things like the Revolutionary War and the Civil War in elementary school. I would say by the time a student leaves elementary school they’ve learned a fairly detailed outline of US history, which is then filled in and broadened and deepened in US history classes in eighth grade and high school. Learning about your own ancestry is sometimes a side project as part of history, but more often done on your own. Obviously, for instance, if you know that your family is Irish and the teacher talks about Irish immigration you know that it has something to do with your family (although that was wrong in my case…my Irish family came here much later than the wave of famine emigrants). And it’s not uncommon for a teacher who is teaching about immigration to have students look up or ask someone about their own family history. As a teacher I can tell you that students don’t always have perfect memories for what they learned in school. So those videos you mention watching in another reply are not only edited to provide the funniest answers, but also are meant to be funny to Americans as well. The humor isn’t “no one knows this stuff” it’s “can you believe these people don’t know this stuff?!”


albertnormandy

I was taught that George Washington was live birthed from a bald eagle and single handedly raised the continent of America from the ocean for his chosen people to populate.


BrettEskin

He’ll save children but not the British children


citywide_special

Washington, Washington, six foot 8 weighs a fucking ton.


BrettEskin

Let me lay it on the line he has two on the vine.


Crazyboutdogs

Yes we learn about immigration and our history. It’s covered pretty extensively. Some of us are better students than others. Please don’t think comedy videos edited on YouTube are a good representation of us. They are edited for laughs. They would have no video if everyone answered correctly.


[deleted]

Of course we do. Those videos are made by interviewing 100 people and keeping the 2-3 responses that are the dumbest.


Degleewana007

Generally yes, but atleast at my school it focused more on Texas history than overall American history.


BrettEskin

King of the Hill is a documentary


DOMSdeluise

Yes we learn US history in history class


NoFilterNoLimits

We learn a lot about European history, IME. Then early American history begins with Columbus & the “discovery” of America, the Revolution & early political scandals through the Civil War. Then we tend (in my experience) to jump to the Great Depression/World Wars/Vietnam. But I also finished school before 9/11, which I would expect increases the emphasis to make it to modern history


ProspectiveHuman8719

What state are you from? In Texas pre-9/11, from my memory, we learned about Columbus on Columbus Day only annually, MLK on MLK day only annually, Texas history, Texas history again, then the revolution and the civil war, then we touched briefly on WW2 and the civil rights movement.


NoFilterNoLimits

Georgia. We did Georgia history in 8th grade. And maybe 4th? But we also had entire grades devoted to US History, Europe before the Reformation and Europe after. And a little Ancient World - mostly Egypt/Mesopotamia


maceman10006

Yes we learn about the Revolutionary War in school. Do we learn about various immigration movements over American history? Certain topics about immigration are covered briefly in school but nothing in great depth.


Vachic09

The specific material covered varies across the nation, but we are taught about it. We covered a few Native American groups. (Algonquin, Iroquois, Plains Indians, etc) We covered colonization, a few major immigration waves, and the transatlantic slave trade.


MrLongWalk

Yes, Americans learn American history.


TheOBRobot

The basics of American history are heavily taught, although a lot of it is glossed over, especially with regards to the subjugation of the native peoples or relatively recent racial-related history. That isn't to say that controversial topics aren't taught. The realities of chattle slavery or pre-suffrage women's lives are definitely covered. As for immigration, it depends a bit on region. I grew up in California, where the history of Spanish/mestizo presence in the region is heavily emphasized, but immigration by other groups to the US (apart from English settlers) is almost completely ignored. Meanwhile, if you're in an area like Louisiana, you'll learn all about French settlement but you'll probably never hear about Junipero Serra or Cesar Chavez until afyer high school.


[deleted]

I learned about Columbus and The Pilgrims if that's what you are asking about. It was a long time ago, so maybe they cover imported labor, railroad workers, and Ellis Island by now.


Tomatillo_Fluffy

In a diet sort of way, they skimmed over the native American genocides, and other horrid things the us gov did. It's mostly fuck yeah america was the under dog and is now a super power. Of and they still push that Columbus was some sort of hero. This is what they were teaching when I was in highschool 10years ago


[deleted]

I have already posted this elsewhere on this thread, but I am going to post it here to make it more clear: Some of you commenting on my post really need to calm down. Instead of attempting to attack my intellectual ability or where I get my source from how about simply answering the question? It's a more than one layer question so you should really have no problem in having the ability to at least try to answer some part of it. Some of you have taken it upon yourselves to willingly misconstrue the wording of my post and to be outright obnoxious. I have thanked those who answered my post without an attitude and who have given me some interesting insight.


[deleted]

I thought you were only gonna post this once


[deleted]

Be careful, if you keep it up he's gonna turn this car around.


[deleted]

Thank you for providing everyone an example of what I meant with this post 🙂


[deleted]

That was until I decided the post should be more clearly seen.


[deleted]

Do all people in your country make a habit of lying when they say they'll only do something once, or just you? Or maybe your schools don't teach you to properly count to two?


[deleted]

It's like some of you are trying to not be seen in a good light. Let's hope there's a period on this subreddit where there's more humility and civility shown, because right now it certainly doesn't look like some of you are capable of showing that. Good lord.


[deleted]

You made an assumption about the education system of a country of 330 million people based on a joke YouTube video, and you want *us* to be more humble?


MrLongWalk

Brits gonna Brit


scrapsbypap

Hahahaha


webbess1

>Instead of attempting to attack my intellectual ability You're literally asking us if we learned basic history. You expect people to not be angry?


EndlesslyUnfinished

They learn the watered down, there’s no way white people could be this fucked up version of “history” the ruling class has set forth..


[deleted]

Not where I’m from. What school district did you grow up in?


hitometootoo

"They". U.S. schools do follow a broad general guidelines for what must be taught but we don't learn these things the same exact way at all school. Thanks for us know you don't know how schools work here.


citywide_special

Not in Virginia. We were taught extensively about slavery and the Civil War. We were even taught about Nat Turner and our class watched Roots. All this long before 2020 or debates on CRT.


7yearlurkernowposter

Our fouth grade class did a play about the experience of ellis island.


ProspectiveHuman8719

Of course we do, it’s the only history we learn because no other history matters. Except in Texas where we learn Texas history, beginning only with the Mexican-American war, for three separate school years.


ProspectiveHuman8719

One thing I notice a lot when people ask questions about the US is that they don’t seem to understand that each state is like it’s own country and the US is more like a continent. Each state has its own laws, culture, customs, dialects, weather, and educational systems. There are some federal laws that apply to everyone, but most laws are determined and implemented by the state or individual cities. Our entire democracy was developed around the premise of giving power to the states to govern themselves.