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The Texas Board of Education was tasked with revising the states social studies curriculum. During the arduous debates over the content of textbooks, the conservative majority's votes generally held sway and the revisions took a decidedly conservative stance. Such founding luminaries as Thomas Jefferson and James Madison were at first jettisoned in favor of religious icons St Thomas Aquinas and John Calvin. Jefferson and Madison seem to have lost favor for their stand on separation of church and state and their affinity to the enlightment.
Fortunately, better heads prevailed and Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence, made the cut. Madison, principal author of the constitution, wasn't so lucky, being struck by a vote of 8 to 7. In addition, other changes were made, including a diminished role for early Black civil rights leaders.
Since Texas textbooks are widely sold in other states, what does this portend for the teaching of accurate and comprehensive history?
Well, c'mon, it is Texas and they have their special brand of politics there. This is the State which gave us Governor James Edward "Pa" Ferguson, and upon his impeachment and conviction, replaced him with Miriam A. "Ma" Ferguson...Mrs. Pa. She famously explained her veto of a bill to permit instruction in Spanish to Texas public school kids who spoke no English, with the words "If English was good enough for Jesus Christ, it ought to be good enough for the children of Texas."
The governor of texas often complains about the state being in the US. That these people got elected in Texas convinces me that they left a long time ago.
Advocating removing references to slavery, praising Jefferson Davis and attacking civil rights, and claiming Thomas Jefferson played no role in revolutionary thought, but Catholic theologian Aquinas did is remarkable.
It convinced me never to live in Texas.
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