Conservatives eliminate AP US history course in Oklahoma for being too negative
Youd think incidents like this would be a thing of the past in this nation. It is to be expected in Cuba or North Korea…
Conservatives are claiming that AP U.S. History emphasizes “what is bad about America.” (Shutterstock)
Youd think incidents like this would be a thing of the past in this nation. It is to be expected in Cuba or North Korea but conservatives always seem to find a way to take everything to the extreme.
An Oklahoma House committee approved a bill on Monday that hopes to discontinue the new AP U.S. History course, which conservatives have decried as unpatriotic and negative, the Tulsa World reported.
An Oklahoma House committee approved a bill on Monday that hopes to discontinue the new AP U.S. History course. (Getty Images)
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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.
In October 2012, the College Board released a new course framework for U.S. history. Since then, 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.
News flash. American history is pretty negative. It started with the slaughtering of the Native Americans then the enslavement of African Americans and the continued repression of immigrants, women and homosexuals.
Sure there have been American heroes such as George Washington or Abe Lincoln but even those are clouded with knowledge tidbits.
Abe Lincoln is credited with freeing the slaves but real history is a little darker. (Getty Images)
For example, Lincoln receives a lot of credit for eliminating slavery but he wasnt actually an abolitionist.
He did believe that slavery was morally wrong, but because it was sanctioned by the highest law in the land, the Constitution, he didnt believe black should have the same rights as whites.
Perhaps this is exactly the sort of information that Fisher is trying to avoid being spread.
He said on 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.
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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.
