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American Presidents and Their Attitudes, Beliefs, and Actions Surrounding Education and Multiculturalism

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American Presidents and Their Attitudes, Beliefs, and Actions Surrounding Education and Multiculturalism American Presidents and Their Attitudes, Beliefs, and Actions Surrounding Education and Multiculturalism A Series of Research Studies in Educational Policy Fourth Installment: Examining Presidents George Washington, James K. Polk, and Franklin D. Roosevelt By H. Prentice Baptiste & Rebecca Sanchez Introduction tions of George Washington, James K. Polk, we are seeking to use a multicultural lens and Franklin D. Roosevelt. to analyze and historicize in an effort to Understanding the Presidents of the There are several major consider- understand the power of history and his- United States, their actions, beliefs, and ations in terms of multicultural education torical interpretation in shaping the be- contradictions, is constructive in under- that can be addressed through a presiden- liefs and attitudes of a people. standing our nation’s complex societal is- tial study. First, the actions, policies, and sues. As a society we inherit the problems, We often speak about American history administrative decisions of the presidents as if it were something real. But I do not challenges, and legacies of these leaders. have influenced and determined the fate believe in American history: I only be- Multicultural education and multicultural of the citizenry in terms of equality, rac- lieve in American histories…I object to education theory offer an alternative lens ism, discrimination, and attitudes about the way history has been constructed, from which to analyze and interpret the groups. Second, the historical legacy and sanitized, and glorified. (Saenz, p. 137) actions and inactions of the Presidents. glorification of these same men in educa- This sanitization effect is ever present This lens allows for additional recog- tional texts, and the failure to include the in our schooling regarding the presidents. nition of the roots of contemporary often-devastating significance of their ac- Do our textbooks ever really delve into the struggles. Geneva Gay describes a primary tions towards certain groups in historical aristocratic nature of Washington? The characteristic of multicultural education: accounts, has further distorted societal assimilistic desires of Polk? Or the neglect “Multicultural education is essentially an attitudes about multiculturalism in our of racial issues by F. D. Roosevelt? More- affective, humanistic, and transformative country. over, are students of history, in all grades, enterprise situated within the sociocul- James Banks argues that it is impera- encouraged to connect the personal at- tural, political, and historical contexts of tive that “…the curriculum is reconceptual- tributes of the presidents and executive the United States” (Gay, 2004, p. 39). ized to help students understand how decisions they made to the complex This historical component, which has knowledge is constructed and how it re- multicultural dilemmas of their time? been whitewashed to the advantage and flects human interests, ideology, and the A historical revisitation of our Presi- preservation of the dominant white culture, experiences of the people who create it” dents allows for scrutiny and deeper un- becomes increasingly important in order (Banks, p. 23). A strange paradox emerges. derstanding of their administrations thus to address the presidential administra- The same men that we look to as embodi- helping to situate and contextualize our ments of the ideals of freedom, leadership, current racial, ethnic, and cultural dilem- H. Prentice Baptiste is a professor democracy, and equality, are men, who in mas in education and society at large. of multicultural and science education the cases of Washington, Polk, and F. D. Loewen, in his argument surrounding the and Rebecca Sanchez is a doctoral student Roosevelt, personally and publicly were acquisition of new historical knowledge in critical pedagogy, unable to live up to the values for which states, “Understanding our past is central both with the Department of Curriculum they are idolized. to our ability to understand ourselves and and Instruction Because of these inconsistencies, and the world around us. We need to know our at New Mexico State University, the impact of their administrative policies history” (p. 13). The problem arises when Las Cruces, New Mexico. on all cultural groups in the United States, FALL 2004 33 historical characters, such as the Presi- George Washington: dents, are over-glorified and over-simpli- fied, resulting in the furthering of the myth Setting the Example of President as infallible icon; this myth as First President undermines our historical understanding. It also makes the negative historical President Washington