hello my name is Abigail Harlow I am a
senior at Hudson high school and the
title of my speeches when history is
silenced the last I witness there are
two quotes that everyone has heard about
history those who cannot remember the
past are doomed to repeat it by George
Santana and history is written by the
victorious by Winston Churchill who
hasn’t heard these but is history ever
truly safe from the changes of time will
the actual events that shape the future
of our world be remembered after the
last generation that survived them is
gone we live in what is termed the
Information Age one would think that
because of this history is written
everywhere and pictures are taken and
there’s letters written but it’s all on
a computer now we have historical
revisionists who rewrite history
imagine rewriting the Constitution
because we’re gonna add cell phones or
selfies and other things that weren’t
there back then but my kids kids kids
won’t know the 20th century is only
eighteen years in the past a hundred
years rife with war and social change
it wasn’t the bloodiest century our
country ever saw but yet there’s people
that want to change it erase parts of
the century that they’re uncomfortable
to admit the Holocaust never happened
according to the Tampa Bay Times the
last veteran of World War one died in
2011 at the age of 110 using that as an
indicator it’s not an easy to say that a
hundred years is the safety zone for
history unfortunately history seems to
be suffering a much deeper disservice in
the 21st century in Japan since World
War two there have been three separate
periods in which the government has
stopped certain textbook companies from
publishing The Rape of Nanking if you’re
unfamiliar that’s when the Japanese
perpetrated many awful murders on the
Chinese but why would they want to tell
their country that textbook publishers
that
not comply found their books removed
from the lists approved for purchase are
you surprised
in Great Britain there is an attempt to
cease teaching the Holocaust as it is
offensive to the immigrant population so
it didn’t really happen it’s not just
happening abroad though in Texas
textbooks being used for middle school
curriculum have been edited to edit out
Jim Crow laws because because it is
uncomfortable to admit in 2010 new
textbooks were printed removing these
historical events to create a more
conservative approach to education in
Texas new state standards to rewrite
this history book makes teachers left to
fill in the blanks it’s kind of like the
way grandma used to tell you a story but
then mom told you and it was totally
different you really want your children
learning about the Holocaust by filling
in the blanks scary it’s important to
know about history and to know
everything that goes into it I mean your
family came here from somewhere you know
what if it was just gone it may be true
that the winner writes the history books
but the school board buys them it only
takes one generation to obliterate the
past and to change the ideas of what
really happened history is at risk when
the last Holocaust survivor is gone and
can no longer pull up their sleeve to
show the tattoo that inventoried them
like cattle and the concentration camps
well the more than six million Jews
homosexuals handicapped and prisoners of
war exterminated by the Nazis just be
forgotten what happens when the last US
sailor who will waited invasion orders
watch the mushroom-shaped cloud appear
and prayed he would be spare two grand
more on the island of Japan is gone
there will not be anyone left to say
that they were scared for their lives to
know that they might never see their
families again
because everyone on Japan said I will
fight until I die
to save my country when the last
classmate of mine is gone will the
attack on the World Trade Center be
remembered as something other than
hatred toward the idea of freedom yes we
were young but we do know what 9/11 was
but think about it my mom knows what
9/11 was and her stories and the history
that’s there right now is what teaches
me so once again when my kids kids kids
go to school will they know what 9/11
was for the net fur also my generation
April 15 2013 was the day no one felt
safe a street filled with people running
a marathon like they did every year
instantly ruined due to Islam extremists
aka Terris the generation before me and
after me 2001 it’s a big one just as
December 7th 1941 did for my 41 year old
grandfather just in November 9th and
1938 did for Jewish shop owners the
Boston bombing 9/11 Pearl Harbor and
cristinaw are not just unimportant
answers on a history exam they are dates
that marked periods where the date where
the world changed dates where history
should have been written down these are
just a few examples of the dangers of a
race in history and don’t even scratch
the surface but now it’s up to the
younger ones the teaching of our next
generation is often looked upon as being
the hope of the future these students
visiting at their desk learning about
Pythagorean theorem and deconstructing
sentences are the guardians of our past
they must be vigilant to protecting the
truth of history if not how will my
answer my ancestors be able to walk in
whatever realm it may be and know that
their story is being carried on like I
said they must be vigilant in protecting
the truth of history if not will my
great-great-great-great granddaughter
ever
even know what happened well your
great-great-great-great granddaughter
know what happened I mean we all know
the stories now but what about later
what I have learned and I hope you have
learned as well listening to me today is
that history is only truly safe as long
as an eyewitness or someone that truly
cares about history survives thank you [Applause]
