What should be taught in K-12 about cultures of tribes colonized by the Ancient Roman Empire?

[Boojatta]

Should nothing be taught, on the grounds that those tribes lived in what is today geographically classified as "Europe", and the whole purpose of studying the cultures of aboriginal tribes around the world is to focus less on European culture?

Should nothing be taught, on the grounds that those tribes don't exist today as culturally distinct entities?

Rome was initially merely a city-state, and its power expanded to cover a large geographic region. To conquer territory, and maintain control of that territory, did Rome practice colonialism?

How did non-European powers, at various times in their histories, expand their territory and maintain control of the newly acquired territory? For example, consider the Mughal Empire, the Empire that was initially based in the city of Mecca, and the Aztec Empire. What methods did they use? Were all of their methods incompatible with colonialism?

[damntexdem]

1. How much history is really being taught in K-12? Do they even get to those conquered by the Romans?

Sure, I got taught that in 9-12, but it was in a Jesuit high school; and I had to take Latin, where some of that history got taught. And that was about a half century ago. So what gets taught now, anyway?

And isn't it more to the point to advocate that schools teach about who got conquered to create the U.S.? And who got enslaved?

[femmocrat]

5. Don't know about high school, but all I see in elementary and middle school is US history.

I see endless displays about the American Revolution and the Civil War and the usual dabbling into Native American "crafts" around Thanksgiving.

I doubt if the curriculum has changed much since you went to school.

[Recursion]

8. I remember a map with Jutes, Picts, and Belgii on it

And something about Dacia. They conquered it, got run out, and conquered another province that the renamed "Dacia" so that it wouldn't be entirely clear that they lost a province.

[GrpCaptMandrake]

2. Important query

This topic is far more important than many will give it credit for being.

To the extent that we talk about white Europeans' (frequently, perhaps mostly) negative impact on other cultures, a valid starting point would be an effort toward understanding both migration and conquest as two primary dynamics that shaped the ancient world.

For instance, it's easy to see the harsh, brutal impact of the Spanish on Meso-, Central-, and South American peoples. The forced conversions, the religious torments, the genocidal effect of disease all make it unavoidable. What is much more difficult, however, is to talk about the cultures that were largely eliminated by the genocidal effects, for instance, of Gaius Iulius Caesar's incursions into Gaul and Brittania. As someone of Brittanic/Scots/Irish stock, I can say with certainty that I have no real idea of any cultural identity that was not imprinted on my ancient forebears by virtue of Roman conquest. The religion of my ancient ancestors was largely wiped out wholesale by the Romans, and any remnants were definitely ground into the dirt by Holy Mother Church. The same applies to the relevant cultures.

It's no surprise, then, that a culture that has been scrubbed clean of identity finds it easy to do the same to the next group down the line in the next migration. I'm thinking of my multi-great grandfather who had no misgivings at all about shooting the Indians whose land he had stolen here in what is now West Virginia.

[exboyfil]

6. I got on my 7th grade daughter's case this weekend about

William the Conquerer killing my Anglo-Saxon king Harold at Hastings. My daughter's mom is from nearly full blooded Norwegian stock.

My daughter did not appreciate the comment.

Of course my Celtic uncle is still pretty pissed off about both the Roman invaders and the Anglo-Saxon invaders who marginalized his people in England and Ireland.

Going back before that I am sure we can find some aggrieved party about the Celtic invasion of England and Ireland. Don't forget the neanderthals.

[roguevalley]

3. teach the truth no matter how it might bother anyone. Truth is the only

weapon against fascism we have.

[exboyfil]

7. I agree with teaching the truth

but folks do use it as a soapbox for their individual causes. One is perceived blood/cultural guilt for the behavior of individuals who are long dead. I do not feel responsible if my ancestors owned slaves (which they probably did not) and treated native Americans very badly, and no amount of throwing my racial background in my face will cause me to feel any differently.

Care should be taken in either idolizing individuals/cultures or condemning them out of hand for not behaving like modern individuals. The Founding Fathers were neither all Deists nor all Christians, but a mixture, and many of their Christian thoughts contributed to the good government we have today. Many had blind spots and all were hypocrits in some fashion (just as today).

The native American cultures present before the coming of the Europeans were filled with good and bad as well. It was not a paradise before the coming of the Europeans, but neither were the native Americans ignorant savages. They had sophistated cultures and a well honed technology that allowed them to survive.

The New York standardized test for 8th grade Social Studies emphasizes three areas in its short answer portion on the test from 2008. These include the forced assimilation of native Americans in government run schools, the incarceration of the Japanese in World War II, and the Civil Rights organizations in the early and middle 20th century and why they were formed. We also got several questions in the multiple choice about slavery as well. It appears we are doing a good job at least in our testing to inform all individuals of the negative behavior of the European culture in the U.S.

[Reader Rabbit]

4. Terry Jones (of Monty Python fame) did a great documentary about this.

It's a four-part series called "Barbarians." He goes into great depth about each culture and compares them to the Romans of the era. It's really great stuff.