George Washington, All-American

A recent visit to the Northern Neck of Virginia turned up interesting facts related to George Washington's desire to be considered "American" and not as the descendent of landed Englishmen. The site was George Washington's birthplace near the Potomac (and only seven miles from the birthplace of another famous Virginian, Robert E. Lee!).

Nothing remains of the original plantation except the site, but the site itself is of interest. It seems that the Washingtons managed to carve out for themselves a plantation containing the only level land with access to the Potomac River for miles. Hence, the access for shipping and receiving goods by other landowners was controlled by the Washingtons. How enterprising! How American!

Interestingly, George's original immigrant ancestor left England to escape Cromwell, an action that puts him with the Cavaliers, supporters of the king.

Now, that's irony.

Jaywalking Through History

Let me first state that I really don't like the Jay Leno show. I have never been a fan of late night shows, even those dating back to Johnny Carson--too much smut and innuendo for my taste. Nevertheless, thanks to my husband's viewing habits, I do occasionally see one of Leno's favorite stunts--what he calls "Jaywalking."

These sidewalk question-and-answer interviews can be painful to watch, especially when college students or teachers cannot answer the simplest of questions, but one recent broadcast practically symbolized what has happened in education in the last 40 years. Leno stopped a middle-class family visiting what appeared to be Universal Studios in California. The night's questions were about the American Revolution--simple ones such as what was the last name of the woman named Betsy who sewed the flag, why did her flag have 13 stripes, what year was independence declared, and what country were the Americans fighting.


I don't need to tell you that the family's two average, clean-cut teenagers couldn't answer these questions, do I?

Their parents, who appeared to be in their mid- to late- forties couldn't answer them either.

However, their GRANDFATHER, who appeared to be in his late sixties or maybe 70, answered every question correctly. I would bet that he probably has fewer years of schooling than his children do, since that would be typical of most families.

This IS discouraging, isn't it?

Unfortunately, this educational demographic cuts across all racial and ethnic backgrounds. This middle-class family just happened to be African-American.