Critique of the 1776 Commission Report/Printable version
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[edit | edit source]General
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No Essays or Polemics -- The Importance of 'Neutral Point of View'
[edit | edit source]The authors of 1776 Report wove value-based and judgment-based essay in with summaries of history and memories of history. Many critics of 1776 Report will want to write essays or polemics opposing the values and judgments expressed by the authors. We encourage you to do so, but this Wikibook (Critique of the 1776 Commission Report) is not the place for it.
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Wiki Structure (Planned)
[edit | edit source]Text from the original 1776 Report will be uploaded into "source pages" -- one wiki page per paragraph. (Exception: Appendix I. Declaration of Independence.) These pages will be locked to prevent from further editing or vandalism.
All of the authors and editors will add/modify content on individual pages for each page/column/paragraph number. These are called "Analysis and Rebuttal Pages".
There will be a fixed template for each Analysis and Rebuttal Page:
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- The required sections are:
- History Content
- Memory Content
- Rhetoric
- Viewpoints
- Authorship
- Other Content
- (anything that doesn't fit into the sections above, and also will not appear in the Summaries. Excludes meta-discussions, which belong in the 'Talk' page for each.)
- Footnotes -- automatically generated from <ref> tags on the page
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Creating New Pages
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Named Contributors
(please enter your name in alphabetical order)
Thomas, Russell Cameron -- Data Scientist and PhD Candidate in Computational Social Science, George Mason University
Preface
This textbook is an annotated/augmented text based on the President’s Advisory 1776 Commission Report, published by the White House, United States of America, January 2021 (public domain).
This critique is needed because the 1776 Report includes many errors, omissions, and contested assertions, and lacks context to help readers evaluate its content and messages independently. We justify this strong assertion via the content of this textbook.
Presentation
[edit | edit source]For easy reading and interpretation, the original paragraphs of the 1776 Report are presented side-by-side with the corresponding the analysis/ rebuttal. Color coding and interactive buttons allow the reader to switch between the different categories of analysis.
Content
[edit | edit source]The paragraph-by-paragraph analysis and rebuttal of the 1776 Report includes these categories:
- History and Memory content -- historical facts, historical analysis, what we remember about history, why those memories are prominent, etc.
- Rhetoric -- how the content is presented and to what end, e.g. factual statement, values statement, example, story, hyperbole, generalization, argumentation, etc.
- Viewpoints -- whose viewpoints are expressed, and whose are excluded, and the implications
- Pedagogy -- the educational process or methods expressed or implied
- Authorship -- who authored the 1776 Report, issues about references, sources, and plagiarism
Appendix I. Declaration of Independence from the 1776 Report is not included in the side-by-side analysis because it is simply the text of the Declaration, without any addition content by the report authors.
Consistent with all Wikibooks, this textbook adopts a neutral point of view, and therefore does not include essays or arguments regarding the values expressed in the 1776 Report, including philosophy (ethics, morals), social justice, politics, personal motives or biases of the authors, and similar. Readers interested in these perspectives and arguments are encouraged to look at the Further Reading section.
Intended audiences
[edit | edit source]- Teachers and students of Civics and US History -- high school and undergraduate college
- Educational policy makers for high schools and undergraduate colleges
- Teachers and students of communications, rhetoric, cultural studies, and education -- undergraduate college
Introduction
Original Text | Analysis & Rebuttal |
---|---|
I. Introduction | |
p1, col. 1, ¶1: In the course of human events there have always been those who deny or reject human freedom, but Americans will never falter in defending the fundamental truths of human liberty proclaimed on July 4, 1776. We will — we must — always hold these truths. |
History:
Memory:
Rhetoric:
Viewpoint: Authorship:
|
Original | Rebuttal |
Original | Rebuttal |
Page 1, Col. 1, PP 1
Under Construction. This page is being used to test and refine the template that will eventually be used for all "Analysis & Rebuttal" pages. |
Original Text:
In the course of human events there have always been those who deny or reject human freedom, but Americans will never falter in defending the fundamental truths of human liberty proclaimed on July 4, 1776. We will — we must — always hold these truths.
Analysis & Rebuttal:
History Content
[edit | edit source]Summary:
- [history placeholder]
[Analysis & Rebuttal from regarding History Content in the Original Text -- What events happened and when? Who was involved? Who was affected? What factors or conditions led to or caused historical events? ]
Memory Content
[edit | edit source]Summary:
- [memory placeholder]
[Analysis & Rebuttal from regarding Memory Content in the Original Text -- what is remembered about history? What has been omitted or forgotten?]
Rhetoric
[edit | edit source]Summary:
- [placeholder]
[Analysis & Rebuttal from regarding Rhetoric in the Original Text.]
Viewpoint
[edit | edit source]Summary:
[Analysis & Rebuttal from regarding Viewpoint in the Original Text, especially whose viewpoints are included and excluded.]
Authorship
[edit | edit source]Summary:
- [authorship placeholder]
[Analysis & Rebuttal from regarding Authorship in the Original Text, especially sources, omissions from sources, and plagiarism]
Other
[edit | edit source][Any other Analysis & Rebuttal that does not fit in the categories above]
Footnotes
[edit | edit source]Further Reading
[edit | edit source]
Original text
The original text of the 1776 Report is included in the following subpages, by page number, with one section per paragraph. This facilitates transclusion of the original text into the side-by-side analysis/rebuttal pages.
Original_Table_of_Contents
[edit | edit source]I. Introduction -- 1
II. The meaning of the declaration -- 2
III. A constitution of principles -- 6
IV. Challenges to America's Principles -- 10
- Slavery -- 10
- Progressivism -- 12
- Fascism -- 13
- Communism -- 14
- Racism and Identity Politics -- 15
V. The Task of National Renewal -- 16
- The Role of the Family -- 17
- Teaching America -- 17
- A Scholarship of Freedom -- 18
- The American Mind -- 18
- Reverence for the Laws -- 19
VI CONCLUSION -- 20
Appendix I: The declaration of independence -- 21
Appendix II: Faith and America's Principles -- 24
Appendix III: Created Equal or Identity Politics? -- 29
Appendix IV: Teaching Americans about Their Country -- 34
Original Text, by Page
[edit | edit source]