Posted on 10/27/2013 9:11:08 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Philadelphia city council members have approved a resolution that calls for socialist historian Howard Zinn’s book “A People’s History of the United States” to be taught in public high schools.
The resolution was backed by council members Jim Kenny and Jannie Blackwell, who believe that Zinn’s far-left socialist vision of American history is currently missing from high school textbooks.
“Howard Zinn’s ‘A People’s History of the United States’ emphasizes the role of working people, women, people of color, and organized social movements in shaping history; not simply the version retold by those powerful enough to ensure history remembers their actions in a positive light, regardless of the truth,” the resolution states.
The power to set curriculum is in the hands of the school district superintendent and board, meaning that the resolution is little more than a strong recommendation. Still, Kenny and Blackwell believe a message must be sent that Philadelphia students need formal instruction in recognizing privilege and inequality.
“Council does hereby recognize the need for students to be taught an unvarnished, honest version of U.S. history that empowers students to differentiate between moments that have truly made our country great versus those that established systemic inequality, privilege, and prejudice which continue to reinforce modern society’s most difficult issues,” the resolution states.
Zinn’s book is lauded in far-left circles, but many conservative thinkers believe his self-described “history” is really social activism masquerading as fact. Former Indiana Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels believed strongly that the book had no place in K-12 classrooms–an opinion that landed him in trouble with liberal academics when he started his new job as president of Purdue University.
“We must not falsely teach American history in our schools,” said Daniels in a statement defending his opposition to Zinn’s work. “Howard Zinn, by his own admission a biased writer, purposely falsified American history. His books have no more place in Indiana history classrooms than phrenology or Lysenkoism would in our biology classes or the `Protocols of the Elders of Zion’ in world history courses.”
Daniels made clear that college professors had the right to use the book if they so choose, but K-12 teachers have no business treating Zinn’s work as fact.
Zinn was an apologist for communist dictators like Fidel Castro, who has brutalized and oppressed the people of Cuba for decades.
Like Zinn, Councilwoman Blackwell defended the Castro regime.
“Castro did not do everything wrong, or he would not have lasted so long,” she said in a statement to CBS.
Philadelphia Daily News columnist Will Bunch praised the decision to demand that Zinn be taught in class, happily explaining that his own radicalism was fostered by “A People’s History of the United States.”
“Although readers here assume because of my fondness for the radical ’60s that I emerged from the womb carrying a picture of Chairman Mao, the truth is that I was a bland center-left voters and a pretty “balanced” journalist in the ’90s,” he wrote. “Reading Zinn helped me understand what went wrong, and how everyday people could fight to get things right.”
Mao, the Chinese dictator whom Bunch recalled fondly, ruled communist China from 1949 to 1976. His policies of mass starvation and execution are responsible for an estimated 50 million deaths.
Neither Bunch, Kenny or Blackwell responded to requests for comment.
There has been no word yet on whether district officials plan to turn Philadelphia students into apologists for mass-murdering dictators.
All part of the Kenyan’s “fundamental transformation” of our country. Sad.
They should also teach Stalin’s, Lenin’s and Mao’s works... (/sarc)
Given the nature of Philidelphia’s government, it was probably the only book they could understand - because it has lots of pictures.
If I were a liberal Democrat in 2013, I’d be laughing and pissing in everyone’s face too.
No one anywhere is lifting a finger to stop them.
The largest demographic in Philly is Black. They should teach the students the wonders of Robert Mugabe, Idi Amin Dada, Charles Taylor, etc.
Useful idiots of the world, unite!
Would she say the same of Franco?
Those guys are gods to black liberals. They were hoping Obama would follow in their footsteps
These urban-brand Liberal utopian socialists live in a federally-funded dream world. One that can't last.
War seems nearly inevitable.
Jim Jones and the People’s Temple.
Charismatic strong men....
30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man."
31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.
32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture--education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.
From "The Naked Communist," by Cleon Skousen
Also read into the Congressional Record--Appendix, pp. A34-A35 January 10, 1963
ping!
Precisely. I have the blessing of living just 20 minutes outside the Utopia of Philly. It has been almost completely destroyed. I’d feel safer swimming in the Nile than walking around in North Philly.
Ahh, if the goal is to teach socialism, why not just teach current events?
the rot and decay is showing.. prett bad too.
how much longer can liberalism survive..
in spite of itself and its hollow promises?
sad
Like Zinn, Councilwoman Blackwell defended the Castro regime.
“Castro did not do everything wrong, or he would not have lasted so long,” she said in a statement to CBS.
—
reckun she never visited the unmarked graves in Cuba of those Fidel ‘liberated’
liberated alright. from this world.
of all t
-of all t
—
a cult of death , the DHimmi Party
No, it isn't anything like that, nor did Zinn intend it to be. It is an alternate view deliberately distorting toward the negative as an attempt to offset what he felt was unfairly represented as positive. As such it is no more useful to students of history than a comic book.
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