would not tell events, traumas, and tragedies appear to Congress that he thought slavery wrong. have occurred in a vacuum. There is no cau- He declined to lend his name or his sality or responsibility, no burden of guilt office’s prestige at a time when the words of the Declaration of Independence (“all placed on our leadership even in historical men are created equal”) were still reso- representations to account for the misdeeds nate… (O’Reilly, 1995, p. 16) of the past. For example, “George Washing- ton has become so shrouded in legend that Social Currency it is difficult to retrieve the man behind the marble exterior” (Smith, 1993, p. 9). George Washington was greatly influ- The purpose of this article is to present enced by his upbringing among Virginia additional information about Presidents plantation owners. He was born in Virginia Washington, Polk, and F. D. Roosevelt so in 1732, his family owned large tracts of that their contributions, oversights, and si- land that would later become his. The lence regarding multicultural matters and power and status granted to southern plan- education during their presidential admin- tation farmers was profound during this istrations can be understood in a deeper time. Many plantation owners were able to amass so much wealth because they had way. Furthermore, “Critical multicultural- George Washintgon ists in all domains must reunite memory ready access to education, political office, and public position. Economic dependence and history in order to address the ideo- acceptance of slave labor offered the oppor- on England was also a defining feature of logical distortions that daily confront us tunity of economic prosperity to a greater colonial society (Smith, 1993). in various expressions…” (Kincheloe & portion of the public than the colonists were The southern states had remained Steinberg, 1997, p. 241). used to in Europe (McDonald, 1974). Wash- largely agricultural and rural by the time Why the presidency and why these ington and his contemporaries were well Washington was born. Although cities in presidents? The president is the embodi- schooled in gentility and civility. This or- the north were quickly becoming more cos- ment of leadership in this country. Because dered lifestyle dictated controlled re- mopolitan and refined, the south was of the ambiguity of the Constitution in re- sponses, personal manners, and public be- based on agriculture (Wills, 2003). What lation to the chief executive, the president haviors (Ferling, 1988, McDonald, 1974). has the power to frame, implement, and separated the farmers of the south from homestead or substance farmers was the transform government (Schlesinger, 2002; Societal Values and Background Baptiste & Sanchez 2003). Washington, desire to farm large tracts of land. Such Polk, and F. D. Roosevelt were chosen be- large farms or plantations relied on the Early American society was likely re- cause these three presidents all served use of slave labor to function and prosper covering from shock at the whirlwind of during periods of tremendous growth, lit- economically (Hirshfeld, 1997). Slavery change that occurred in a short time. The erally and ideologically; the ideas of Mani- was a dominant force in the lives of plan- Declaration of Independence, the Ameri- fest Destiny and nationalism surfaced dur- tation farmers like the Washingtons. can Revolution, the Articles of Confedera- ing all three administrations. Yet all three George Washington became a slave tion, and the Constitutional Convention remained stunted in terms of creating poli- owner at age 11 when he “inherited ten had imbedded certain values into the new cies affecting groups of color such as Na- slaves” upon his father’s death (Hirshfeld, America (McDonald, 1974; Smith 1993; tive Americans, African-Americans, Mexi- 1997, p.11). The practice of slavery was Ferling, 1988; Brookhiser 1996). Economic can Americans, and Japanese Americans further protected since “the Constitution autonomy, personal independence, self- (Wiencek, 2003; Ferling 1988; Bergeron, expressly provided for the continuations of governance, individual ambition, and fear 1987; Zinn, 1997; O’Reilly, 1995; Freidel, that practice” (McDonald, 1974). George of tyranny were some of the resulting val- 1990; McJimsey, 2000; Warren, 1999). Washington inherited his family estate in ues of the period. Historical understanding is a complex 1752, nearly 37 years before he would as- The Constitutional Convention and endeavor. The goal of this article is not to sume the presidency. His upbringing among the subsequent adoption of a Constitution simplify and deduce an argument about slaves and his own economic tenacity and were profound in shaping the values of early multiculturalism or racism regarding the greed would render him dependent on slave American society. The delegates to the con- presidents that is not contextual. Rather,
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