senior at Hudson high school and the
title of my speeches when history is
silenced the last I witness there are
two quotes that everyone has heard about
history those who cannot remember the
past are doomed to repeat it by George
Santana and history is written by the
victorious by Winston Churchill who
hasn’t heard these but is history ever
truly safe from the changes of time will
the actual events that shape the future
of our world be remembered after the
last generation that survived them is
gone we live in what is termed the
Information Age one would think that
because of this history is written
everywhere and pictures are taken and
there’s letters written but it’s all on
a computer now we have historical
revisionists who rewrite history
imagine rewriting the Constitution
because we’re gonna add cell phones or
selfies and other things that weren’t
there back then but my kids kids kids
won’t know the 20th century is only
eighteen years in the past a hundred
years rife with war and social change
it wasn’t the bloodiest century our
country ever saw but yet there’s people
that want to change it erase parts of
the century that they’re uncomfortable
to admit the Holocaust never happened
according to the Tampa Bay Times the
last veteran of World War one died in
2011 at the age of 110 using that as an
indicator it’s not an easy to say that a
hundred years is the safety zone for
history unfortunately history seems to
be suffering a much deeper disservice in
the 21st century in Japan since World
War two there have been three separate
periods in which the government has
stopped certain textbook companies from
publishing The Rape of Nanking if you’re
unfamiliar that’s when the Japanese
perpetrated many awful murders on the
Chinese but why would they want to tell
their country that textbook publishers
that
not comply found their books removed
from the lists approved for purchase are
you surprised
in Great Britain there is an attempt to
cease teaching the Holocaust as it is
offensive to the immigrant population so
it didn’t really happen it’s not just
happening abroad though in Texas
textbooks being used for middle school
curriculum have been edited to edit out
Jim Crow laws because because it is
uncomfortable to admit in 2010 new
textbooks were printed removing these
historical events to create a more
conservative approach to education in
Texas new state standards to rewrite
this history book makes teachers left to
fill in the blanks it’s kind of like the
way grandma used to tell you a story but
then mom told you and it was totally
different you really want your children
learning about the Holocaust by filling
in the blanks scary it’s important to
know about history and to know
everything that goes into it I mean your
family came here from somewhere you know
what if it was just gone it may be true
that the winner writes the history books
but the school board buys them it only
takes one generation to obliterate the
past and to change the ideas of what
really happened history is at risk when
the last Holocaust survivor is gone and
can no longer pull up their sleeve to
show the tattoo that inventoried them
like cattle and the concentration camps
well the more than six million Jews
homosexuals handicapped and prisoners of
war exterminated by the Nazis just be
forgotten what happens when the last US
sailor who will waited invasion orders
watch the mushroom-shaped cloud appear
and prayed he would be spare two grand
more on the island of Japan is gone
there will not be anyone left to say
that they were scared for their lives to
know that they might never see their
families again
because everyone on Japan said I will
fight until I die
to save my country when the last
classmate of mine is gone will the
attack on the World Trade Center be
remembered as something other than
hatred toward the idea of freedom yes we
were young but we do know what 9/11 was
but think about it my mom knows what
9/11 was and her stories and the history
that’s there right now is what teaches
me so once again when my kids kids kids
go to school will they know what 9/11
was for the net fur also my generation
April 15 2013 was the day no one felt
safe a street filled with people running
a marathon like they did every year
instantly ruined due to Islam extremists
aka Terris the generation before me and
after me 2001 it’s a big one just as
December 7th 1941 did for my 41 year old
grandfather just in November 9th and
1938 did for Jewish shop owners the
Boston bombing 9/11 Pearl Harbor and
cristinaw are not just unimportant
answers on a history exam they are dates
that marked periods where the date where
the world changed dates where history
should have been written down these are
just a few examples of the dangers of a
race in history and don’t even scratch
the surface but now it’s up to the
younger ones the teaching of our next
generation is often looked upon as being
the hope of the future these students
visiting at their desk learning about
Pythagorean theorem and deconstructing
sentences are the guardians of our past
they must be vigilant to protecting the
truth of history if not how will my
answer my ancestors be able to walk in
whatever realm it may be and know that
their story is being carried on like I
said they must be vigilant in protecting
the truth of history if not will my
great-great-great-great granddaughter
ever
even know what happened well your
great-great-great-great granddaughter
know what happened I mean we all know
the stories now but what about later
what I have learned and I hope you have
learned as well listening to me today is
that history is only truly safe as long
as an eyewitness or someone that truly
cares about history survives thank you [Applause]
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