Schoolchildren in Texas could soon be learning a very different history of the United States under plans to ‘de-liberalise’ the state’s curriculum. Christian conservatives want to remove what they see as a left-wing bias in lessons and reinforce the importance of God in US history.

The changes are due to be voted on by the Texan state education board, which includes a number of conservative activists. Cynthia Dunbar, one of the board’s most vocal members, says the education system traditionally hasn’t placed enough emphasis on the role of capitalism, and that the proposals aim to redress the balance:

“We have made sure that there’s information as to the framework of our nation, specifically that it is a constitutional republic. We’ve also made sure the students have to read certain charter documents and the actual language in it, instead of reading subjective commentary as to perhaps what the founding fathers believed... and one of the things we’re required to do by the Texas legislature is to promote patriotism and to promote the free enterprise system.”

Armed America
The changes being proposed by the board include renaming the slave trade the “Atlantic triangular trade” and placing less emphasis on Thomas Jefferson’s role in the separation of church and state. The new curriculum also reaffirms the notion that the right to bear arms is a vital feature of a democratic society.

“Part of the problem I have with this whole presentation of the education system is that we seem to think we can accomplish some type of higher level of objectivity where there is  absolutely no bias whatsoever put in. I have stated several times that my concern is we never want it to be majority viewpoint, trampling on the minority faction. But the reality is, that’s what happens all the time.”

Bad for business
Critics argue Dunbar and her colleagues are abusing their powers and say voting through the changes will harm children and damage Texas’ economic prospects. If there is a liberal bias, they say, then the solution isn’t to replace it with another bias. The new curriculum simply swings in the opposite direction, according to José Medina, from the Texas branch of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU):

“We are one of the biggest states in the United States and we should have a world class education system so our concern is that children in the state are going to be fed a particular ideology and will one day try to go on to either a higher education or other parts of the States, or even around the world to represent what Texas is, where the knowledge they carry with them is not going to be entirely correct.

We are also concerned that business leaders may be looking at Texas and decide it’s not the place where they want to do business.”

The proposals are due to be voted on this week and all eyes will be on the outcome. Texas is one of the US’s biggest purchasers of school textbooks, which means it has a major impact on what publishers actually choose to put in them. The worry of José Medina and his many liberal supporters is that this decision could have repercussions for children across the country.