According to a proposed update of the Texas high school history standards curriculum, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who brought us such programs as social security, does not qualify as a “significant political and social leader in the United States.” Accordingly they have done their duty as they see it and eliminated FDR from their list of such notables. They have, however, added Henry B. Gonzalez.
This tragic/comical lopping off of FDR’s legacy, as reported by Mary Ann Zehr in an Aug. 17 post on Curriculum Matters, illustrates the fallen state of historical truth when its presentation is entrusted to ideologues or ignorant patsies of one “wing” or another.
Striking FDR from the rolls of significant political and social leaders in American history is like dropping earth from the registry of inhabited planets or Queen Victoria from the rolodex of nineteenth century European female monarchs.
The legacies of great people should not be political footballs in the hands of a broad spectrum of potential bigots who have insinuated themselves on school boards, “sensitivity committees” or other bands with axes to grind or patrons to pay off. Who knows who these shadowy forces are, in some cases?
When history is reduced to silly putty in the grubby hands of revisionists of one stripe or another who are bent on furthering their own careers and agenda, then nobody and nothing is safe.
Major personalities of history should be included or excluded from texts and the rolls of honor based on the merits of their contributions (in terms of undeniable significance rather than arguable decency) rather than whether they fit into the scheme of some favored political movement or vogue of attitude.
Otherwise, what will continue to happen is that in one set of annals, Senator Joseph McCarthy may be revered and Martin Luther King reviled and in a different lot of chronicles, Joanne Chesimard might be venerated and Douglas MacArthur loathed.
A pox on the houses of all revisionists!
To Edwize readers: what bizarre curriculum mock “truths,” if any, have you been coerced into panning off as the real thing?
1 Comment:
1 John Powers
· Aug 31, 2009 at 9:49 pm
Dear Ron,
Here are the six experts:
Social Studies Expert Reviewers
David Barton, President, WallBuilders
Review of Current Social Studies TEKS
Jesus Francisco de la Teja, Professor and Chair, Department of History, Texas State University
Review of Current Social Studies TEKS
Daniel L. Dreisbach, Professor, American University
Review of Current Social Studies TEKS
Lybeth Hodges, Professor, History, Texas Woman’s University
Review of Current Social Studies TEKS
Jim Kracht, Associate Dean and Professor, College of Education and Human Development, Texas A&M University
Review of Current Social Studies TEKS
Peter Marshall, President, Peter Marshall Ministries
Review of Current Social Studies TEKS
******************************************
Here is some info that I found on three of the six in addition to an article about the panel:
http://tfnblog.wordpress.com/2009/06/09/a-look-at-the-texas-social-studies-experts/
Peter Marshall:
Welcome to Peter Marshall Ministries! My life and ministry is dedicated to helping to restore America to its Bible-based foundations through preaching, teaching, and writing on America’s Christian heritage and on Christian discipleship and revival.
David Barton:
is the Founder and President of WallBuilders, a national pro-family organization that presents America’s forgotten history and heroes, with an emphasis on our moral, religious and constitutional heritage. Wallbuilders is a name taken from the Old Testament writings of Nehemiah, who led a grassroots movement to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and restore its strength and honor.
Daniel L. Dreisbach:
Wrote a book called:
Washington’s God: Religion, Liberty, and the Father of Our Country
More in the following article:
http://tfnblog.wordpress.com/2009/06/09/a-look-at-the-texas-social-studies-experts/
One question: You write, “revisionists of one stripe or another” and “ideologues or ignorant patsies of one “wing” or another.” Do you know of a history textbook used in our schools that might be labeled as “left wing?” (Excluding Howard Zinn’s “Peoples History…” BTW: One of my favorite books). I guess I am trying to say that our history books do a woeful job of explaining the complexities of “histories” and often leave out chunks of material that might actually make students think critically about people, power, politics and themselves (ie. where is the history of organized labor, worker solidarity, strikes, etc?). One wing’s perspective is nowhere to be found.
I enjoyed your piece.
John