How An Ancient Ocean Shaped US History

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  • Опубліковано 2 чер 2024
  • Learn more about Human Footprint: www.pbs.org/show/human-footprint
    From ancient seas to fertile soils, evolutionary biologist Shane Campbell-Staton explores the remarkable journey that transformed the Cretaceous coastline into the fertile “Black Belt” region of the American South. He joins oceanographer Craig McClain, professor Sven Beckert, and geneticist Steven Micheletti to learn how millions of years of deposits shaped the events of Black American history.
    Human Footprint explores the impact of humans on the planet. Join Shane as he travels from farms to restaurants, from high-tech labs to street markets, and from forests to cities to uncover the consequences of our unique human history. Are you ready to explore our past, present, and future as a species?
    *****
    PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: to.pbs.org/DonateTerra
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  • Наука та технологія

КОМЕНТАРІ • 1,2 тис.

  • @brendalong3852
    @brendalong3852 3 місяці тому +954

    This information should be taught in all US schools. Thank you for researching and airing it.

    • @hazbaska1
      @hazbaska1 3 місяці тому +16

      Yeah, I didn’t learn this till college

    • @Theoryofcatsndogs
      @Theoryofcatsndogs 3 місяці тому +75

      One word, GOP.
      Don't get me wrong, in the not-very-distant past, Democrats were the "bad" guy. But in today's extreme political climate, telling truth become a sin, guess who to blame?

    • @corynardin
      @corynardin 3 місяці тому +68

      I’m pretty sure this video is banned in Florida.

    • @masterofnonetech
      @masterofnonetech 3 місяці тому +16

      It's critical race theory...

    • @brendalong3852
      @brendalong3852 3 місяці тому +58

      @@masterofnonetech This is history.

  • @xela552
    @xela552 3 місяці тому +830

    This episode was deeper than I was ready for

    • @AderuMoro
      @AderuMoro 3 місяці тому +44

      Right? I was just ready for a geology lesson. Glad we got more ❤

    • @jbennett3578
      @jbennett3578 3 місяці тому +15

      That's a great way of putting it.

    • @RobertSaxy
      @RobertSaxy 3 місяці тому +1

      Same here

    • @davidhollenshead4892
      @davidhollenshead4892 3 місяці тому

      Not me.. I've had while people tell me that I'm racist for saying that Mr. Slave Master, Plantation Owner, Plantation Owner's Teenage Son... ua-cam.com/video/7FmNXq-dnV0/v-deo.htmlsi=Nv2wGath-BjXN2H2&t=583
      Because White People were Rapy...

    • @nutrientdensepermaculture9391
      @nutrientdensepermaculture9391 3 місяці тому +4

      100%

  • @EricHunt
    @EricHunt 3 місяці тому +378

    Growing up in the 80s in Alabama we were taught about the Black Belt and that it was an ancient coastline but none of the socio-economic and demographic connections and correlations were ever mentioned. This video really should be taught in every school in the USA today.

    • @EinsteinsHair
      @EinsteinsHair 2 місяці тому +4

      I've also heard of black earth in the central U.S., probably from the same inland sea, making it the "bread basket." Also, that there is a similar region in Ukraine, which is why the colors of its flag represent a blue sky over fields of golden grain.

    • @TheChunkyluver53
      @TheChunkyluver53 20 днів тому

      Because those are two different subjects that just overlap slightly

    • @digitizedonyoutube
      @digitizedonyoutube 15 днів тому

      One thing at a time

  • @qarljohnson4971
    @qarljohnson4971 3 місяці тому +403

    This is exactly the type of show I look for from PBS Terra.
    How ancient Earth/Terran processes impact our past, present & futures.
    Thank you!

    • @ImpendingJoker
      @ImpendingJoker 3 місяці тому +7

      Yeah full of woke virtue signaling. Way to go.

    • @NuisanceMan
      @NuisanceMan 3 місяці тому +12

      @@ImpendingJoker Yeah, how dare anyone pop your racist little ideological bubble!

    • @MossyMozart
      @MossyMozart 2 місяці тому +1

      @@ImpendingJoker - It sounds like you need a huge alarm clock to shake you into reality.

    • @Jay-gf8tm
      @Jay-gf8tm 2 місяці тому

      ​@@NuisanceManhow it's not racist if it's true.

    • @daveretiredbkk4701
      @daveretiredbkk4701 Місяць тому +1

      ​@@NuisanceMan This video is racist and omits many important facts about the thousands of Black and Native American slave owners - they owned over 22,000 African slaves

  • @BAD46660
    @BAD46660 3 місяці тому +419

    Another reason to love geology. It is not just the past ❤

    • @ntl5983
      @ntl5983 3 місяці тому +12

      And genealogy too..

    • @frankly8087
      @frankly8087 3 місяці тому +7

      Geography. More specifically, Geographic Information Science (GIS). The maps that showed the relationships between all of those histories and data (geology, geography, history, politics, etc.) is GIS.

    • @teru797
      @teru797 3 місяці тому +5

      there was hardly any geology in this episode

    • @blahco4tt
      @blahco4tt 3 місяці тому +7

      ​@@teru797The geology 100% explained the populations that are currently there. This was an interdisciplinary education that showed how various aspects from the past affect the present.

