Misdirection and Historical Revisionism: Unpacking Florida's 2023 Social Studies Debacle
Misdirection and Historical Revisionism: Unpacking Florida's 2023 Social Studies Debacle
Our approach to history should illuminate the facts and empower future generations to understand, question, and learn from the trials, triumphs, and tribulations of those who came before us.
As educational reform takes center stage in Florida, many have watched with deep concern. The sunshine state's social studies curriculum for 2023 is set to introduce new lessons about slavery under the African-American studies section, causing waves of debate across the country. With emotions running high, it's crucial to unpack what we know so far and uncover insights.
The curriculum revisions - targeted at sixth through eighth-grade students - seek to elaborate on the roles of enslaved people in colonial times, highlighting how they "developed skills for personal benefit." As expected, these lessons have not been received without strong and justified criticism, with Vice President Kamala Harris going so far as to label the plan an attempt to "gaslight" students.
The narrative unfolding in Florida provides an opportunity to dissect the rhetorical strategies utilized by proponents of the proposed curriculum. We can gain greater insight into the arguments by recognizing and understanding their flawed reasoning.
Attacking the person rather than their argument features prominently in this discourse. Governor Ron DeSantis's criticism of Kamala Harris is an example of this. DeSantis suggests that Harris is lying about Florida's educational standards to further an agenda of "indoctrinating students and pushing sexual topics onto children." This argument sidesteps Harris's critique of the curriculum, focusing instead on discrediting her personally.
DeSantis appears to oversimplify, misrepresent, and distort the proposed curriculum's contents, portraying it as a vehicle for inappropriate content rather than engaging with its broader educational goals and implications.
Dr. William Allen and Dr. Frances Presley Rice, members of the group responsible for the new standards, argue that enslaved people often developed specialized trades to their benefit. They bolster this claim with the historical figures Crispus Attucks and Booker T. Washington. Their argument is an appeal to authority, lacking any proof of causation.
Furthermore, Allen and Rice's assertion that recognizing the "strength, courage and resiliency" of enslaved people means not viewing them merely as victims of oppression presents a false dichotomy. This argument frames the discourse as if one must choose between recognizing the systemic oppression enslaved people faced or acknowledging their resilience. However, these perspectives are not mutually exclusive.
The controversy surrounding Florida's 2023 social studies curriculum is a case study in public discourse and a point for moral reflection. Amid the clashing statements, flawed reasoning muddies the waters, diverting focus from the facts and turning the conversation into a battlefield of racist rhetoric.
What's clear, though, is that the Florida attempt to sweeten the bitter realities of America's painful past only dishonors the memory of the victims of the slave trade's inhumanity, cruelty, and brutality.
What's also clear is that the historical narrative we teach our children matters. It shapes their understanding of our shared past and informs their perspectives on the present. The challenge, then, is to ensure that this narrative is comprehensive, accurate, respectful, and sensitive to the complexities of history.
As Florida grapples with the decision over its social studies curriculum, we must all take a moment to reflect on how we narrate our past. Our approach to history should illuminate the facts and empower future generations to understand, question, and learn from the trials, triumphs, and tribulations of those who came before us. In this light, the controversy in Florida becomes a broader conversation about the role of education in shaping our individual and collective identities as well as our shared moral understanding.
This conversation is as necessary as it is challenging.
References:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/floridas-new-education-standards-says-slavery-had-personal-benefits/
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/07/20/florida-black-history-teaching-standards-00107067
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/education/article277539723.html
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jul/21/kamala-harris-florida-schools-black-history-slavery