History Rocks or Democracy Crumbles?
Linda McMahon's Christian Nationalist RoadShow Rolls Into New Jersey
There's something deeply unsettling about watching a former professional wrestling executive—whose greatest claim to fame involves scripted chair-throwing and theatrical body slams—tour America's public schools under the guise of "civics education." Yet here we are in 2025, watching U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon bring her "History Rocks!" national tour to New Jersey, armed not with textbooks and historical accuracy, but with a carefully choreographed propaganda campaign that would make her WWE days look subtle by comparison.
McMahon's visit to Cedar Drive Middle School in Colts Neck, New Jersey, isn't just another photo-op for a Trump administration official desperate to appear relevant. It's the opening salvo in a calculated culture war designed to infiltrate public education systems, whitewash inconvenient historical truths, and indoctrinate children into a far-right worldview that treats structural racism as fiction and American colonialism as a feel-good story.
And parents? They're absolutely furious.
The Unholy Alliance: When Education Policy Meets Christian Nationalism
Let's be clear about what's actually happening here. The "History Rocks!" tour—ostensibly celebrating America's 250th anniversary—is backed by an unholy alliance of right-wing organizations that have spent years perfecting the art of repackaging Christian nationalist ideology as "patriotic education." We're talking about Turning Point USA, PragerU, Hillsdale College, and the America First Policy Institute: a greatest hits compilation of organizations dedicated to the proposition that America was founded as an explicitly Christian nation and that pesky concepts like "separation of church and state" are liberal myths.
Turning Point USA, which has enthusiastically partnered with McMahon's tour, has undergone a remarkable transformation from a group ostensibly focused on "fiscal responsibility" to one explicitly committed to "restoring America's biblical values." Their TPUSA Faith Initiative, launched in 2021, aims to mobilize conservative Christians for political action and—in their own words—"eliminate wokeism from the American pulpit." Because nothing says "religious freedom" quite like telling pastors what they should preach, right?
Founder Charlie Kirk has framed this mission in apocalyptic terms, describing the "woke left" as "satanic" and political engagement as a "spiritual battle" to "reclaim the country for Christ." The organization has embraced the "Seven Mountains Mandate," a Christian nationalist strategy seeking to bring seven key areas of culture—including education and government—under Christian control.
If that sounds like theocracy with extra steps, that's because it is.
PragerU: Indoctrination Dressed Up as Education
Then there's PragerU, the right-wing media organization that has somehow convinced multiple state education departments—including Florida's under Ron DeSantis—to approve its videos for classroom use. PragerU's stated mission is to "advance Judeo-Christian values," which in practice means producing slickly produced videos that whitewash slavery, glorify colonialism, and present structural inequality as a figment of liberal imagination.
Their content is a masterclass in historical revisionism. Take their video on Booker T. Washington, which conveniently downplays the brutality of slavery and Jim Crow to alleviate white guilt. Or their Christopher Columbus video, which presents the genocidal colonizer as a misunderstood hero. These aren't educational materials; they're propaganda designed to make children comfortable with a version of American history where white supremacy never really existed and capitalism is divinely ordained.
As one analysis aptly put it, PragerU's goal is to "indoctrinate kids at a young age into a far-right belief system"—creating a closed information system that follows children from kindergarten through adulthood, ensuring future generations support extreme right-wing policies without question.
The organization benefits from massive financial backing from hydrofracking billionaires and right-wing foundations, enabling expansive marketing operations that have successfully infiltrated public schools in multiple states. They're not just selling a worldview; they're buying access to your children's minds.
Hillsdale College: The Intellectual Engine of Christian Nationalism
If PragerU is the flashy marketing arm of the Christian nationalist education movement, Hillsdale College is its intellectual engine. This private Christian college in Michigan has become ground zero for efforts to redefine American public education through its Barney Charter School Initiative and the controversial Hillsdale 1776 Curriculum.
