Friday, October 23, 2020

CURMUDGUCATION: Trump’s Patriot History Lessons Or Critical Thinking: You Can’t Have Both

CURMUDGUCATION: Trump’s Patriot History Lessons Or Critical Thinking: You Can’t Have Both
Trump’s Patriot History Lessons Or Critical Thinking: You Can’t Have Both



Donald Trump wants to sweep away the “web of lies in our schools and classrooms” and replace them with the “magnificent truth” about the US, “the most exceptional nation in the history of the world.” This country, he asserts, is the “most fair, equal, and prosperous nation in human history.”

To further that goal, he signed an executive order to create a “1776 Commission,” to promote “patriotic education” in US schools. “The only path to national unity is through our shared identity as Americans. That is why it is so urgent that we finally restore patriotic education to our schools,” Trump said,
announcing a grant to support development of a “pro-American curriculum.”


Reactions to Trump’s proposed patriotic curriculum have been mixed, with some calling it an “overdue effort” and others indicating that with this notion, Trump “joins dictators and demagogues.” The whole issue is further complicated by Trump’s declared intent to punish schools that teach the New York Times 1619 Project, which some conservatives see as illegal. Meanwhile, Trump’s idea of soliciting a $5 billion “contribution” from the Tik-Tok/Oracle/Walmart deal raises the possibility of “patriotic CONTINUE READING: 
CURMUDGUCATION: Trump’s Patriot History Lessons Or Critical Thinking: You Can’t Have Both