The older boy’s second grade class is apparently doing a unit on Lincoln this week. So, after finishing his homework, which I have to say is pretty onerous, the boy just explained to me that if he becomes president when he grows up, he’ll “emulate [emulate?] Lincoln in some ways but not in others.” “Oh, in what ways will you emulate him?” I asked. He answered that “if there are slaves then I’ll emancipate [emancipate?] them.” “Good idea,” I said. “But in what ways won’t you emulate our greatest president [it's never too soon to begin indoctrinating them].” He paused as he thought about it and then replied, “I won’t go to any plays.” Fair enough.
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12 comments
February 23, 2010 at 7:05 pm
Artemis
That’s one smart kid!
February 23, 2010 at 7:36 pm
rosmar
Brilliant!
February 23, 2010 at 7:45 pm
ari
Don’t rush to judgment, he just launched into a little talk about the wonders of Lincoln’s “Anticipation Proclamation”.
February 23, 2010 at 8:53 pm
Michael Holloway
[“Anticipation""]
February 23, 2010 at 9:04 pm
Michael Holloway
Opps, ..[“Anticipation?"]
February 24, 2010 at 4:07 am
Jason B.
The “Anticipation Proclamation”: The proclamation that states, “Heretofore, this substance will be known as Heinz ‘ketchup’–not ‘catsup’–and I anticipate full cooperation in this.”
February 24, 2010 at 5:49 am
Charlieford
!!!
February 24, 2010 at 6:13 am
Jonathan Dresner
And they say we learn nothing from history…
February 24, 2010 at 10:36 am
Robin Marie
Daniel still thinks it is impressive that he knows the word anticipation.
February 24, 2010 at 12:24 pm
pv
Oh, the Anticipation Proclamation: that’s from The Rocky Horror Picture Show when Dr. Frank sees Janet and Brad shiver with antici……pation.
February 27, 2010 at 2:20 pm
bitchphd
“Anticipation” is really just his subtle and succinct way of pointing out that the victories of reconstruction would be short-lived, and that the Emancipation Proclamation was more of a promise of *eventual* full citizenship than a realization of it, Ari. I’m really surprised that isn’t obvious to you.
March 8, 2010 at 4:18 am
ajay
The Anticipation Proclamation was widely misunderstood – and, as is obvious from this thread, remains so.
It was as a direct consequence of this failure to clearly communicate a central policy initiative that Lincoln, some months later, issued the Enunciation Proclamation.