Excuse me while I get all political… I’m a product of the Texas public school system, consider myself a history nerd, and am angry.

Have y’all heard about what Texas, my home state, is up to?  The state board of education has re-written the curriculum requirements for history, sociology, economics, and a host of other social science disciplines to include a lot of Conservative figures, arguments about America’s supposed origins as a ‘Christian Nation’, and the ‘unintended consequences’ of the Civil Rights movement and the Women’s Movement.  Even more horrifying for me, however, is what the board excluded: Thomas Jefferson (“wall between church and state,” a diest!), a discussion of gender as a social construct (homosexuality! the transgendered!), and references to Capitalism (too negative a term).

Let me make this clear: students in TX will have to learn about Phyllis Schlafly but will not learn about Thomas Jefferson’s political philosophy.

I wont argue that Thomas Jefferson was a saint.  The man owned slaves, he had issues with women (to say the least), he didn’t *really* think democracy should be open to most people (black? poor? female? too bad).  However, I will argue that whatever the limits of his worldview, Thomas Jefferson’s political philosophy is central to the American project.  How a teacher will explain the Declaration without talking about the world view of its framers escapes me.  Perhaps Madison will finally emerge from the historical shadows… maybe.

While there is a compelling argument to be made that Christianity has always been a strong current in American life, the Puritan thing still reverberates, it hasn’t and shouldn’t be a part of American government. The fact that a member of the board of education can say, in all seriousness, “I have $1,000 for the charity of your choice if you can find it in the Constitution.”

Can we all just take a minute to remember that the first clause of the first amendment is “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.”

Almighty God hath created the mind free…All attempts to influence it by temporal punishments or burthens…are a departure from the plan of the Holy Author of our religion…No man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship or ministry or shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief, but all men shall be free to profess and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion. I know but one code of morality for men whether acting singly or collectively. -Thomas Jefferson in a letter to James Madison

Anyway… I, of all people, am sympathetic to the anti-revisionist history thing.  I get learning about the Confederacy and understand that a lot of southern identity is wrapped up in God, guns, and independence.  In fact, I got a master’s degree explaining why this is a valid perspective.  What I think is bad, in fact downright terrifying, is that Thomas Jefferson can’t coexist with this particular strain of American/southern identity!? No no, that’s not what I’ll defend.  When we, as a nation, cannot agree on Thomas Jefferson we’re in for some serious, serious culture wars.

An Atlantic Monthly article sums it up well: “It’s Like They’re Proud of Being Ignorant.”

If I had oodles of cash lying around, I’d offer to buy any high school student in Texas a copy of Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States.  I don’t, so I’ll just have to support TFN and hope that some brave history teacher talks about Thomas Jefferson as more than the scribe behind the Declaration of Independence.

If you’re concerned about this, I suggest you join the Texas Freedom Network’s “Just Educate” campaign, offer a comment on the standards which will soon be open for 30 days of public comment, or write to your friends and family in TX.

A few places to read about the new standards in Texas:

• The Texas Freedom Network has excellent coverage
• The New York Times‘ editorial on the issue, “Rewriting History in Texas“
• Washington Monthly’s article “Revisionaries“