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Showing posts from December, 2018

THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS: DE-ROMANTICIZING AMERICAN INSTITUTIONS

Historic marker and courthouse where the Scottsboro Trials were conducted I came to the United States as an overachieving teenager. I spent my first summer trying to catch up on all that was American History. I knew I would get along in Math and Sciences, but social studies and history would be what would take me from teacher's pet to just meh. I read voraciously. My concerns over history are obvious; I would be behind my classmates by years. Social Studies was a different beast. My country was known for its corruption, and the U.S. was known for the integrity of its institutions. American institutions were so strong and incorruptible, it gave the entire country free reign to advise and intervene in the governance of other countries, whether or not by invitation. I was excited to learn about this way, maybe I could figure out how to take it home one day. I read every word on every page in every textbook;  I thought books in the U.S were laid out the way ours were. In th