Author Eileen Curtright shared a screenshot of the problematic passage from her daughter’s history textbook. (Image courtesy of @eileencurtright/Twitter)
A Texas mother was less-than-pleased with the history lesson featured in her daughter’s textbook, particularly a chapter discussing the perils of slavery.
Author Eileen Curtright took to Twitter on Monday to voice her frustration over a section of her child’s textbook that seemingly made light of the misfortune and violence suffered by enslaved Black Americans at the hands of their masters.
“My daughter’s history textbook explains that saying ‘slavery was bad’ is too simplistic & many slaves were probably fine with it,” she tweeted, accompanied by a photo showing highlighted portions of the text.
“Amazing to know some moms homeschool to protect their kids from the liberal agenda of our public schools,” she added.
https://twitter.com/eileencurtright/status/986056826604138497
According to the photo, the textbook warns readers against oversimplifying the “peculiar institution” of slavery and notes that there “kind and generous” slaveholders who didn’t maim or kill their slaves. The text goes on to say that many enslaved Blacks “… may not have even been terribly unhappy with their lot, for they knew no other.”
The tweet garnered several reactions, mostly from angry users who took issue with the textbook’s downplaying of slavery. Some accused the school system of trying to “whitewash” history and brainwash students.
THIS is why we can’t ignore state Boards of Education. They determine what goes in textbooks. This is 100% BS! https://t.co/VEIYecpaUh
— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) April 17, 2018
No words.🤬 pic.twitter.com/MuT464dxKy
— DjQ1🎛 (@DjQueOne) April 17, 2018
I can see the multiple choice test question now …. “During the time of slavery, how many black people were happy being slaves”.
A. None
B. All
C. SomeA black child being given a question like this is emotional abuse & worse if their answer B, is marked wrong. 😔. Not ok!!
— Kerry McCracken (@kerry_mccracken) April 17, 2018
I teach 8th grade history & this is a very frustrating part of the curriculum; it is difficult to find materials that don’t oversimplify, diminish, and just plain old “white wash” how awful life was for slaves. Searching frantically for something better, but time is running out.
— Joanne Gifford (@AllWork_NoPlay) April 17, 2018
I teach 8th grade history & this is a very frustrating part of the curriculum; it is difficult to find materials that don’t oversimplify, diminish, and just plain old “white wash” how awful life was for slaves. Searching frantically for something better, but time is running out.
— Joanne Gifford (@AllWork_NoPlay) April 17, 2018
“Many may not have even been terribly unhappy with their lot, for they know no other.” pic.twitter.com/5OwHDHUk6t
— Mel Ankoly 🦈 (@Mel_Ankoly) April 17, 2018
The name and publisher of the textbook, which users asked to know, remains a mystery.
This isn’t the first time the Texas education system has come under fire for its problematic textbooks, however. In 2015, Texas parent Roni Dean-Burren was so incensed by passages in her child’s textbook describing enslaved Blacks as “workers” that she penned a letter to publisher McGraw Hill and demanded they correct it.