The 1776 Curriculum—a not-so-subtle response to the 1619 Project's honest reckoning with slavery's role in American history—centers on Western civilization and American exceptionalism while being accused of promoting revisionist history regarding slavery. It's been adopted by a growing number of taxpayer-funded charter schools, effectively using public money to advance a specific conservative-Christian worldview.
Hillsdale President Larry Arnn has publicly claimed "there's no such thing as Christian nationalism," which is rather like a fish claiming there's no such thing as water. The college's entire mission—from its curriculum to its political partnerships—is dedicated to advancing the notion that America's founding principles are inseparable from Christianity and that traditional Western values (read: white, Christian, patriarchal) should be restored to prominence in public life.
Critics, including the Freedom From Religion Foundation, have described Hillsdale's work as part of a coordinated "Christian nationalist attack on public education." The college's influence extends to state education policy, with Hillsdale-affiliated individuals helping develop new civics standards in Florida, South Dakota, and other states.
The America First Policy Institute: Theocracy with a Think Tank
Rounding out this rogues' gallery is the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), founded by former Trump administration officials to promote the "America First" agenda. While AFPI doesn't explicitly call itself Christian nationalist, its Biblical Foundations Project removes any ambiguity.
This initiative explicitly aims to interpret AFPI's policy objectives through "biblical foundations" to restore America as a "Nation Under God." It seeks to equip "people of faith" to articulate why "America First" policies are grounded in the "eternal truth of Scripture" and asserts that without a Christian worldview, "Western civilization—and the extraordinary progress, prosperity, freedom, and equality it has produced—does not emerge."
Let that sink in: a think tank with direct ties to potential future Trump administration policy is explicitly arguing that American governance should be based on biblical law and that Western civilization's achievements are impossible without Christianity. This isn't dog-whistle politics; it's a bullhorn.
AFPI supports efforts like Louisiana's Ten Commandments law and advocates for policies on "Religious Liberty," "Sanctity of Life," and "Marriage, Family, & Children" based explicitly on religious values. The organization represents a direct effort to inject religious principles into policy and governance—the very definition of Christian nationalism.
New Jersey Fights Back: "This Doesn't Represent Our Values"
To their credit, New Jersey educators and parents aren't taking this lying down. The New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) has sharply criticized McMahon's visit, calling it a "superficial propaganda tour that disrupts student learning for political purposes."
The NJEA's statement pulled no punches: McMahon, described as "unqualified and loyal to the Trump administration," has been accused of pursuing policies that actively harm public education, including efforts to privatize schools and reduce civil rights enforcement. The association highlighted McMahon's connections to groups promoting book bans, censorship, and exclusionary ideologies—views fundamentally contrary to New Jersey's inclusive values.
"We are committed to teaching honest and inclusive American history," the NJEA emphasized, "particularly in the 250th anniversary year of the nation, to strengthen democracy and inspire future generations."
That's the real issue here: honest history versus propaganda. Inclusive education versus exclusionary ideology. Democracy versus theocracy.
Parents and residents in Colts Neck have expressed serious concerns about Turning Point USA's involvement and the potential for political and ideological indoctrination in their children's schools. These concerns are amplified by the district's recent adoption of a "Parental Bill of Rights"—a conservative policy initiative that critics argue could pressure vulnerable students, particularly LGBTQ+ youth, by forcing schools to out them to potentially unsupportive parents.
The Bigger Picture: A Coordinated Attack on Public Education
What's happening in New Jersey isn't an isolated incident. It's part of a coordinated, well-funded campaign to fundamentally transform American public education from a system that teaches critical thinking and historical accuracy into an indoctrination machine for right-wing Christian nationalist ideology.
This movement denies structural inequality, racism, and injustice while glorifying capitalism, colonialism, and a mythologized version of "Western civilization" that conveniently ignores genocide, slavery, and systemic oppression. It seeks to replace evidence-based education with propaganda that makes white Christian conservatives comfortable and everyone else invisible or vilified.
The financial backing is enormous. Hydrofracking billionaires, right-wing foundations, and dark money groups have poured millions into organizations like PragerU, Turning Point USA, and Hillsdale College, enabling them to produce slick marketing materials, lobby state legislatures, and gain access to public school classrooms.
