Knowledge Production Connected Institutions Institutional Histories

Jingran Dai
Dr. Matthew John Phillips
355:100: Basic Composition
November 4, 2018
History and Education
It is a well-known fact that the history of some of the most prestigious American Universities are intertwined with the pitfalls of racism and other injustices done towards the black population. Ever since, this fact has been apparent with the issues showing certain levels of disparity existing between the Whites and the Blacks in terms of access to education. However, while most would argue that knowledge of the past is of little importance while addressing present issues is the best way to remove racism once and for all, what it less understood is the reality that our frame of mind depends on how we understand our own history. In this article, understanding these key issues would be done with the analysis of the articles written by Alex Carp and Ta-Nehisi Coates, entitled Slavery and the American University and Acting French, respectively. As according to Alex Carp, “strength lies not just in a profound sense of connection with the past but, through the past, a collective grappling with the present”. (Carp 14) Therefore, the history of any educational institution affects its presence and future, also the present situation and future projection can reflect the history of each educational institute. Similarly, it can be believed that by uncovering the realities of the past and using it as a template to reframe our present understanding, one could liberate themselves from the constraints of society and deal with the persistent issues more effectively.
Although it is widely-known that American Universities are built during the times of slavery, what is usually left out in history books is the reality that its establishment takes credit from the trade itself. On the one hand, this kind neglect is due to the system on how histories are recorded during those days. Before the abolition of slavery, slaves were not given the right to learn how to read and write, much less when it comes to education (Carp 2). As a result of this system of naming most of the records about them were lost, thereby relegating their role in the establishment of the university. This is not surprising, since during those days, most of the liberties that Whites enjoyed are at the expense of the joy and freedom of the blacks (Coates). However, while this surely neglect necessitates justice, even with a simple act of recognition, what is surprising is that little effort has been made as compared to what is necessarily right to uncover the truth. These days, a lot of scholars working in these institutions have focused on histories concerning the blacks, but only little have been done about their history in relation to the establishment of these academic institutions. In turn, this lack of effort is the reason why Carp has argued that the “ideas and institutions born in one era do not entirely cast off the forces that shaped them as they move through time”. To elaborate, educational institutes cannot be fully determined by its past and history, but it does not mean the history cannot shape the atmosphere of a school.
On the other hand, the functions and benefits that the universities were getting in expense of the slaves’ fre...