    • @anniekirts6621
      @anniekirts6621 2 місяці тому

      @@teru797 YES! Where was the Geology? All I heard was cotton, cotton, cotton. Political hack job. I hope people see this for what it is. The rocks & soil don’t care what color anyone’s skin is.

  • @AllTheHappySquirrels
    @AllTheHappySquirrels 3 місяці тому +346

    This is the interdisciplinary story that explains why we need to teach social sciences _and_ STEM.

    • @tonyrainbolt9388
      @tonyrainbolt9388 3 місяці тому +16

      I totally agree. And music classes, too!
      This video was surprising and amazing. Thanks PBS
      (I donate to PBS monthly - everyone else should, too.)

    • @rachaelmurray8051
      @rachaelmurray8051 3 місяці тому +10

      Yes!

    • @a-complished4406
      @a-complished4406 3 місяці тому

      As a teacher here in the south I tell you, they don’t want to hear about this. Pundits are going to school board meetings, yelling and screaming to avoid facts to be taught.

    • @erinmcdonald7781
      @erinmcdonald7781 3 місяці тому +7

      Truth! I've taught in a collaborative curriculum environment. It seemed to help things click for students. It's too bad that model isn't more prevalent.

    • @michaellarson938
      @michaellarson938 2 місяці тому +1

      Not much social science here. If it were there would be discussions slave traders world wide and not just the small part that was the African s selling to the European powers

  • @jbennett3578
    @jbennett3578 3 місяці тому +187

    I love learning about these kinds of connections. "It's the same band over and over again." That's when the video went from interesting to fascinating for me. We know that old geology affects the modern world, but this was a particularly striking example.

    • @mkhanman12345
      @mkhanman12345 3 місяці тому +4

      I like to learn and will learn.

  • @StephenLewisful
    @StephenLewisful 3 місяці тому +241

    "I welcome diversity in my genome, I just don't like how it got there." This part of the video with the 23nMe guy was impactful. Everyone should understand what this science is uncovering.

    • @TurquoiseInk
      @TurquoiseInk 3 місяці тому +25

      I appreciate how respectful they were of each other.

    • @Watch-0w1
      @Watch-0w1 3 місяці тому +1

      We all have little of each other.
      I remember they say 50 percent of population are descendent of Genghis Khan

    • @StephenLewisful
      @StephenLewisful 3 місяці тому +8

      @@Watch-0w1 I like this way of thinking. I say it this way; We are all one and the same with slight variations on the theme. This way I'm a citizen of the globe rather than just a US citizen. It destroys any sense of racism or culturally biased hate. I've had to rewrite my thoughts because I grew up in the South but I think I'm a better person now because of that struggle. Even though I probably have some of that Genghis Khan in me.🤠

    • @ajchapeliere
      @ajchapeliere 3 місяці тому +19

      Knowing in the abstract sense that your ancestors did some messed up stuff is one thing. Having that abstract turned into a visible reality, being shown the genetic receipts? That hits differently.

    • @elizabethburk7273
      @elizabethburk7273 3 місяці тому +6

      ​@@ajchapeliere well said. My thoughts exactly, but better articulated.

  • @dorie991
    @dorie991 3 місяці тому +108

    Not only are these facts phenomenal, but you who studied it and put it together for us to watch are the real phenomenon to be proud of! Thank you!

    • @mkhanman12345
      @mkhanman12345 3 місяці тому

      How come you dudes don’t discuss the topic?

    • @daveretiredbkk4701
      @daveretiredbkk4701 Місяць тому

      This video is garbage trash that omits so many facts. Black Americans owned 10,000 African Slaves. Native Americans owned 12,000 slaves. White Irish Slaves lived and married African slaves.

  • @Virtuous_Rogue
    @Virtuous_Rogue 3 місяці тому +99

    Thank you for this. I saw this on Google Earth several years ago and never found a satisfying explanation of it. I figured out from other geography videos that it was a coastline but the in depth explanation of the thing was elusive and I never even knew what to call it.

  • @reggiesj4918
    @reggiesj4918 3 місяці тому +83

    That final link was jaw dropping...absolutely brilliantly made! Thank you for posting!

    • @daveretiredbkk4701
      @daveretiredbkk4701 Місяць тому +1

      Except they omitted so many facts. Black Americans owned 10,000 African Slaves. Native Americans owned 12,000 slaves. White Irish Slaves lived and married African slaves.

  • @lasciviousembrace
    @lasciviousembrace 2 місяці тому +36

    title does not accurately describe what this video is about

  • @rubyrodstewart
    @rubyrodstewart 3 місяці тому +53

    Maaan, crossing from natural history into people's history. Brilliant and right on time. This is amazing. Thank you!

    • @rubyrodstewart
      @rubyrodstewart 3 місяці тому +1

      W.EB Du Bois and Karl Marx are applauding in their graves 👏🏿✊🏿

  • @00700556
    @00700556 2 місяці тому +7

    This episode was WAAAAAAY deeper than what the headline gave off. I needed MORE of this topic of DNA and historical graphs

  • @jbennett3578
    @jbennett3578 3 місяці тому +49

    Besides the core subject of the video being interesting, this is also a great example of the power of modern data visualization tools. Those tools make it easier to discover patterns.

