‘ voices
thebattalion 05.04.2010 page11
Junking Jefferson I
n their last meeting, the Texas Board of Education proposed some rather ridiculous changes to the current high school social studies curriculum. These changes, passed under a 10 to 5 party-line vote, introduce some of the most obvious examples of bias and misrepresentations of history imaginable.
Jeremy Northum
board is doing is most unsettling, and this manipulation faintly resembles propaganda. The proposed curriculum standards are now published in the Texas Register, and are open for 30 days of public comment. A final vote will be taken May 20. Texans need to comMany changes were made but one stands out ment on these proposed standards. Send a mesamong the rest. Thomas Jefferson was removed sage to these 10 that you will not put up with from a list of influential individuals whose this nonsense. writings students must study. Apparently, 10 To the 10 State Board of Education members members of the State Board of Education have who voted for the curriculum changes: stop forgotten their history so I will give them a rewriting history. You are on the State Board of short refresher course. Education, not the State Board of IndocJefferson was only the third president trination. Your actions are shameful of the United States, the second The State Board and will hurt students in Texas. vice president, the first secretary Actually, they hurt more of Education of state, an ambassador to France, than just the students in Texas. shouldn’t alter the second governor of Virginia, Because Texas is such a large history by removing founder of the University of Virstate and the largest buyer of Jefferson’s ginia and the principal author of textbooks in the country, its influence in the Declaration of Independence, curriculum standards influence textbooks. to name just a few of his accomthe textbook market throughout plishments. Needless to say, he is an the country. Many states will wind important figure in American history and up with these standards as publishers deserves to be studied. often market textbooks geared for Texas across Now here is the fun part. In the document the nation. outlining the proposed changes, there is a paraTo make this situation even stranger, the graph above the aforementioned list of authors, people of Texas have only themselves to blame stating students must be able to “identify the for this mess. Members of the State Board of impact of political and legal ideas” of a list of Education are elected, so no one can blame documents. Somehow, perhaps by an act of the governor. Texans should be wary of voting Divine Providence, the Declaration of Indepen- for State Board of Education members without dence is on that list. This implies that despite knowing the candidate and the issues. Checktheir actions, these 0 members of the State ing boxes next to random names under the Board of Education are not complete idiots, assumption that the choice does not matter is they do understand the importance of this docu- not acceptable. As they have demonstrated, ment. However, they refuse to acknowledge State Board of Education members have quite the accomplishments of the author because they a bit of influence over the students of Texas, a do not see eye-to-eye with him, most likely due negative influence in this case. to Jefferson’s “separation of church and state” comment in his 1802 letter to the Danbury Jeremy Northum is a graduate nuclear Baptists. This almost slight-of-hand trick the engineering student.
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