In historical writing and analysis,
PRESENTISM introduces present-day ideas and
perspectives into depictions or interpretations of the past. I believe
presentism is a form of cultural bias, creating a distorted understanding
of the subject matter. Reading modern notions of morality into the past is
committing the error of presentism. I'm well aware that historical accounts are
written by people and can be slanted, so I try my hardest to present fact-based and well-researched articles without interjecting any of my personal
opinions.
NOTE: I present articles without regard to race, color, political party, religion, national origin, citizenship status, gender, LGBTQ status, age, disability, or military status. What I present are facts — NOT ALTERNATIVE FACTS — about the subject. You won't find character assassinations, hateful statements, insults, or attempts at humor.
PLEASE PRACTICE
HISTORICISM, WHICH IS THE
INTERPRETATION OF THE PAST IN ITS OWN CONTEXT.
When I write about historical topics, I follow this
methodology regarding race terms:
- "Negro" was the term used until the mid-1960s.
- "Black" started being used in the mid-1960s.
- "African-American" followed and began usage in the late 1980s.
I used the terms and words in the
vernacular of time-period books, documents, biography, legal dockets, contracts,
etc.
"SAVAGE" is a word defined in U.S. dictionaries as a Noun, Verb, Adjective, and Adverb. Definitions include:
Unlike the term "RED MAN,"
dictionaries like Merriam-Webster define this term's one-and-only definition as
a Noun meaning: AMERICAN INDIAN (historically dated, sensitive today). The term
Red Man/Red Men was often used historically from the 18th, 19th, and early
20th centuries.
"HALF-BREED" is a disrespectful term used to refer to the offspring of parents of different races, specifically the offspring of an American Indian and a white person of European descent.
Respectfully,
Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.
