Michael Moore: “America is We, the People”

Michael Moore answers question on “American exceptionalism”; gives his version of the Pledge of Allegiance. “American exceptionalism” has been a hot-button focus of contention in recent curriculum controversies, and features in several posts here on Curricublog. This past Sunday (October 2, 2011), Michael Moore was featured on the interview and call-in show IN DEPTH on C-Span’s BookTV. […]

David Barton on majorities and minority rights

Under Construction I don’t have time to write this post right now — hopefully I’ll get to it before too long. But I did want to post these paragraphs now while people are looking for this. These relate to a story on Al Sharpton’s show on MSNBC tonight (Aug 24, 2011) on Rick Perry and David […]

Congress math (& civics) deficits

What can we understand from this stunning performance by Jared Polis (D-CO) in the debate on the House floor (July 28, 2011)?: 2½ minutes were yielded to Polis so he could present prepared remarks, equiped with a neatly-printed three-color chart showing yields and interest rates paid by countries rated AAA vs. AA. The bottom line […]

State of the Nation: IN PERIL! (Bachmann speech / videos)

On his MSNBC Hardball program last week, Chris Matthews was calling Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-Minn) a “balloon head” — somebody who speaks freely without knowing anything, about U.S. history, in particular, and somebody who need to go back to school to learn something about history, so that she might finally know something about the things she likes […]

GOP Congress candidate: Church|State separation comes from “Hitler’s mouth” (video)

For all the attention being given to Tea Party candidate Christine O’Donnell’s upset of long-time popular Congressman and former Delaware Governor Mike Castle for the GOP nomination for Joe Biden’s seat in the U.S. Senate, relatively little notice has been paid to fellow Tea Partier Glen Urquhart’s upset of the mainstream GOP favorite for the […]

Tea Partiers & anti-democratic ignorance

The fact that GOP and Tea Party candidates can get away with this nonsense — at least to the extent of garnering enough support to force runoff elections, if not to secure GOP nominations — demonstrates the sad state of historical education in this country. Alabama GOP runoff candidate Rick Barber is running this ad […]

SBOE’s Dunbar @ “liberty”. “edu”, on CBN, etc.

I don’t believe I’ve ever had such an extensive post here devoted as much as this one is to the antics of Cynthia Dunbar. Hence, it’s tempting to use something like “Dumb and Dunbar” as the title of this post. (Is it really possible that nobody has used that title before?) I can’t do that […]

Dunbar Takes New Trip on Extremism Train (via Texas Freedom Network)

Here’s more on the recent antics on Cynthia Noland Dunbar, lame duck member of the Texas SBOE. This is one of a few items that I’m posting as background for a couple of my own new posts that will appear later today. Good grief. Cynthia Dunbar has demonstrated once again the kind of religious and political […]

Religious Freedom Fails in Texas (via Texas Freedom Network)

The Texas Freedom Network just sent out the following press release: The Texas State Board of Education’s vote today against requiring that students learn what the nation’s Founders did to protect religious freedom represents an irresponsible rewriting of American history and a stunning triumph of politics over education, the president of the Texas Freedom Network […]

Encore quote of the moment: George Washington on religious freedom (via Millard Fillmore’s Bathtub)

This is my first time trying a new WordPress “re-blogging” feature; but it’s also a great post, with great relevance to things happening on this blog — in particular, a post that I’ll be posting soon on a GOP candidate for Delaware’s Congressional seat who’s said that “separation of Church and State” is an idea […]

Glenn Beck: “It is God’s finger that wrote Declaration, Constitution”

In his commencement speech at Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University Saturday (May 15, 2010), Glenn Beck gave a preview of what history teaching might someday look like if the current majority (including some lame ducks) of the Texas State Board of Education gets its way. Beck proclaimed, for example, that It is God’s finger that wrote […]

Revised TX Social Studies standards

Historians from Texas and around the U.S. have signed a letter calling for the Texas State Board of Education to delay its final vote on revised Social Studies standards and to allow time for review and input from scholars, as reported by the Associated Press and by the Austin American-Statesman. The historians have set up […]

“We Report, You Decide” (with video)

Check out this video under the Headline History Being Rewritten? Texas textbooks: Hearings being held to change history textbooks on foxnews.com: “Reporting” from Austin, Fox’s Peter Doocy says it’s “kinda scary” if people are going to be teaching about things in history “in a way that’s favorable to their views.” “Who’s behind this?”  host (“news […]

wingnuts cry “bias” on AP report (with links to audio and video)

At a right-wing blog titled “Wolf Howling,” there’s a post titled “AP Goes APE Over Texas School Book Changes,” attacking April Castro for her coverage of the Texas State Board of Education’s demolition of the state’s social studies standards. “Wolfhowling” writes: The author, Ms. Castro, does not want to admit that what we are seeing […]

Texas SBOE vs. “Capitalism” (with audio)

I’m too busy this week to follow the circus going on now in Austin; I’ll have to catch up later. However, I think I should post some audio (below) to provide background on this business, as reported by TFN Insider: 12:04 – The current standards draft currently refer to the economic system that exists in the […]

Ohio Council for the Social Studies on Ohio curriculum revision

Here’s a position statement by OCSS on the revision of Social Studies standards in Ohio: 

Tiger Woods and Social Studies

Here’s what I, as a Social Studies educator, find completely unacceptable from Tiger Woods: Woods weighs in on Augusta membership GolfWeb Wire Services — July 16, 2002 GULLANE, Scotland — Tiger Woods was vague, his answers repetitive. For the first time at a major championship, he seemed unprepared and uncomfortable when handling a topic that […]