  • @GoodThings4GoodPeople
    @GoodThings4GoodPeople 3 місяці тому +58

    The amount of history, specifically human history that is hidden due to water levels is mind-blowing.
    Annnnddd then this episode takes a totally different direction than expected 😮

    • @jbennett3578
      @jbennett3578 3 місяці тому +10

      For one example, there's probably a lot of evidence of the migration of humans from Asia to North America lost just off the coast.

    • @GoodThings4GoodPeople
      @GoodThings4GoodPeople 3 місяці тому +9

      ​@@jbennett3578 oh most certainly or any other ancient settlement on the "coast" is now covered by water/mud/sediment

    • @PollyHistor
      @PollyHistor 3 місяці тому +2

      Certainly explains all the marine fossils found in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, etc.

    • @dwaynejordan5898
      @dwaynejordan5898 3 місяці тому

      and lost migration data under the sahara@@jbennett3578

  • @Rikki-Tikki-Tavi
    @Rikki-Tikki-Tavi 3 місяці тому +145

    If Americans aren't learning this in highschool then that's a crying shame.

    • @lmost
      @lmost 3 місяці тому +38

      You can thank the rightist conservatives for that shame.

    • @luciferblack3166
      @luciferblack3166 3 місяці тому +4

      Geology is taught in high school.

    • @davidhollenshead4892
      @davidhollenshead4892 3 місяці тому

      I've had while people tell me that I'm racist for saying that Mr. Slave Master, Mr. Plantation Owner, Mr. Plantation Owner's Teenage Son... ua-cam.com/video/7FmNXq-dnV0/v-deo.htmlsi=Nv2wGath-BjXN2H2&t=583
      Because White People were Rapy...

    • @Rikki-Tikki-Tavi
      @Rikki-Tikki-Tavi 3 місяці тому +5

      @@luciferblack3166 🤨

    • @xianvox22
      @xianvox22 3 місяці тому +23

      ​@@JustJoe326there is no extreme left in this country. Our furthest left of barely left of center on the political spectrum.
      Suggesting there's somehow parity is not only a false equivalency, it's a bad faith argument. Centrism is, at best, naivety. And at worst, apathy. A position of ignorance or unconcern.
      People deserve better than mid humans asking them to compromise on liberty and progress.

  • @RobertSaxy
    @RobertSaxy 3 місяці тому +56

    Anyone else needed a moment to gather themselves after this one? What an amazing episode. I feel this one could have been at least twice in length with how deep and layered the subject matter turned out to be. I especially loved the allowance to sit with those uncomfortable moments in the conversations without blame or judgment

    • @bjdefilippo447
      @bjdefilippo447 3 місяці тому +15

      Well said. Difficult material was handled with respect, and not shied away from.

    • @laughingoutloud5742
      @laughingoutloud5742 2 місяці тому +3

      Agreed. If we don't learn from our past mistakes, we're doomed. It's shitty that we have to have these types of conversations but so necessary for us to learn and grow together. More videos like this please, and job well done! ❤👏👏👏

    • @daveretiredbkk4701
      @daveretiredbkk4701 Місяць тому

      They could not go deeper because then people would see this video omitted so many facts - There were Millions of White Irish and Scottish slaves. Many White slaves lived and married African slaves. He was an idiot and not scientific to assume it was rape

  • @jamesglosangeles
    @jamesglosangeles 3 місяці тому +27

    A simple like isn't enough to say how much I enjoyed this episode. Good stuff

  • @katherinecooper8694
    @katherinecooper8694 3 місяці тому +24

    Excelent presentation 😁 Shane's voice is so smooth and engaging

  • @blazethealaskanmalamute4633
    @blazethealaskanmalamute4633 3 місяці тому +20

    This is how history & geology should be taught in schools! Absolutely loved this episode! Definitely could be longer ❤

  • @EmilyJelassi
    @EmilyJelassi 3 місяці тому +26

    Fascinating video!! This is something that should be taught in every schools!😊

    • @matthew3136
      @matthew3136 3 місяці тому

      truth is too controversial today. The fairy tales of the bibles have caused to much stupidity that many people don't want to know the truth anymore.

  • @davidcashin1894
    @davidcashin1894 3 місяці тому +14

    It is fascinating to see the power of interconnecting sciences, geology, biology, anthropology through data analysis. These perspectives do give us insight, positive and negative, into ourselves and we should keep looking and trying to be better.

    • @veronicaroach3667
      @veronicaroach3667 2 місяці тому

      And if they taught those sciences this way in schools kids would start to recognize the importance of what those subjects were all about !

  • @CZPanthyr
    @CZPanthyr 3 місяці тому +15

    That was completely fascinating.

