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The College Board's Advancement Placement Program (AP) has delivered a "comprehensive course redesign" of US history for the 2014-15 school year.
US history has evolved to better reflect the far left secular progressive view of America.
They say it will better prepare your child for college.
Informed parents are asking, "What happened to George Washington?"---and the values and principles that made America the freest and most prosperous nation in the history of the world?
This is a defiant step toward revising America's heritage to "remake America" into the image of mediocrity and secularism.
The College Board, whose efforts are linked to Common Core Standards, says their revised US history will "help students' ability to think critically, construct solid arguments and see many sides of an issue."
However, my personal review does not reflect "many sides" of any so-called "issues" of historical significance. It reflects a very narrow view which highlights and advances the far left progressive Cultural Marxism that is nurtured in public education.
Here's a couple of things I think parents and grandparents should know.
The Revised AP has politicized US History to advance a very leftist view of America. They have deleted our true heritage and undermined the little they have included.
While this issue is in the news this week, Breitbart News warned parents and patriots a couple of months ago it was coming.
They published this:
"Imagine having your teenager emerge from a US history course with only a vague recognition of the name George Washington. Suppose that course mentioned the father of our country with reference to only one speech---no discussion of his military leadership and triumphs, his personal sacrifices to accept the call to become the first President, or his wise and steady leadership during the tumultuous first years of our nation."
Welcome to the future.
This course is in the classroom and the lesson plan is on the teacher's desk.
The course is being offered to over 500,000 high school sophomores and juniors this year.
The "plan" is a 98-page document that dictates how teachers should cover the required topics. George Washington gets one brief mention---about a half sentence referring to one of his speeches---his farewell speech.
Benjamin Franklin, James Madison---not even mentioned.
The Declaration of Independence is referred to in passing in one clause of one sentence.
Page 27 says the British American Colonies were characterized by the development of "a rigid racial hierarchy" and that was derived from (page 29) "a strong belief in British racial and cultural superiority."
This is not a new "truth" in public education, however it strengthens and emphasizes it to a greater degree than before.
The revised AP US History teaches that much of the rest of American history was shaped by those beliefs.
The revision emphasizes the mistreatment of slaves and native people, but not the revolutionary founding principles that gave us the freest and most blessed country in the history of the world.
World War II is characterized as a time of racial discrimination, but no mention of the massive sacrifices our soldiers and civilians made to free the world from Hitler and his Nazi movement and an Imperialist Japan.
AP claims that teachers have flexibility in teaching this course, yet they tell the teachers to eliminate irreverent facts and replace actual knowledge with "historical thinking skills."
By providing a detailed course of study that defines, discusses and interprets the required knowledge of each period for testing purposes the College Board and its Common Core Framework is, in effect, taking autonomy from the state and local schools---and ultimately the parents.
What is not tested will not be taught.
Despots of the past would be impressed---this is a true model of government run schools, government mandated knowledge and government defined "truth."
Students will now know everything bad about America, but very little that is good. Is a person truly educated if they know little to nothing about George Washington?
This "plan" establishes the priorities---everything that doesn't fit their priorities and the far left progressive ideology is either minimized or omitted.
Back in 2011, the AP rolled out a revision of chemistry and physics, promising a "new" history in 3 years.
We're there. Even The New York Times was expressing a little concern in 2011 about the revisions in science.
They are silent about a revised history, but you should not be.
Action Items:
- Call of write your legislator and governor and tell them you strongly oppose the College Board's revised US history course.
- Teach your child or grandchild the facts, do not rely on government run education to teach accurate history or traditional values. Biblical teaching places this responsibility on parents and family---not government.
Be Informed. Be Pro-Active. Be Discerning. Be Prayerful. Be Blessed.