McConnell vs. ED Department: Demands They Abandon 1619 Curriculum in Schools

 

Doc Mitch “Back to the Future” to Change History

(He thinks, but he is also wrong)

McConnell Does Not Want this Chapter Taught 

(Must be a sore topic for him)

This amazing story from Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) from CNN with this headline (with my emphasis). Also note that Politico was the first to report on the contents of the story.

“Mitch McConnell sends letter to Education secretary demanding  removal of the 1619 Project from federal grant programs”

The introduction and highlights:

In a letter obtained by CNN, McConnell demands that the Education Secretary abandon curriculum in American schools that he argues it tells a revisionist history of America's founding.

McConnell claims these programs such as The New York Times 1619 Project “re-orient the view of American History away from their intended purposes toward a politicized and divisive agenda.”

The project, launched by The New York Times in 2019, reframes American history around the date of August 1619 when the first slave ship arrived on America's shores, and it has launched a fierce debate over the legacy that slavery has played in shaping America, particularly as it relates to its treatment of Black citizens.

The 1619 project is a hot button issue for conservatives across America and politicians have fought efforts by school districts to make it a part of history curriculum in public school districts.

Republicans have misleadingly suggested there are widespread efforts to install the program in schools across the country. Trump made it a rallying cry during the 2020 election.

While some states, like California, have used the project as part of their learning plan, the federal government has not directly instructed or promoted schools to use it, as it does not play a role in specific curriculum planning in local schools.

Those decisions are largely made at the state level.

The full story is at the CNN link:

My 2 cents: I believe that Sen. McConnell is way off the mark to demand that the Education Department remove everything regarding this program, or anything else.

The media articles on the 1619 program from my research outlines facts of the issue of slavery in what was to become the United States, long before we became the United States. 

There is nothing wrong with setting history straight and accurate. Apparently, McConnell wants to dismiss that part of our history – we wonder why, but I won’t speak to his reasons.

More to follow on this issue I am sure.

Thanks for stopping by.