L
ast week in Jefferson County, Colorado, nearly a thousand high school students walked out of their classrooms in protest of proposed curriculum changes to their history classes.
The walkouts were staged in response to a proposal submitted by the new conservative school board, which suggested setting up a review committee to make sure Advanced Placement U.S. history classes promote patriotism, free enterprise and respect for authority. According to a draft of the proposal, AP U.S. history teachers would have to “present positive aspects of the United States and its heritage,” while being prohibited from encouraging or condoning “civil disorder, social strife or disregard of the law.”
Teachers and students in several schools across the district have understandably expressed concern that this review committee will lead to censorship of educational materials.
School board member Julie Williams, a supporter of the review committee, criticized the current AP U.S. history curriculum for focusing too much on gender, class, race, ethnicity and grievance. In her eyes, emphasizing the historical struggles of different groups is “American-bashing.”
I understand the desire to encourage students to be proud of their country, but that patriotism must not come at the cost of distorting or censoring history. This proposal would essentially strip educators of their ability to offer students a comprehensive course on U.S. history. Instead of encouraging students to think critically and examine how the past shapes the present, teachers would be restricted to only presenting materials that portray America in a wholly favorable light.
These changes would essentially transform a college-level history class into a political platform with the goal of endorsing American pride while simultaneously discouraging civil disobedience. In addition to being a shameful attempt to propagandize education for ideological purposes, the proposal is also inherently un-American.
One of the most cherished rights of an American citizen is the ability to protest unjust laws. Such protests contributed to the abolition of slavery, the approval of women’s suffrage and the social progress achieved during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and ‘60s. If people weren’t willing to stand up against the government and make their voices heard, these monumental steps in our history might never have occurred. Civil disobedience has been essential for driving positive social change since the founding of our country.
The students who are rightfully protesting against the school board’s proposal have been backed by the College Board, which issued this statement of support: “These students recognize that the social disorder can — and sometimes must — be disrupted in the pursuit of liberty and justice.” The board emphasized these ideas are “essential within the study of a college-level, AP U.S. History course.”
The Jefferson County School Board majority may believe its actions will promote patriotism, but censorship in the history classroom will only promote ignorance and indifference to the social struggles that have made our nation what it is today. Students don’t deserve to be robbed of the challenging and rewarding experience of a college-level history class, and they most certainly don’t deserve to be treated as children who need to be told what to think.
Being patriotic isn’t about blindly loving your country and ignoring its flaws. Real patriotism is about embracing your country’s strengths, acknowledging its weaknesses and fighting every day to make it an even better place in which to live.
As students in Jefferson County fight passionately for their education, maybe the school board will learn what true patriotism is.
Moriah Camenker is a UF public relations senior. Her columns appear on Tuesdays.
[A version of this story ran on page 6 on 9/30/2014]
