How Did a Texas Textbook End Up Describing Slaves as “Workers From Africa”? (slate alert)

Slate ^ | 2015/10/06 | Laura Moser

[Ennis85]

Another shot was fired in the never-ending battle over Texas textbooks last week, when Roni Dean-Burren of Pearland, Texas, posted a screenshot of her 15-year-old son’s new world geography textbook. The picture was of a map with a caption that exemplifies—perhaps unintentionally, in this case—the controversial changes Texas has made to its social-studies textbooks in recent years: “The Atlantic Slave Trade between the 1500s and 1800s brought millions of workers from Africa to the southern United States to work on agricultural plantations.”

The next day, Dean-Burren—a former Pearland English teacher and now a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Houston—followed up with a Facebook video of herself examining the textbook.

After she flips through the pages about the Ph.D.-burnished academic consultants who reviewed the textbook, she focuses on the section that covers the “patterns of immigration” that made America great. “Immigrants,” Dean-Burren says and then pauses. “That word matters.” The section mentions that indentured servants from Europe work for “little or no pay,” but makes no further mention of African slaves. Next to her Facebook post, Dean-Burren wrote, “Erasure is real y'all!!! Teach your children the truth!!! #blacklivesmatter”

[Captainpaintball]

Someone did this, as an act of sabotage, on purpose, to drum up controversy and force Texas legislature to order a review and regulation of textbooks. They will create a board, made up of f—k face liberals, and they will re-corrupt textbooks for the next 100 years, or the end of the republic, whichever comes first.

[smokingfrog]

They should have called them unenthusiastic immigrants?

[BenLurkin]

Excellent.

[smokingfrog]

[Morgana]

Political Correctness?

[BenLurkin]

It’s a true statement.

Not really sure why it would be controversial — it makes no bones about it being “slave trade”.

[Essie]

The people upset about this are hysterical and really, really stupid. The book is describing the slave trade.The people were brought to this country to work. What else could you call their labors. Would someone be so bigoted that their labors weren’t even considered work? These people are idiots.

[Carry me back]

I like the term servants. Slaves is a bit extreme.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Plantation slavery was the worst thing that has ever happened to America. The Founders should have immediately abolished slavery, which would have stopped all of this crap that’s happening now.

[stylin19a]

Well, turn about is fair play. If you get rid of everything related to the Confederacy then slavery don’t exist.

[GraceG]

They are not slaves, they are: Non-compensated Lifetime Contract Employees.

[golux]

All non black Americans are transgenerationally guilty of tearing the African Man from his peaceful advanced society - the ideal and original home for all enlightened, civilized, healthy, nourished and medicated men and women through the ages. I speak of a land of plenty, of fairness and opportunity, and above all, equality through the ages: Black Africa.