Americans for Prosperity-Texas
AUSTIN Americans for Prosperity-Texas will be participating in a rally this Wednesday to encourage State Board of Education members to toughen history curriculum standards and put a renewed emphasis on American Exceptionalism.
Our nation has a unique place in world history due to our founders hard work to create a country where men and women could live free and equal where those who are elected to public office are beholden to the people who put them there - not the other way around said Peggy Venable director for Americans for Prosperity-Texas. If we fail to teach the core principles of what makes America exceptional then we will fail to keep our nation free for future generations.
Venable will speak at Wednesdays rally which is scheduled to begin at noon at the William B. Travis Building 1701 N. Congress Ave. She will be joined by Brook Terry senior policy analyst for the Texas Public Policy Foundation; Connie Sadowski of the Austin CEO Foundation; Bill Ames an SBOE history curriculum reviewer; and Jonathan Saenz of the Free Market Foundation.
Terry said that in U.S. Government and U.S. History curriculum history is being re-written. It dismisses free market contributions from the private sector and it does not give equal space to conservative ideals and the public leaders who govern those ideals Terry said.
Saenz recalled the recent effort of a history review panel to remove the teaching of Christmas from social studies classes for sixth grades students and replacing it with the Indian festival Diwali.
Concerned citizens expressed outrage -- as a result the review panel restored Christmas to the social studies curriculum for now Saenz said. The education of our children is too important to remain silent.
Ames who is involved in reviewing proposed changes to current history curriculum said that there is a concerted effort by those on the left to exclude a diversity of opinion which biases history and also precludes the opportunity for students to debate all sides of an issue.
Americas greatest hope lies in the hands of our children and those who would inspire them with a positive view of their country Ames said. We can act to make that hope and inspiration a reality. Or we can allow a relatively few extremists to communicate their negative view of America.