The strategy is comprehensive: control the curriculum, influence state education standards, establish charter school networks, train teachers in "patriotic education," and create a pipeline from kindergarten to adulthood that ensures future generations never question the right-wing worldview.
What's at Stake: Democracy Itself
This isn't just about history class. It's about whether America will remain a pluralistic democracy or slide into theocratic authoritarianism.
When children are taught that America was founded as a Christian nation—a claim historians overwhelmingly reject—they're being primed to accept the erosion of church-state separation.
When they're taught that slavery wasn't really that bad and that structural racism doesn't exist, they're being conditioned to dismiss the lived experiences of millions of Americans and oppose policies that address inequality.
When they're taught that LGBTQ+ identities are dangerous "ideology" and that traditional gender roles are divinely ordained, they're being groomed to support discrimination and reject human rights.
When they're taught that capitalism is sacred and that questioning corporate power is un-American, they're being prepared to accept economic exploitation without resistance.
This is indoctrination, pure and simple. And it's being delivered to your children by a former WWE executive who has no educational credentials, no teaching experience, and no apparent qualifications beyond loyalty to Donald Trump and deep pockets from conservative donors.
The Resistance: What Parents and Educators Can Do
The good news is that resistance is growing. Teachers' unions like the NJEA are speaking out. Parents are organizing. School board meetings are becoming battlegrounds where communities fight to protect their children from propaganda.
Here's what concerned citizens can do:
1. Show Up: Attend school board meetings. Ask hard questions about curriculum choices and outside partnerships. Demand transparency about what organizations are gaining access to your children.
2. Speak Out: Write letters to local newspapers, contact state legislators, and make your voice heard on social media. Silence enables this movement; visibility fights it.
3. Support Teachers: Educators are on the front lines of this battle, often facing pressure from administrators to incorporate these materials. Support their academic freedom and their right to teach accurate, inclusive history.
4. Educate Yourself: Learn about these organizations and their tactics. Knowledge is power, and understanding their playbook makes it easier to counter their arguments.
5. Vote: School board elections matter. State legislature elections matter. These are the bodies that determine education policy, and right-wing groups have been systematically targeting them for years.
6. Build Coalitions: This fight crosses traditional political lines. Parents across the political spectrum can agree that children deserve honest education, not propaganda. Build broad coalitions focused on educational integrity.
Conclusion: History Actually Does Rock—When It's Honest
Here's the ultimate irony: history actually is fascinating, inspiring, and yes, it rocks—when it's taught honestly.
The real American story—with all its complexity, contradiction, triumph, and tragedy—is far more interesting than the sanitized propaganda McMahon and her allies are peddling. The genuine struggles for freedom, equality, and justice that have defined American history are more inspiring than fairy tales about flawless founders and divine destiny.
Students deserve to learn about the brilliant ideals in the Declaration of Independence AND the fact that its author owned slaves. They deserve to know about America's genuine achievements AND its genuine atrocities. They deserve to understand how marginalized communities fought for inclusion AND how powerful interests resisted that inclusion.
That's real education. That's honest history. And that's what Linda McMahon's "History Rocks!" tour threatens to replace with Christian nationalist propaganda.
New Jersey is fighting back. Other states must follow. Because what's at stake isn't just curriculum—it's the future of American democracy itself.
History does rock. But only when it's true.
*The views expressed in this article reflect concerns raised by educators, parents, and civil rights organizations regarding the politicization of public education and the influence of ideologically-driven organizations on curriculum development. The author stands with those fighting for honest, inclusive, evidence-based education for all children.
NJEA: McMahon’s policies hurt students, don’t represent New Jersey values - New Jersey Education Association https://www.njea.org/njea-mcmahons-policies-hurt-students-dont-represent-new-jersey-values/
Colts Neck parents keep kids home during Education Secretary McMahon's visit - nj.com https://www.nj.com/education/2025/12/these-nj-parents-are-keeping-their-kids-home-as-trump-official-hosts-patriotic-school-assembly.html
