Maryland school district revamps U.S. history curriculum after reviewing how topics like slavery are taught

CBS "News" ^ | February 20, 2020

[Oldeconomybuyer]

A school district in Maryland revamped its eighth grade U.S. history curriculum after reviewing how it approached topics like slavery. Eighth graders at Montgomery County Public Schools, one of the largest districts in the nation, now mostly use primary sources like letters and speeches to learn about U.S. history, instead of relying on textbooks alone.

"It was really important to us to make sure that we are telling an inclusive narrative of American history," said Tiferet Ani, social studies curriculum specialist. "And so to get away from sort of the dominant narrative that's focused on presidents, on generals, you know, the political history."

The district's curriculum now includes a unit on "stolen labor." Students also look at how and why the constitution protected slavery and have lessons where they rewrite portions of their textbooks. It's being used in Salvatore Assenza's eighth-grade class at Roberto W. Clemente Middle School.

"We as America, we did this," one student said in a class discussion about slavery. "We are guilty of it."

"For people who look at this part of our history and go, but it's over you know and everyone's equal now, do you guys feel that way?"

"No," a student named Sophia said. "Because, yes there was racism before, but there's still remaining bits of it. It's better than before yes, but it's still bad."

"I think it has changed how we study history because we look at history through a white, particularly male, American lens," said student Ava Milisits. "I feel like learning through this lens basically tells the whole story of America, about how slavery is the root and the foundation of America and its history."

Elizabeth Newton, another student, said, "We're learning how to be really, really analytical thinkers. … Really trying to discover for ourselves like the truth."

[Tacrolimus1mg]

Learning how to be analytical thinkers, huh? If you can’t come to an independent conclusion, without outside coercion, then you’re not a critical thinker.

[cyclotic]

Idiocy like this is why some people live lives of perpetual outrage and never grow past it.

[William Tell]

Does this mean that there were no slaves in North America prior to 1776? Interesting. If there had been slaves, just exactly who would have been responsible for them?

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

So, will the stolen labor segment include how Amazon overworks its warehouse workers, or did Jeff Beeves make sure that this stays out of the curriculum?

Also, do they still mention how Maryland was a slave state, or did the Dims ensure that goes missing nowadays? (In my history class in 1983, no mention was made of the fact that Maryland had segregation as well.)

Maryland “Freak State” PING!