Display at the Kentucky Capitol has historical facts wrong

[MrsMo]

The article states that there are two historical inaccuracies, one of which seems rather minor - stating that "In God We Trust" was adopted on two days as the US official motto, rather than on one day. The second inaccuracy is much more glaring - stating that The Star Spangled Banner was a rallying cry for the American patriots during the revolutionary war (1776). In reality, TSSB wasn't written until 1814.

Ok, so some errors occurred - someone made a pretty display and everyone said "How nice..." and no one took two seconds to actually READ the damn thing (this is Kentucky after all LOL). However; the inaccuracies have been pointed out. The response?


On Monday, a day before he lost his race for re-election, Republican Gov. Ernie Fletcher signed an executive order proclaiming the documents played important roles in developing the legal system and should remain on display until another governor or legal ruling forces them down. Fletcher's spokeswoman, Jodi Whitaker, said the administration was "not aware of any inaccuracies" when the order went out for the exhibit, which includes framed copies of the Ten Commandments and the Magna Carta.

The Rev. Herschel Walker of Hopewell Baptist Church in Corbin, who donated the documents to the state last month, said he did not have an immediate response about the inaccuracies found at the Capitol. Earlier this week he said the display was meant as a tool for teaching children civic literacy.

The exhibit in the Capitol is identical to existing displays in the Mercer and Rowan county courthouses. Mercer County Judge-Executive John Trisler said he was not aware of any inaccuracies with the display, which has been up for about six years in his central Kentucky county.

"We do appreciate the display, and we get a lot of favorable comments about it," Trisler said.



In other words, despite this being displayed in an area that should encourage accurate history, the state of Ky is content to allow the displays to stand, as is, because they don't see anything wrong with it. AAAaaaaAAaaaRRRGH! What is wrong with these people? They make my brain hurt.:089:

Here's a link to the full story: http://www.denverpost.com/watercooler/ci_7399635

[SpoofedEx]

Hehehe, you seem to be in quite a rant-mood.... I like it ;-).
Can't you rant taxes for me? I've done it today but I'm too tired to do it now. But they cost me several hundred bucks just because I have two seperate jobs. So I make less money because I work hard. Great.

[Kitz E Kat]

Hehehe, you seem to be in quite a rant-mood.... I like it ;-).
Can't you rant taxes for me? I've done it today but I'm too tired to do it now. But they cost me several hundred bucks just because I have two seperate jobs. So I make less money because I work hard. Great.
Dont know who is making the dinner tonight , but if it's Mrs Mo, then I think I'll pass !!!! God knows what you would get :-)

Dunno Mrs Mo, OK so it's factually incorrect , but like a well trodden pathway over time becomes a right of way, so to do incorrect facts.
It dont really make that much of a difference, and if it helps to encourage an interest in American history, then those that do become interested will chase down the real facts.
In the big scheme of things it's not that high on the list IMHO.
The US is the TSSB, it's what the world knows it as, what real harm does it do to slightly alter the facts, a little !!!!
It's something that most Americans are proud of and hence, is a part of american life, so what if it came a tad later than it should have!
We can get too hung up on facts sometimes :-)

[MrsMo]

...
Dunno Mrs Mo, OK so it's factually incorrect , but like a well trodden pathway over time becomes a right of way, so to do incorrect facts.
This is what upsets me so much about the inacuracies in the display. Historical displays in seats of government -particularly displays about that government's own history- should be accurate.

It dont really make that much of a difference, and if it helps to encourage an interest in American history, then those that do become interested will chase down the real facts.
In the big scheme of things it's not that high on the list IMHO.
The US is the TSSB, it's what the world knows it as, what real harm does it do to slightly alter the facts, a little !!!!
It's something that most Americans are proud of and hence, is a part of american life, so what if it came a tad later than it should have!
We can get too hung up on facts sometimes :-) As for someone chasing down the correct facts, how long before the incorrect information starts being displayed in the history texts? After all, it's what's on display at the government seats, so it must be the right version...

And perhaps it's not vitally important to know when the TSSB was written, or how many days it took to adopt In God We Trust as the official US motto, but if we allow these to slide so blatently how long before it's ok to start sliding in bigger inaccuracies? How about claiming that Martin Luther King Jr revolted against the church and started Lutheranism? Kind of changes the whole 60's civil liberties fight to a religious one.

[SyntaxHeir]

"History is written by the victors." --Winston Churchill

I wonder how much of our history is valid at all? How much of what we're taught in school is whitewashed and sanitized for our consumption?

Who reading this was taught:
Columbus discovered America?
Lincoln grew up in a log cabin doing his arithmetic on the back of a shovel?
The Civil War was about slavery and the Union were noble philanthropists while the Confederates were wicked despots?
Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone?
Edison invented the light bulb?

Honestly how much of what the government tells us is true?

I'd love to read American History as written by a Native American scholar.

So my ultimate contribution to the thread is,

"Oh really?"