An Oklahoma House committee on Monday approved a bill taking aim at the new AP U.S. History framework, which conservatives have decried as unpatriotic and negative, the Tulsa World reported.
State Rep. Dan Fisher (R) introduced a bill at the beginning of the month that keeps the state from funding AP U.S. History unless the College Board changes the curriculum. The bill also orders the state Department of Education to establish a U.S. History program that would replace the AP course.
Since the College Board released a new course framework for U.S. history in October 2012, conservative backlash against the course has grown significantly. The Republican National Committee condemned the course and its "consistently negative view of American history" in August. Numerous states and school districts have now taken action to denounce the exam.
Fisher said Monday that the AP U.S. History course emphasizes "what is bad about America" and complained that the framework eliminated the concept of "American exceptionalism," according to the Tulsa World.
The House Common Education Committee voted for the bill 11-4, with all Republicans voting for the legislation and all Democrats voting against it.
During the hearing on the bill, state lawmakers also questioned the legality of all AP courses, comparing them to Common Core, which Oklahoma has repealed. According to the Tulsa World, lawmakers were concerned that College Board courses could be seen as an effort to create a national curriculum.
Rep. Sally Kern (R) said that she asked the state attorney general to review whether AP courses violate the legislation that repealed Common Core.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/o ... us-history
So, the Republican-controlled Oklahoma legislature has voted to ban Advanced Placement for US History for being too "unpatriotic".
Frankly -- this is ridiculous. American history has some negative history: what do they expect the history books to say? "The US had a brilliant agrarian economy supported by black slaves in the South who loved to work for their masters!" No. That's ridiculous. The uncomfortable and negative parts of history need to be taught, so people can learn from past mistakes. And so they can be, well, informed. This is censorship, and essentially similar to a far-right nationalist/extremist government banning materials because it paints the country in a bad light. Also the idea that AP US History didn't promote "American exceptionalism" is extremely stupid -- if you need to stop teaching about things like slavery and killing of Native Americans, then perhaps 'American exceptionalism' isn't a worthy term. The Republican Party has continued to embarrass itself, and frankly this is just insane. This will also be a huge blow to students in Oklahoma who will be less competitive for university admissions because they lack APUSH. I've taken APUSH and I wouldn't say I became a hater of America after taking it, although I felt that I got a very comprehensive and fair depiction of American history. This is ridiculous.
So, NSG, what say ye? Was this justified?
