Live-Blogging the Texas Social Studies Textbooks Public Hearing

Texas' State Board of Education is currently discussion social studies textbooks as part of our adoption process.  While I totally dig Moses, I agree with SMU Dallas history professor Dr. Kathleen Wellman that Moses' connection to the  founding of the U.S. Constitution is highly problematic as follows:  

She flatly rejects these requirements as “ahistorical” and calls the textbook passages about them overt factual errors: “The most problematic is Moses, who shows up everywhere [in the textbooks] doing everything.” She suggests that the publishers tried to conform to the flawed  requirements without really knowing how to do so. Board member David Bradley asks whether Wellman is affiliated with and compensated by TFN. Her (entirely accurate) answer is no to both. Bradley’s continuing petty attempts to suggest that scholars are influenced by TFN rather than having formed their own professional opinions in their many years of
research, writing and teaching are not surprising.

On the topic of (in)accuracy, I'm sure that these textbook are also not acknowledging the influence of American Indians, specifically, the Iroquois nation and its Constitution upon the American Constitution. 


The debate continues today.  You can follow this blog for more info from the Texas Freedom Network.


-Angela


Live-Blogging the Texas Social Studies Textbooks Public Hearing