    • @daveretiredbkk4701
      @daveretiredbkk4701 Місяць тому

      But not factual, There were Millions of White Irish and Scottish slaves in many countries. Many White slaves lived and married African slaves. He was an idiot and not scientific to assume it was rape

  • @mascadadelpantion8018
    @mascadadelpantion8018 3 місяці тому +80

    Why this is not taught in high schools across america I will never know

    • @Theoryofcatsndogs
      @Theoryofcatsndogs 3 місяці тому +30

      one word GOP

    • @Beryllahawk
      @Beryllahawk 3 місяці тому +20

      @@Theoryofcatsndogs worse than that; the complicity between most all parties to keep down the ugly parts of the past, to "just don't ask," to say "no, we did them a favor" so that those folks whose grandfathers actually DID these horrible things...they don't want to feel bad about it, they don't want to think about it, they certainly don't want to be called out on it. Therefore: they arranged for everyone to forget. Or they tried.
      It hurts me that my own ancestors probably contributed to this pain. I'm just an average white lady, none of my own bloodlines are from the South, but at the same time...even people in Ohio had some part in the slave trade, if nothing else by buying the cotton. It's not really any better if you look at the German part of my ancestry either. Difficult to face, and uncomfortable: I can see why the Powers that Be (and have been) would want this swept under the rug.
      I hope like hell that all that "blue wave" keeps pushing, until they flood out all the red, everywhere.

    • @xianvox22
      @xianvox22 3 місяці тому +6

      ​@@Joe-sg9llgrievances over policy

    • @luciferblack3166
      @luciferblack3166 3 місяці тому +5

      Geology is taught in high school, or do you mean with a side of political nonsense.

    • @xianvox22
      @xianvox22 3 місяці тому +11

      ​@@luciferblack3166the only political nonsense here is your comment.

  • @xristobalramirezromero3469
    @xristobalramirezromero3469 3 місяці тому +42

    I felt so many emotions throughout this dude, amazing job

  • @jamesdeininger3759
    @jamesdeininger3759 3 місяці тому +5

    This is the best thing I’ve seen from PBS in a while. Great episode.
    I didn’t know this channel existed. You guys should really cross-advertise with the other channels more often. SpaceTime, Eons, and Smart did an awesome collab a few years back.

  • @cynthiafisher3392
    @cynthiafisher3392 3 місяці тому +10

    This was amazing! I have learned more in the last 20 minutes than I have in the last 20 years.

    • @kylorobb
      @kylorobb 3 місяці тому

      Dude, That's either sad or hyperbolic flattery. I mean UA-cam's been around for more than a decade, and Ken Burns more than 20yrs.

    • @daveretiredbkk4701
      @daveretiredbkk4701 Місяць тому

      A lot of VIP info was left out to fit their racist narrative. There were Millions of White Irish and Scottish slaves in many countries. Many White slaves lived and married African slaves. He was an idiot and not scientific to assume it was rape

  • @lunathemadman
    @lunathemadman 3 місяці тому +28

    Damn. That was a crazy watch. I know geologic happenings can affect cultures and such. But it's usually mountains and rivers. Getting to blame ancient zooplankton for all sorts of horrid things would be a grossly reduced meme, but it's still crazy to think about.
    I could go on but I need to sit with this more. My world view has shifted a bit.

    • @xianvox22
      @xianvox22 3 місяці тому +8

      Ancient zooplankton isn't too blame, even the video addressed that. People are. The zooplankton just set a stage that horrible people chose to exploit.

    • @lunathemadman
      @lunathemadman 3 місяці тому +4

      @@xianvox22 I'm aware.

    • @luciferblack3166
      @luciferblack3166 3 місяці тому

      ​@@xianvox22and the Sun, plate tectonics, the guy who made a boat, the bronze age, iron age, when it rained that one time. Pseudo science, political propaganda masked as some enlightened thought. Eugenics will be making a come back I guess

    • @cynvision
      @cynvision 3 місяці тому

      I think we have to add highway development to the mix. I don't think the democrats in central SC have as much influence on the local level and along highway 26 through Columbia the boots on the ground making the choices are Christian white Republicans from the upstate.

  • @AnonymousFreakYT
    @AnonymousFreakYT 3 місяці тому +104

    9:55 - It really seemed like the 23andMe guy was doing his best to tap-dance around the issue. Then he just "to be blunt"ed it. Good on him for telling the actual truth, not continuing to use euphemisms and couching in faux "it was good actually".

    • @mcv2178
      @mcv2178 3 місяці тому +57

      I thought he was not dancing around it, he was trying to say it without saying the harsh words, just pausing to make sure folks got it.... then he decided that was not certain enough and went for it.
      Just my impression.

    • @MyFiddlePlayer
      @MyFiddlePlayer 3 місяці тому

      If you think about it further, probably all of us are the product of a rape somewhere along the line. You just have to go back far enough. It's awkward for him because he is talking on camera, and (with the research he's done) he probably knows the names of the people involved.

    • @stefthorman8548
      @stefthorman8548 3 місяці тому

      theirs no reason for him to avoid the issue, blacks were the ones who captured and sold each other for the slave trade, they should blame Africans for it.

    • @PollyHistor
      @PollyHistor 3 місяці тому +8

      @@mcv2178 Yes, that was my take on it also.

    • @guest6423
      @guest6423 2 місяці тому +4

      It took a lot of guts to make that statement publicly, and I applaud him for that.I'm not a fan of 23andme, though. Their sharing of our genetics is troubling.

  • @nekkidnora
    @nekkidnora 3 місяці тому +3

    That black belt is truly stunning. It's insane how lasting an effect that's had on literally all of the history of your country. I have to wonder what similarly seemingly minor landscape features have affected every other place on earth, it's mind-boggling.

