I can make an educated guess about what most White American parents want in public school history books. They want their children to learn of an America with a heroic origin story reminiscent of a DC or Marvel film. America’s genesis would be that of God-fearing men and women divinely led to the shores of America after barely escaping the death sentences decreed by their home nations’ evil leaders. And equipped with a tool belt filled with faith, a relentless work ethic, and self-determination, this motley crew of God-fearing outcasts built a nation based on equality, freedom, and justice for all. Now, that is the type of narrative that inspires best-selling books, green-lights big-budget movie trilogies, and puts action figures in McDonald’s Happy Meal boxes. Unfortunately, that ain’t the story of America.
I am going to share a secret with you, a secret you were most likely never taught in school: America is a nation built on stolen land by stolen people. Yep, America was founded on the exploitation, rape, and genocide of Native Americans and enslaved Africans. Even though that is a simple truth to prove and understand, it is a simple truth that is not very palatable to most White Americans, which is why several Republican-controlled state legislatures have banned public schools from teaching The 1619 Project and critical race theory, historically based documentation of the simple truth and its present-day effects.
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