General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsArizona charter school history book says whites envied “freedom” of slaves
The nonprofit Americans United for Separation of Church and State is calling out one of the oldest public charter schools in Arizona for using two books from crank and Glenn Beck favorite Cleon Skousen that promote racism and a Christian nationalist interpretation of American history, reports the Arizona Republic.
The school, Heritage Academy, is apparently using two of Skousens most popular books, The 5,000 Year Leap and The Making of America, in an attempt to educate its student body of the ways in which America was actually founded by hardcore Jerry Falwell-style Christian conservatives.
This is not the same thing as trying to indoctrinate children, however, claims Earl Taylor, the schools founder and principal. Our purpose is not to convert students to different religious views, Taylor promised. It is to show them that religion influenced what the Founders did.
Worse still, some parts of the Skousen books being given to Heritage Academys students and presented as textbooks, rather than historical documents also depict American slavery in a racist and risibly sympathetic light.
According to legal scholar Garret Epps, parts of [Skousen's] major textbook
present a systematically racist view of the Civil War with a long description of slavery in the book arguing that slavery was beneficial to African-Americans and that Southern racism was caused by the intrusion of Northern abolitionists and advocates of equality for the freed slaves.
http://www.salon.com/2014/07/14/arizona_charter_school_history_book_says_whites_envied_freedom_of_slaves/
ellenrr
(3,864 posts)the instructor told us that slaves were not that bad off, "They ate a nutritious diet".
I wrote a letter of complain to administration, never got a reply.
shenmue
(38,503 posts)Should be recycled immediately.
BumRushDaShow
(127,322 posts)Solly Mack
(90,740 posts)Baitball Blogger
(46,576 posts)There should be a stronger word for someone who has it all, that is still envious of people who are facing harsher realities than they are. The only other word that might fit is the word, "Republican."