Maggie Bates

Viewpoints on Censuring History

1. Intro: “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it”. We’ve all heard this
phrase, from parents, grandparents, teachers. But let’s think deeper on that sentence.
What is the history we are, or rather are failing, to learn?
a. Imagining scenarios: African workers vs Thomas Jefferson
b. Introducing teachers as middle ground
c. What should our children read?
2. View: Conservative Parents
a. “kid-friendly”
i. African workers
ii. Native Americans
iii. Lack of Racial issues mentioned
b. Focused on politics and economics
i. Therefor more on whites and less on slaves
3. View: Liberal Parents
a. Racial issues earlier
b. Banned books
i. To Kill a Mockingbird
c. Shrouding Thomas Jefferson’s statues
i. Until racist re-contextualization
d. Teaching Hard History: American Slavery
4. View: Teachers caught in the middle
a. Teaching Tolerance
i. Teaching Hard History: American Slavery, Report
b. Defensive kids when approaching Racism
i. Jackie Katz
c. Accentuate the positives: Heroes and abolitionism
i. Less context given to actual slave life
5. Conclusion
Sources:
 Moser, Laura. "How Did a Texas Textbook End Up Describing Slaves as "Workers
From Africa"?" Slate Magazine. October 06, 2015. Accessed February 23, 2018.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/schooled/2015/10/06/texas_textbook_controversy_roni_dea
n_burren_finds_omission_in_son_s_geography.html.
 Isensee, Laura. "How Textbooks Can Teach Different Versions Of History." NPR. July
13, 2015. Accessed February 23, 2018.
https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/07/13/421744763/how-textbooks-can-teach-
different-versions-of-history.
 Rohrer, Finlo. "Why are parents banning school books?" BBC News. September 27,
2010. Accessed March 08, 2018. http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-11417672.
 "Charlottesville: Protesters cover Thomas Jefferson statue." BBC News. September 13,
2017. Accessed March 08, 2018. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41258592.
 Kassam, Ashifa. "Canada children's book recalled amid accusations of whitewashing
history." The Guardian. October 04, 2017. Accessed March 08, 2018.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/04/canada-childrens-book-recalled-
whitewashing-history.
 Turner, Cory. "Why Schools Fail To Teach Slavery's 'Hard History'." NPR. February 04,
2018. Accessed March 26, 2018.
https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2018/02/04/582468315/why-schools-fail-to-teach-
slaverys-hard-history.