You may think Thomas Jefferson was an influential figure in American history. Well, according to the Texas Board of Education, you would be mistaken.
Cutting Jefferson from the list of writers who inspired revolutions and replacing him with religious figures like John Calvin is just one of the sweeping changes the board has made recently.
Earlier this month, the board approved a social studies curriculum that not only widely removes Jefferson from school textbooks, but also refuses to teach the difference between sex and gender and changes the United States to a “constitutional republic” instead of a democracy.
We knew the American education system was less than stellar — but we didn’t expect reform to make it worse.
The elected board is made up of five Democrats and 10 Republicans, seven of which are considered part of a “conservative bloc,” according to the New York Times. But their decisions have been pretty split on party lines and widely criticized as promoting “ultra-conservative” ideology. Supporters argue that history curriculum has had a liberal bias in the past. And while the decisions may not represent the majority of conservatives, the fact that these drastic changes to curriculum were passed is cause for major concern.
Power is in education, and the people who control the curriculum control that power. The material taught to kids will have a lasting impact on the country — it’s no surprise the Nazi regime changed German textbooks to promote its ideology.
Are you curious as to what else the board of education wants you to know … or not know?
One of the curriculum changes was to omit the concept of separation of church and state, a term coined by Jefferson, of all people.
Mavis B. Knight, a Democrat from Dallas, argued against that change, pushing for an amendment that said, “The founding fathers protected religious freedom in America by barring the government from promoting or disfavoring any particular religion above all others.” But that’s just crazy talk, right? Perhaps the majority of the Texas Board of Education would prefer that you believe the U.S. is a theocracy. In case you were wondering, Knight’s amendment was defeated.
American capitalism should now be referred to as the “free-enterprise system.” The world “capitalism” was stricken from the curriculum in a vote by the board. Why? Because it sounds bad. Yup, apparently people get their panties in a bunch when they hear that evil word. Free enterprise sounds way more cheerful.
Hispanics? They weren’t really at the Alamo — or at least not worthy of recognition. The board struck down a proposal to specifically mention Tejanos as fallen heroes and voted against including more Latino figures as role models.
“They can just pretend this is a white America and Hispanics don’t exist,” said Mary Helen Berlanga, a board member who reportedly stormed out of a meeting in response, according to the New York Times.
“They are rewriting history, not only of Texas but of the United States and the world,” said Berlanga.
Should we be concerned that Texas is getting all crazy-like? Well, because Texas is one of the largest textbook buyers in the nation and therefore influences the rest of the country, maybe so.
Politics should have no place in determining what students are taught. The changes from this school board were voted primarily on party lines, making it a political issue. Why should students learn more about conservative movements than liberal or minority movements or vice versa? They shouldn’t. That doesn’t give you an educated populace — it gives you a pre-molded one.
If these changes are not challenged, students will not learn to think critically. Considering all the problems that will need fixing in the future, that is something we cannot afford.
Ideologies already shape history — they shouldn’t shape how it is taught.
