Why Trump & His Supporters Are Threatened By 'Critical Race Theory'; Restore 'Patriotic Education'
Last edited Fri Sep 18, 2020, 04:03 PM - Edit history (2)
'Here’s why Trump and his supporters are so threatened by ‘critical race theory.’ By Nancy LeTourneau, Washington Monthly, Sept. 18, 2020. - Ed:
- President Trump delivers remarks at the White House Conference on American History, Thurs., Sept. 17, 2020 at the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C.
For the last couple of months, Trump has been promising to restore patriotic education in our schools. He mentioned it during his speech at the Republican Convention, during a press conference, and at his campaign rally in Nevada this week. In the midst of his attacks on the 1619 Project—a series published by the New York Times documenting the impact of slavery on our country’s history—it hasn’t been difficult to guess what the president means by that promise, even though his references have been fairly cryptic. But during a speech at the National Archives on Thursday, the president clarified his intentions.
He directly attacked the 1619 Project by calling it “ideological poison” that would “dissolve the civic bonds” in America. In addition, he claimed that critical race theory is “toxic propaganda,” suggesting that it is an effort to impose tyranny and a “new segregation.” He even went so far as to claim that it was abuse to teach it to children. This is the context in which Trump proposes to restore patriotic education.
He announced the formation of a “1776 Commission” (a direct hit on the 1619 Project) to promote the effort. But as is often the case with the president, his remarks were long on attacks and short on his proposed alternatives, although he did say that, “We want our sons and daughters to know that they are the citizens of the most exceptional nation in the history of the world.” The crux of the matter for him is to ensure that school curriculums are stripped of the perspective of people of color and that American history is viewed as white history. It is important to keep in mind what Trump is referring to when he talks about critical race theory. According to the UCLA School of Public Affairs, it was developed by legal scholars in order to provide an analysis of race and racism from a legal perspective.
- CRT recognizes that racism is ingrained in the fabric and system of the American society. The individual racist need not exist to note that institutional racism is pervasive in the dominant culture. This is the analytical lens that CRT uses in examining existing power structures. - It is a theory that examines the role of systemic racism, which has been embedded in institutions and affects people of color in almost every aspect of their lives—including housing, employment, education, health, and wealth—regardless of the racist attitudes of individuals. Trump presented a straw man when he suggested that teaching critical race theory to children was akin to child abuse. No one is suggesting we immerse 6-yr-olds in all of that any more than we would expect them to be able to handle a course in macroeconomics. Instead, CRT informs how we teach children in a way that “perpetuates the marginalization of people of color.”
That is precisely what threatens both Trump and his supporters. To confront the role that racism plays in our society...
More, https://www.alternet.org/2020/09/heres-why-trump-and-his-supporters-are-so-threatened-by-critical-race-theory/
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- 'Trump Blasted for 'McCarthy-Like' Call for 'Patriotic Education' and Attack on Howard Zinn, 1619 Project.'
Zinn, the renowned historian & author of 'A People's History of the United States,' often said that being "honest about the history of our country" is the best way to combat propaganda. Brett Wilkins, Common Dreams, Sept. 18, 2020.
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/09/18/trump-blasted-mccarthy-call-patriotic-education-and-attack-howard-zinn-1619-project
Progressive educators and historians fired back on Friday a day after President Donald Trump took aim at the late historian Howard Zinn and the 1619 Project, and vowed to "restore patriotic education" in American schools he accused of teaching "hateful lies about this country." Speaking on stolen Nacotchtank land just steps away from where Black slaves were bought and sold on the National Mall, Trump delivered an extraordinary Constitution Day address at the National Archives Museum full of patriotic platitudes and praise for the nation's "glorious" history.
The president—who lives in an executive mansion built by slaves—attacked U.S. education, claiming that teaching the "toxic" and "horrible doctrine" of critical race theory is "a form of child abuse in the truest sense of the word." "Our mission is to defend the legacy of America's founding, the virtue of America's heroes, and the nobility of the American character," the president said. "We must clear away the twisted web of lies in our schools and classrooms, and teach our children the magnificent truth about our country. We want our sons and daughters to know that they are the citizens of the most exceptional nation in the history of the world."...
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- 'How Many Buildings in DC Were Built By Slaves?,' WUSA9, July 22, 2020. https://www.wusa9.com/article/entertainment/television/programs/q-and-a/dc-enslaved-labor-buildings-the-q-and-a/65-05b18bf4-f1db-46e2-8463-e14aa21b550b
- 'Trump's Threat To Defund Schools Teaching Slavery 1619: Long Hst. of Politicizing US History Class.'
https://democraticunderground.com/1016269352
- Earliest photo of the White House (1846) which was built by slaves, like the U.S. Capitol, the Smithsonian Castle, Mount Vernon, Monticello, the University of Virginia and many other well known American buildings and properties.
- 'The White House Was, In Fact, Built By Slaves Along w/ the Capitol, Other Iconic Bldgs. In WDC,' Smithsonian, 2016. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/white-house-was-fact-built-slaves-180959916/
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