On Tuesday in an 11-4 vote, an Oklahoma House committee passed a bill through that would keep the state from funding Advanced Placement U.S. History, and orders the state Department of Education to create a U.S. History program that would replace the course.
State Rep. Dan Fisher (R) proposed the bill at the beginning of the month, in hopes that the bill would be passed and force the College Board – a private group that develops AP courses – to change the curriculum.
According to Tulsa World, Fisher has described the AP history course framework as emphasizing, “what is bad about America.” He added the course omits the concept of “American exceptionalism.”
In the committee voting, all Republicans voted for the legislation, while all Democrats voted against it.
Personal political views aside, the Democrats have it right this time.
I was enrolled in four AP classes during my junior and senior years of high school. Through the curriculum in those classes, I was pushed to be a better, more well rounded person, and I was taught the truth about American history – that it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. To get this country where we are today, to be able to celebrate the freedom and the idea of “’merica,” there were some dark things that took place.
Our ancestors killed thousands of Native Americans and pushed them away from their homes so they could have their land. Our country was divided in half because of slavery. Women weren’t allowed to vote, or even go to school for that matter. Martin Luther King, Jr. was arrested for standing up for his civil rights and Jackie Robinson wasn’t allowed to play baseball. We’ve had presidents who have cheated on their wives, and we’ve had a president who cheated his way to the Oval Office.
This nation is full of dark and dirty secrets, and now, just 20 minutes south of Oklahoma Christian University, we have our elected officials saying they want to re-write this country’s past and only highlight the good things that have been done.
But that’s not all. AP courses give high school students a chance to take free courses that could lead to free college credit. Ask your roommate, your best friends, your classmates, the guy that sits at the end of the row in chapel, the group of people sitting at a table in the caf or the stranger in the student center why they didn’t have to take one of their general education courses: because of the AP test.
In a country that gives states the power to build their curriculum for education, the only constants are AP courses. AP credits are accepted at most universities, while a dual-credit class from Oregon might not transfer to Oklahoma.
The AP courses even give teachers more freedom in the classroom. The framework that makes up the courses is merely a backbone that the teachers can all build from and expand on. But the state of Oklahoma wants to replace the AP U.S. History course with its own framework, that will only highlight “American exceptionalism” and the idea that the United States of America is the fairest, most just, most free, most honest, and greatest country in the entire world. That’s not patriotism. That’s a cold lie that these 11 Republicans want spread through the state’s education system.
An online petition is now available, arguing the passing of the bill. To express your concerns with the passing of this bill, email or call your local representative.
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