• Isn’t the major controversy that they’re trying to argue that there were benefits for the slaves? Not benefits for the nation, benefits for the state, or even benefits for the plantation owners… but they’re forcing teachers to teach that the slaves themselves benefited - right?

      These people are so fucked up, I just can’t. I can’t figure out how they’re in office.

      • 0110010001100010@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        That is correct. Quote from the article:

        Florida’s new teaching standards include the same language that scored national blowback last year for requiring middle school students to learn “how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.”

      • popcap200@lemmy.ml
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        5 months ago

        Fucking yikes. I wouldn’t have guessed that from just the title. I don’t understand why I don’t just assume the absolute worst when Republicans do anything these days 😂

    • Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      5 months ago

      It’s a topic I’m WAAAAY too dumb to weigh in on myself, but as fucked up as it is, there were some major benefits (not to say they were worth the mindblowing human rights abuse)…

      The “Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History” episode Human Resources was extremely enlightening on the subject (if you have FIVE AND A HALF HOURS to spare…)

      • SkyezOpen@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Free labor is certainly good, but it resulted in the south basically refusing to industrialize which meant their almost entirely slave-based economy was destroyed after the Civil War.

      • popcap200@lemmy.ml
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        5 months ago

        Fascinating!

        It’s absolutely a topic worth discussing and considering from a college or advanced high school level perspective imo as there is debate to be had. IDK if you saw it, the article I linked does discuss a lot of the benefits, and it discusses a lot of the downsides to those benefits. Like cotton from the south was definitely cheaper, but putting all their eggs into the slave estate basket meant they didn’t have a well developed industrial base, which you can see caused them a lot of issues in the civil war. It was also bad from their overall economy.

        • Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          5 months ago

          Aha! I’ll check out your link when I’m able to read it on a bigger screen, it’s definitely a fascinating (and horrifying) topic!