BRITS LEAD U.S. IN EFFORT TO PROTECT KIDS, BAN SPANKING -- The British parliament's proposal to outlaw spanking is the right move for Great Britain--and any other democratic society that says it values children, America included, says Temple school psychologist Irwin Hyman. "If we really want to prevent child abuse, we should make hitting children illegal in all settings," says Hyman, who adds that Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Austria have all outlawed spanking. "We're way behind a lot of countries on this." Hyman, whose studies have shown that parents in South Korea, the United States and Canada use spanking most frequently, says that research shows that children who are spanked severely exhibit more violence as they mature.
"Violence comes from violence," says Hyman, director of the National Center for the Study of Corporal Punishment and Alternatives at Temple. "And spanking is the cradle of violence. When people are given the power to inflict pain on others, that power will inevitably be abused. Very violent children are frequently recipients of severe corporal punishment at home." Furthermore, he says, "corporal punishment in general is correlated with low self-esteem, depression, conduct problems and other personality and behavioral disorders as its use increases. Spanking is unnecessary. It doesn't work. And it contributes to the violence in the lives of our children."
TRADITION OF FIREWORKS ON THE FOURTH TRACED TO ADAMS -- Whether it's a big city display like those put on in New York, Philadelphia and the nation's capital or a small town get-together at the local park, nothing says Fourth of July like fireworks. If you've ever wondered why we mark our independence through pyrotechnics, Temple historian Greg Urwin says it can be traced back to one of the most prominent founding fathers, John Adams.
"On July 2, 1776, the Continental Congress in Philadelphia passed a resolution stating 'that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States,'" says Urwin. "The following day, Adams, one of the leaders of the independence movement in Congress, wrote his wife Abigail that the day 'ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward, forevermore.'"
CONSTITUTION CENTER CELEBRATES MORE THAN SIGNERS -- When the new Constitution Center opens its doors on the Fourth of July, visitors will be able to learn about Franklin, Adams, Jefferson and the other great men who signed the Declaration of Independence. But thanks to the efforts of historians like Charles Blockson, curator of the Blockson Collection of African American Artifacts at Temple, visitors will also learn about lesser known figures whose stories are linked with the site, such as James Dexter.
"He was a freed slave whose house was actually located on the site of the new Center," says Blockson, who served as a consultant to the Center. "He was a key figure in Philadelphia's free black community. He formed the Free African Society along with Absalom Jones and Richard Allen and was a founding member of St. Thomas Episcopal Church." Blockson, whose latest book The Liberty Bell Error: The African American Story was published in May, has also been active in protesting plans to exclude recognition of slave quarters at a proposed nearby site commemorating the presidential residence of Washington and Adams. "Slavery is a part of American history that has to be remembered," says Blockson.
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