  • @ProfessorTravis
    @ProfessorTravis 3 місяці тому +3

    I've touched on this type of topic in my geology 101 classes. The northwestern portion of Arkansas is mountainous and hardly had any slavery. The people that lived in these areas rarely supported secession prior to the civil war. They saw it as, "a rich man's war".
    I'm going to do a little more than touch on it now with this video. Thanks for producing it.

  • @andiwaters1888
    @andiwaters1888 3 місяці тому +5

    This almost brought me to tears and I was not ready for it. We need a heads up when we are about to have our science hurt us. Wonderful episode. More like this.

  • @jrdahlst56
    @jrdahlst56 3 місяці тому +39

    I'd heard a bit about this before, thanks for going into detail. I wonder if something similar could be done with oil and coal deposits

    • @PollyHistor
      @PollyHistor 3 місяці тому +2

      Absolutely. Explains a lot of insights into the concentration of vast wealth into specific companies/individuals, along with their campaign contributions.

  • @ldean2731
    @ldean2731 3 місяці тому +23

    This is crazy...literally deeper than I've ever known

  • @JesseArt
    @JesseArt 3 місяці тому +13

    This is a phenomenal video showcasing just how interconnected so many things truly are. The data on the voting maps is not only mind-blowing, but it is also just incredibly important information for the public to be aware of when it comes to discriminatory practices like gerrymandered districts that were specifically drawn to favor certain demographics over others. You guys could have totally tied in the recent Alabama battle over redistricting in which "Allen v. Milligan, the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) upheld Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) and ruled that Alabama’s 2021 congressional map illegally diluted the voting power of Black Alabamians." It's truly amazing how all of the sciences - biology, geology, geography, etc. - impact us in ways we never imagined. For anyone interested in the fight for more equal representation of Black Alabamians, the League of Women Voters has a pretty good break down that I'll link below. Living in Wisconsin as we fight against our own gerrymandering, I think it's super awesome to see state legislatures being held accountable for their blatant attempts to disenfranchise their citizens.
    "What’s Happening with Alabama’s Redistricting Post-Milligan?" - League of Women Voters
    www.lwv.org/blog/whats-happening-alabamas-redistricting-post-milligan

  • @BabylonPuce
    @BabylonPuce 3 місяці тому +28

    This truly blew my mind.

  • @iriandia
    @iriandia 3 місяці тому +33

    Interesting how the choices we (or our ancestors) make determine so much. The fact that this ancient coastline produced a perfect environment for growing cotton is one thing. What humans did with that environment is really sad. They could have farmed that cotton in other ways and still created cotton t-shirts for us all. We still could create cotton t-shirts in ways that don't exploit people (this time in other places). Why do we make the choices to use what our planet has built for us, in ways that are so destructive and damaging to so many of us? Profit for a few is not a good enough excuse anymore, if it ever was.

    • @PollyHistor
      @PollyHistor 3 місяці тому +2

      These datasets really should be used for the benefit of the species as a whole. We have the knowledge and the means that no individual should need ever go without food, water, shelter, clothing, and healthcare.

  • @nemanjaivanovic5973
    @nemanjaivanovic5973 3 місяці тому +5

    I am as astonished with this information as the presenter is. The ability to trace ancient limestone deposits through maps of political outcomes is such a profound illustration of the inequities and injustices of American history.

  • @mariais85
    @mariais85 3 місяці тому +1

    This is a magnificent example of what happens when we engage in inter- and transdisciplinary studies: Geology, genetics, and history all bonded together by a powerful tool, GIS. BRAVO!

  • @Kiraiko44
    @Kiraiko44 3 місяці тому +5

    I grew up on this ancient shoreline and I remember learning about this and it made total sense when I looked at how flat the terrain was south but there was like a line where the hills and mountains started in the middle of the state (Alabama) I grew up in an area with a huge limestone deposit that was known for having a lot of fossils in it from the prehistoric ocean. The effects it's had on human history is another very important layer to be aware of

  • @taylornoel
    @taylornoel 3 місяці тому +20

    Wow… the section with the maps was so deeply fascinating

  • @_exolite
    @_exolite 3 місяці тому +15

    Your work is incredible, thank you. This is such important history to be known.

  • @toughenupfluffy7294
    @toughenupfluffy7294 3 місяці тому +8

    That was amazing! I've seen how geology can influence and impact people, but this is on an entirely new level! Well done!

  • @mrfriendlolo4971
    @mrfriendlolo4971 3 місяці тому +5

    This is so interesting and like someone else said in these comments, a lot deeper than I thought it would be. As someone from Atlanta, it now makes sense how the Piedmont feels different compared to the rest of the South.

  • @nebulan
    @nebulan 3 місяці тому +15

    West Virginia's history and economy goes back even more millions of years to a bajillion dead trees. So i can relate a little (tho affecting Appalachia culture isn't as huge as African-American culture)

    • @luciferblack3166
      @luciferblack3166 3 місяці тому +2

      Well that wouldn't be about how geology and white supremacy go hand and hand.

  • @Hei1Bao4
    @Hei1Bao4 2 місяці тому +1

    They say "Geography is destiny." This was truly mind blowing.

