New York Adult Entertainment: The Battle Over Textbooks in Texas
The Battle Over Textbooks in Texas
Published: March 15, 2010
To the Editor:
As a co-author of an American history textbook that was effectively banned in Texas eight years ago, I had a strong feeling of déjà vu all over again while reading about the state’s latest curricular wars.
Back in 2002 the school board, egged on by well-organized conservative groups with deep pockets, excluded “Out of Many: A History of the American People” (Pearson Prentice Hall), allegedly for an offensive passage discussing prostitution on the Western frontier. But the real reason became clear as that controversy played out, and I think that it helps explain what’s happening today.
Many conservatives are simply unwilling to accept how much the writing and teaching of American history have changed over the last 40 years. They want an American history that ignores or marginalizes African-Americans, women, Latinos, immigrants and popular culture. They prefer a pseudo-patriotic history that denies the fundamental conflicts that have shaped our past.