The Clearances

[Ryan Ross]

You know, I think I know a good reason why people don't know much about history. A new friend I met at the Highland Games last weekend told me something that made me think: History classes are nothing but dates and events to people, because that's all they teach and they get bored with it.

To me history is much more than that, it's a part of who we are.

That's my philosophy, aswell. When I start teaching history, I intend to teach more than dates and events. Adding in bits about everyday life in period and anecdotes about the famous personalities of history should help to impress upon students that history is not just a tired old bedtime story- it's real and it's pertinent. Humanising historic people is key... IMHO.

[nightchild336]

I will not act as though I have studied the topic of the clearances extensively, i have done no such thing. i have studied a bit and the things i have read have made my stomach churn. even if only ten percent of the information out there is true it was a atrocity against man inspired by pure evil. to be rack rented out of your own home, and thats if you were lucky. . . pure evil. greed is a terrible thing. it will make love hate and hate destruction if we do not tame it. the reason history should be taught in all of its dark glory is so that we can see the errors made by others and not repeat them. that is of course my opinion only.

[Sheep In Wolf's Clothing]

My favourite history teacher was a very hands on type of teacher. He would bring in artifacts or have the students try to make them
He was also big on research, anything we wrote or made had to have an essay and it had to have 3-6 sorces. I took all three courses he taught. He later went on to win the Governor General of Canada's Excellents in Teaching Award. He changed my life.
Sorry for the hijack but if we had more teachers like "Lord Simons"* I think more students would take history classes.
Sara
*The nick name my class gave him after he turned our football field into 13th century England, mud, cattle, serfs, raids, kings and all!!

[JS Sanders]

Another related book, A Dance Called America by Scottish historian James Hunter, is an account of what happened to thousands of people who left, or were evicted from the Highlands bound for the United States & Canada.

Hunter's book evaluates the impact of these Scots in North America - contributions quite apparent in modern times.

Read Prebble's book 1st, then follow up with this one.

Slainte yall,
steve

[sharpdressedscot]

I will not act as though I have studied the topic of the clearances extensively, i have done no such thing. i have studied a bit and the things i have read have made my stomach churn. even if only ten percent of the information out there is true it was a atrocity against man inspired by pure evil. to be rack rented out of your own home, and thats if you were lucky. . . pure evil. greed is a terrible thing. it will make love hate and hate destruction if we do not tame it. the reason history should be taught in all of its dark glory is so that we can see the errors made by others and not repeat them. that is of course my opinion only.

A very good opinion, if we don't learn from history we (as in humans) are bound to repeat it.


And I shall try to check those books out in my library, they look good.

[Retro Red]

Two well known quotes sum up why I've always enjoyed history.

"Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't."
-Mark Twain

"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it."
-George Santayana

That last quote is why I believe it is especially important for our schools to teach history & why I think it is so important that our political leaders should be well-versed in understanding history, rather than law or business.

.

[sirdaniel1975]

You know, I think I know a good reason why people don't know much about history. A new friend I met at the Highland Games last weekend told me something that made me think: History classes are nothing but dates and events to people, because that's all they teach and they get bored with it.

To me history is much more than that, it's a part of who we are.

I completely agree with that statement. This is why I consider myself a "Self Taught" individual. Even though I have a Bachelors degree, most of what I learned during college was completely my own doing.

Now, I do have some pretty intelligent and genius mentors. Some of which had nothing to do with college and a whole lot to do with Summer and Autumn of 1998 in Franklin,NC.

