Who decides what is... and what isn’t... American history? In some states, elected officials are deciding what goes into school curriculums and textbooks regardless of the truth. For example...
In Virginia, textbooks falsely claim that thousands of Blacks enlisted to fight for the Confederacy. The Governor of Virginia, Bob McDonnell, also left out any mention of slavery when reinstating Confederate History Month claiming that he, “focused on the [aspects of the civil war] I thought were most significant for Virginia.”
The Texas State Board of Education proposed changing the historical description of the ‘Atlantic Slave Trade’ to the “Atlantic Triangular Trade” in social studies textbooks. By removing a single word, they sought to dismiss any overt reference to our country’s horrific history of trafficking human beings.
History is an important part of our children’s education, and school curriculums should reflect the well-researched and thoroughly documented diversity of this nation’s past – good and bad.
Let’s ensure that American history textbooks and curriculums are properly vetted. Demand that efforts to ‘whitewash’ American history cease.
Dear President Obama and Secretary Duncan,
Too much of the history being taught in our nation's schools is being manipulated by political forces that seek to distort our diverse heritage. History is an important part of American education, so the history being taught to our children should reflect the well-researched and thoroughly documented diversity of this nation's past.
[Your personal comments will be added here.]
In Virginia, grade school textbooks falsely claim that thousands of Blacks enlisted to fight for the Confederacy. The Governor of Virginia, Bob McDonnell, also left out any mention of slavery when reinstating Confederate History Month claiming that he, "focused on the [aspects of the civil war] I thought were most significant for Virginia."
Mississippi's Governor Barbour said of the bloody struggle for civil rights in his state, "I just don't remember it as being that bad," and further claimed that the white supremacist Citizens' Council in his hometown was simply "an organization of town leaders."
The Texas State Board of Education proposed changing the historical description of the "Atlantic Slave Trade" to the "Atlantic Triangular Trade" and, with the removal of a single word, sought to negate any historical reference to our country's "peculiar institution."
"Whitewashing" American history must cease. American History curriculum should be properly vetted through institutions like the Schomburg Center, rather than allowing a small group of close-minded revisionists to continue to rewrite history to fit their narrow political agenda.