  • @robinchristiansen9826
    @robinchristiansen9826 3 дні тому

    I love every second of this video. The "chain analysis" of HOW resources --> production --> social systems --> politics is so spot on, and THEN you take the time to say "it's on us" because people make choices that are NOT inevitable; natural facts are things we inherit, but then we decide what to do. Everything is so spot on. Bravo.

  • @eba44
    @eba44 3 місяці тому +9

    Isn't it amazing how we humans seek patters as we do?
    Like the fella said. Hard to wrap my head around it. Glad he came back at the end to clarify what the geology fella said. Just because the ground was fertil did not mean there had to be slavery. Also, too, I'm having a hard time figuring out what to do with this information. It's a story that says that people will go and thrive where mum nature has gifted us good soil. How was that fine earth made, then what some people chose to do with it. I wonder if one could, what the Indian spread on the map would look like. So interesting. Good and valuable (value- wealth- power) land is always political at the end of the day.

    • @xianvox22
      @xianvox22 3 місяці тому

      The video pointed out, albeit briefly, that wealthy white plantation owners had the political power to both push for laws that permitted slavery as well as displaced indigenous peoples to get access to their fertile lands. These were the same guys who were raping enslaved woman en masse, and enslaving, exploiting and selling their own children for profit.
      The moral is the story is that most of the evil in this world is driven by greed and power.

  • @bobnomura2068
    @bobnomura2068 3 місяці тому +4

    This was absolutely astounding how those folks figured out this stuff !

  • @MrMarkAMartin
    @MrMarkAMartin 3 місяці тому +15

    Wonderful, and educational on so many levels! I had never tied the Haitian revolution and cotton in the USA before, I always thought the French just produced sugar seeing it's far more profitable to grow and refine on site. I would like to learn more about this in particular,

    • @sophiejones3554
      @sophiejones3554 3 місяці тому +5

      Early on, it *was* mostly sugar as the demand for cotton was not super high. But, in the mid 18th Century, the spinning jenny and mechanical loom were invented. Now, French aristocrats had been wearing a curious stiff and yet soft cotton fabric called DeNîmes after the city in Southern France where it was developed since the Middle Ages. Usually, dyed with the ultra-expensive import from India, indigo. Although highly practical, this was a luxury fabric due to the labor intensive production: the tight jacquard weave requires a skilled weaver and many hours. But with the invention of the mechanical loom, suddenly "denim" as it was known in English could be produced as easily as wool. Meanwhile, indigo was being grown in South Carolina: as a result of slave expertise and labor. Full denim suits and dresses became a trend, so French plantations switched to cotton. This is all a half century before Levi Strauss btw.

    • @MrMarkAMartin
      @MrMarkAMartin 3 місяці тому

      @@sophiejones3554 So am I correct, they produced sugar not cotton at the time of the revolution?

    • @sophiejones3554
      @sophiejones3554 3 місяці тому +3

      @@MrMarkAMartin no. At the time of the revolution, in the last decade of the 18th Century, most plantations in Haiti produced cotton.

  • @ol_smokey9370
    @ol_smokey9370 3 місяці тому +7

    That was not where I expected to end up. Very interesting.

  • @FreeManFreeThought
    @FreeManFreeThought 3 місяці тому +7

    "The places we live, and even the soil under our feet, make a certain set of histories possible; but they don't make any one history inevitable" Powerful words from Shane Campbell-Staton.

  • @kristenlee3178
    @kristenlee3178 3 місяці тому +13

    I lived in Alabama briefly, near the Talladega Nat’l Forest, and I’ve found fossilized shells along the summits. It never ceases to amaze me to imagine a world where places like that were underwater at one point in time.

    • @Jablicek
      @Jablicek 2 місяці тому

      Aside from the sun, everything you see is the product of supernovae fusing hydrogen into heavier elements. We're all made of the same stuff; we all share common ancestry; we're all family.

  • @robertearhart4316
    @robertearhart4316 3 місяці тому +9

    That was an amazing perspective into pre-history, US history, and current events! Thank you!

  • @KWMc1952
    @KWMc1952 3 місяці тому +6

    This was one of the more interesting videos on YT. I've lived in the south all my life and didn't know this.

  • @ds5015
    @ds5015 3 місяці тому +6

    Very very fascinating. I grew up in this area and never had any idea! Especially the part about how it connects to modern politics. One of the most intriguing episodes yet. Very well done!

  • @b1oh1
    @b1oh1 3 місяці тому +6

    Great video! I only ever ask people don't partner with DNA/genetic firms that give away our DNA/data freely. 23andme has sold about 75% of their customers DNA to law enforcement as well as other private organizations. They never notified their users because their Eula/tos allows them to do whatever they want with your DNA.

  • @sirridesalot6652
    @sirridesalot6652 3 місяці тому +2

    It is fascinating how geology can be the basis for so many human endeavours whether bad or good.

  • @buukwerm2232
    @buukwerm2232 3 місяці тому +1

    I work landowners in this very region. Some of the kindest, nice people you've ever met. Plus, the landscape is beyond beautiful, with lots of wildlife that can only be found there. I won't even start in about the huge fossils just laying around on the ground. Incredible place!

  • @Robert_Byland
    @Robert_Byland 3 місяці тому +6

    What an eye-opener! This is gonna stick with me.

  • @No.Handle.Please.
    @No.Handle.Please. 3 місяці тому +8

    Mind blowing! Thank you.

