What we are doing in school for history:

We are studying U.S. History this year, and began with who has been here before the colonies began to form.  We discussed some of the ideas in Barry Fell’s book, “America B.C.” http://www.amazon.com/America-B-C-Ancient-Settlers-World/dp/0671679740, that there is evidence that ancient civilizations visited North America.  We also discussed Native Americans’ arrival, thoughts surrounding that, with a plan to further investigate how they lived later.  We discussed America as part of one super continent at one time.  I read in a few places that some people believe that biblical “Ophir” could have been the Americas, so we discussed that as a possibility. 

Now, we are reading a book entitled “The Travels of Marco Polo," to discover why Columbus set out to find a better route to the east.  It has been so interesting, and really outlines the dangers of travel, as well as the time it took, and why precious items from the east were so valued.  I remember learning in school about Columbus wanting to find a route to the east, but could not appreciate just what they were after, or how difficult and dangerous the travel was.  Studying Marco Polo’s travels has been so interesting; the places they went, the things they saw, and the challenges they faced. We  will be finishing this book on Friday – it’s a short read.

Then, the plan was to read “Around the World in a Hundred Years” by Jean Fritz.  However, I’m rethinking that.  The last time I read it, the bias didn’t get to me.  I guess I didn’t even really notice it, which surprises me, because as many point out on the Amazon.com reviews, it’s there in bold.  So I’ve taken some time to skim through the book, re-reading the excerpts outlined in these reviews.  Frankly, I don’t know if I can read this book.  If I did, I’d have to do a lot of explaining.  “Not all Christians thought that way.”  Or “This was inaccurate.”  So much is fun and interesting.  Like how maps were made, and what people thought about “The Unknown.”  Bias – I’ve learned to handle that with science when I have to edit evolution thoughts all the time.  But if Jean Fritz was so irresponsible as to blame Christians for burning the libraries at Alexandria, when it is truly unknown what happened, then where else is she inaccurate?  How can you read a history book, and constantly wonder “Is that correct, or just another example of her being inaccurate?”

Well, I’ll decide this week what I’m going to do.  I’m not schedule to begin it until next week.