[SteveB]

History is who we are. On this forum, the history of tartans, kilts and the like are like preaching to the choir. I love the chase called genealogy, and not just for the names and dates (boring) that I can add to my charts. The most interesting facet is the social migrations, whether voluntary or forced. The "Planter Stock" that moved from Scotland to Ireland to help control the natives. The ancestor sold at auction in York, Maine for 2 pounds 3 shillings and 2 pence. Who had an internal sense of engineering to make major contributions to the well being of his new "home". Although neither clan on my signature line's tartan is listed with red yarn, both have plenty of red spilled. My study proves that I am a son of a Witch. One of my ancestresses was accused at Salem, Massachusetts of witchcraft. In the study of American History, I have some who fought against the Crown, and many who stayed loyal to it. As far as learning history goes, the Cr*p that was regurgitated to us in the classroom, was no where near as interesting as the history outside the schoolhouse. I grew up in Lexington, Massachusetts, some what famous with Concord for the shot heard 'round the world, and the beginning of the revolution. Most high school students were pressed into service as guides for people visiting the town and its many historic sites. Each of us would get to learn in depth about the people and the historic sense of the landmark that was "ours" for the summer. We got to dress in period garments, and do a limited amount of role playing. History, both true and continued myth were thus very alive. For each summers preperation i would devour all that the library had on the subject, and then dig through any related sources I could get a grip onto. The summer that I "played" a publican, I had so studied his diaries and account books that for each day, I could reconstruct it as it was in 1775. It was not until I reached fifty that I had researched my own genealogy back to one of the customers of that publican, in 1775.

[ForresterModern]

I have been a self driven student of history all my life. I was the nine year old who led his parents and siblings on his own self guided tour of nearly every major Civil War battlefield east of the Mississippi in one summer, something my parents and siblings still speak of with awe to this day.

History is only interesting to those who have some interest in understanding its forces and in learning from its lessons. As a variant of what has been said earlier, history is written by the victors (in a military setting) but better said to be written by the SURVIVORS in all settings. All of life, from an evolutionary standpoint, is the drive and desire to survive and self-perpetuate AT ALL COSTS. And sometimes those costs are indeed brutal, cruel, and inhumane. And none of us likes to have to hear about and relive our own tribe's actions which might fall into this category of behavior. Modern Germans resent being forced to learn in primary school about the holocaust and their ancestors part in that horror wrought by men, white americans try to ignore the plight of inner city poor blacks as a longterm result of slavery and their own version of the Highland clearances involving the native americans and the american west. All families have their horse thief somewhere in their history, or as my grandfather used to say their "n****r in the woodpile" which causes some sense of shame and embarrassment.

When it comes to the Highland clearances I would have to lump myself into the crowd of folks relatively interested and somewhat knowledgeable of all things scottish and some scottish history, but must admit that I have learned more about the clearances in this thread than I ever knew before, or would likely have learned without the input of those of you who are more knowledgeable and willing to discuss it and share it here with the rest of us in open forum. And I have been now motivated to learn more on the subject and will likely read Prebbles book myself at next opportunity. But please don't belittle those of us who are less knowledgeable than you might be, don't pity our ignorance. Rather consider it an opportunity to spread your knowledge to those who may be more enthusiastic than you might ever imagine to learn about what you know about the subject and have to share to make us all better informed.

Knowledge is inherently good. Knowledge is power.

I will step down off my soapbox now to let someone else have an opportunity to rant.

[Jock Scot]

Jock, you're entirely right that the blight was natural and humans did not inflict it on the crops.



But Slohairt makes my point. It wasn't the failure of the crops, but the lack of support during the famine that I argue.

Thank you so much for your reply.I have no doubts whatsoever that some took advantage of the crop failures to "feather their own nest".Nothing much changes does it?Its still going on in many places in the world.

Getting back to the clearances and the potato famine. I think that the British government,local officialdom and society in general were not prepared and had no knowledge or facilities available to handle the disaster that landed on them.To put it simply they were out of their depth.Nevertheless I make no excuses for those who took advantage, of hungry peoples plight, whether they were in government or some local landlord who sat back(could they have helped?Some were in the same predicament!),did nothing and just waited for the dreadful events to unfold.

Of course the potato famine was an awful episode in the much longer saga of the clearances of the Highlands and Ireland.