  • @IndridCool54
    @IndridCool54 2 місяці тому +1

    One of my favorite series was Connections with James Burke decades ago. You are continuing this tradition and I thank you.

  • @LDFHollister
    @LDFHollister 3 місяці тому +2

    This . Was. Fascinating.
    Fantastic format, more please!

  • @azilbean
    @azilbean 3 місяці тому +6

    Wow! That was deeper (no pun intended) than I expected. I knew about all of these pieces, but I had never put it together like that. (Liberal Southerner, here).

  • @dianewallace6064
    @dianewallace6064 3 місяці тому +11

    Thank you for this content.

  • @douglasboyle6544
    @douglasboyle6544 3 місяці тому +2

    I was wondering why this episode was meandering all around between geology and genetics but it was absolutely worth the journey when it was all tied up in the end. Great work!

  • @Nedski42YT
    @Nedski42YT 3 місяці тому +1

    These revelations about recent Human migrations, both voluntary and forced, and their connections to ancient environments is another great addition to our knowledge.
    This cross-disciplinary research can suggest answers as to why ancient Humans migrated to the Fertile Crescent region of the Middle-East, the Indus Valley of south Asia, even the migration from northern Asia into the western hemisphere.
    The very ground they walked on and survived on can help answer the question of "Why Here?"

  • @ponyote
    @ponyote 3 місяці тому +8

    This was very eye opening. Thank you.

  • @brendanmeckler7761
    @brendanmeckler7761 3 місяці тому +9

    Acharya Blackwell and Sen wrote a political book on this called Deep Roots that's phenomenal and also has some nice graphics

  • @CounterFleche
    @CounterFleche 3 місяці тому +2

    A profoundly moving and profoundly interesting segment.

  • @hgbugalou
    @hgbugalou Місяць тому +1

    This is how you teach things about these type of topics. Its scientific, to the point, but also doesn't beat you over the head with it.

  • @danielmaxwell6676
    @danielmaxwell6676 3 місяці тому +6

    I live in north Florida, grew up in south Georgia. I had a litle bit of an idea about this. Love the detail of this episode.

  • @KissyKat
    @KissyKat 3 місяці тому +8

    Very interesting!

  • @jamesgilbreath7763
    @jamesgilbreath7763 3 місяці тому +1

    Incredibly well done! As an Alabama resident, I've noticed this confluence before, but I haven't seen all of these things articulated and put together so well. Yes, these are all things that should be studied and discussed in schools.

  • @jso6790
    @jso6790 3 місяці тому +1

    This is incredible. I teach African-American history, so I was familiar with "Black Belt" history, but the connection to the chalk shelf.. astounding! It makes me think of French historian Fernand Braudel who argued that geography can explain so much about the development of human culture, including the power of nations, their wars, and even their boundaries. Of course as Campbell-Staton explains that they are connected to geography does not explain HOW we choose to use those lines, since slavery and war are definite choices that humans make.

  • @francissulton7258
    @francissulton7258 3 місяці тому +7

    Phenomenal presentation!!

  • @shaunhall6834
    @shaunhall6834 3 місяці тому +4

    Sobering. Thanks for this video.

  • @erictaylor5462
    @erictaylor5462 3 місяці тому +2

    After I had a heart attack that caused other life threatening complications. One night I dreamed that I had died. I was met by my mother, who looked young and heathy again, as well as my paternal grandparents and my maternal grandmother and my great grandmother. These are my ancestors who had already died but had died in my lifetime, so they were the grandparents I knew.
    Behind them was a long line of my ancestors. It was a massive number of people and I was meeting them all.
    I was a little shocked at first to see a black man in this line, then I thought, well of course I have black African ancestors. I found this to be very pleasing.
    I spoke with my black many times great grandfather. He had lived many 10s of thousands of years ago. He had spent his entire life in just one valley in East Africa. He had enjoyed exploring and had wondered all over the valley. He had met other people, not of his own tribe, and even ended up getting married to one of them.
    When he had children he took his children with him when he went exploring and eventually he grew old and died. By that time he had learned a great many things about the valley were he lived but he knew nothing of the world beyond his home valley.
    But that would be for his children to explore. In any group of humans you have home bodies who would rather stick close to home, ands you have exploders, who long to leave home and discover what lies beyond the land that is known. It was those people who left Africa and settled in other parts of the world. And because they were no longer in an environment that suited their physiology, their physiology changed. Their hair straightened, their noses grew longer, their skin grew less dark.
    I believe that that little East African with wanderlust is the grandfather of us all.
    There were many many other ancestors beyond this one, but it was after speaking to the East African that I woke up.
    I can't say I was never more disappointed to discover that I had not died.
    The weird thing is, now I have a longing to visit a largish valley in East Africa. I don't know where that valley is, but I'm sure I will know it when I see it.

  • @ChicoBranquinho
    @ChicoBranquinho 3 місяці тому +3

    Amazing video of how geology affects us, no matter where you live.

  • @kimopuppy
    @kimopuppy 3 місяці тому +8

    Great stuff, thanks

  • @gregorynuttall
    @gregorynuttall 3 місяці тому +5

    Great episode. Thanks to the production team

  • @garbo9951
    @garbo9951 2 місяці тому +2

    This is why they continue to try to gerrymander these areas. Thank you for this. So fascinating.

    • @ralphprestidge6965
      @ralphprestidge6965 Місяць тому

      Yes ancient oceans caused GERRYMANDERING!!!! You my boy are going places!!!

  • @ArcticonComp
    @ArcticonComp 3 місяці тому +2

    This was an immensely poignant take on the traumatic foundational flaw of the U.S. experiment! As a longtime student of U.S. history and an economic historian I want to thank PBS Terra team for making it. Just stunning!

  • @damiensadventure
    @damiensadventure 3 місяці тому +4

    This was REALLY good! I look forward to more videos like this!

  • @jesshoup3134
    @jesshoup3134 3 місяці тому +3

    Won't be "ancient" coastline for long if we keep how we are

    • @Texdc2003
      @Texdc2003 26 днів тому

      History repeats itself. It's inevitable even if humans didn't exist it would still happen.

  • @rktay52
    @rktay52 29 днів тому +1

    Not gonna lie, when I started the video I was skeptical. But, as I continued to watch, my jaw kept hitting the floor. The connection between soil, history, and slavery. Just didn’t see it. I’m impressed.

  • @stay_curious_BATS
    @stay_curious_BATS 3 місяці тому +2

    Amazing! I live in NE MS. On 45 near Booneville, there’s a river set up for the public to search for Cretaceous fossils in the riverbed. This story ties that river into a greater story of the region, and the waters that drowned this area in ocean and the slavery that drowned people’s rights go together. Amazing work.

  • @1Nynja
    @1Nynja 3 місяці тому +4

    Great episode! I was hooked from start to finish. Thank you!

  • @youngstunna1594
    @youngstunna1594 3 місяці тому +4

    PBS kids is LITERALLY the elementary school before PBS catches you awake one night and introduces you to NOVA like omg thank you guys for peeking my love for science very young. I’ve known about the interior seas since a young lad thanks to The DinosaurTrain©️.

  • @The_Bass_Stunters
    @The_Bass_Stunters 3 місяці тому +1

    I went to junior college in Decatur Mississippi almost 4-5 hours North of the Gulf of Mexico. I had the please of being on the very first soccer team of our college. When we dug the original soccer field we actually found fossilized sharks teeth in the soil!! It was amazing!!

  • @sevanaiaseeto9456
    @sevanaiaseeto9456 3 місяці тому +13

    This just highlights how tied capitalism is with slavery and genocide.

    • @luciferblack3166
      @luciferblack3166 3 місяці тому

      Propaganda spotted. Yes, because no other economic system throughout history has never done that correct? Do you really want to line up the numbers. You probably should erase this.

    • @snowballeffect7812
      @snowballeffect7812 3 місяці тому +7

      @@luciferblack3166 this is called a strawman. forced dominion is obviously not exclusive to capitalistic endeavors, but clearly it was greed that drove the two behaviors mentioned in the OP. You probably should erase this.

    • @luciferblack3166
      @luciferblack3166 3 місяці тому

      @@snowballeffect7812Yes. It is, just as the OPs. He used the same tactic to use this as a way to make it political. I merely pointed out if they wanted to go down that road. You know this though or you would have pointed that out to him as well.

    • @snowballeffect7812
      @snowballeffect7812 3 місяці тому

      @@luciferblack3166 Lol there's no way you actually believe that slavery and genocide is not related to the pursuit of resources. Don't debase your integrity for political games no one rational cares about.

    • @snowballeffect7812
      @snowballeffect7812 3 місяці тому +5

      @@luciferblack3166 how did they make it political? The video itself cites an author who wrote a literal book on how cotton and the genocide and slavery that went into cultivating it was the seed of the American empire and wealth. What is the point of getting emotional over facts?

  • @electra424
    @electra424 3 місяці тому +5

    Incredible, thank you

  • @michaelpettinger207
    @michaelpettinger207 3 місяці тому +3

    Mind-boggling, moving, amazing. Thank you.

  • @kaelhooten8468
    @kaelhooten8468 3 місяці тому +5

    I live in an area outside of Detroit that has this, but opposite. An area of poor sand soils that became two black towns, amidst white farming communities with normal fertile soils. A sand lens in a low area that became a black town.

  • @A_Amazi
    @A_Amazi 3 місяці тому +2

    Omg, I love how you introduced Craig. I can tell this is going to be good.

  • @WilhelmDrake
    @WilhelmDrake 3 місяці тому +3

    History is shape by geography.

  • @Scorpiove
    @Scorpiove 3 місяці тому +4

    This episode was great. My mind is blown. Very fascinating, and sad.

  • @dawnarobertson9577
    @dawnarobertson9577 3 місяці тому +2

    I love the presentation, but one thing is left out: There has been strong migration of northerners to the south in the last 45 years because people haven’t stayed with one job, like they used to before the 80’s; more jobs were sent to southern headquarters for corporate tax purposes; the industrialized north has been gutted since shipping jobs overseas started; the growing retirement population has had northerners moving south; Medical and IT jobs concentrated along that band, too.

  • @user-dj6hu9gq4t
    @user-dj6hu9gq4t 3 місяці тому +3

    Bravo! For the algorithm, this should be common knowledge.