# Texas to remove liberal bias from textbooks

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-to-remove-liberal-bias-from-textbooks/540383>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [May 22, 2010, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-to-remove-liberal-bias-from-textbooks/540383 "2010-05-22T17:30:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\
**Post date:** [May 22, 2010, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-to-remove-liberal-bias-from-textbooks/540383/1 "2010-05-22T17:30:10Z")

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Texas [plans textbook revisions](http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Education/2010/0519/Texas-textbook-war-Slavery-or-Atlantic-triangular-trade) to remove liberal bias:

> [@](#):
>
> … Among the changes: Students would be required to learn about the “unintended consequences” of Title IX, affirmative action, and the Great Society, and would need to study conservative icons like Phyllis Schlafly, the Heritage Foundation, and the Moral Majority.
> 
> The slave trade would be renamed the “Atlantic triangular trade,” American “imperialism” changed to “expansionism,” and all references to “capitalism” have been replaced with “free enterprise.”
> 
> The role of Thomas Jefferson – who argued for the separation of church and state – is minimized in several places, and the standards would emphasize the degree to which the Founding Fathers were driven by Christian principles.
> 
> … Professor VanFossen, for instance, was bothered by a new requirement that students analyze the decline in value of the US dollar and abandonment of the gold standard, without input from economists, and by amendments that would try to cast a more positive spin on Sen. Joe McCarthy’s communist witch hunt.

Even Rod Paige, Education Secretary under GWB, thinks the changes go too far.

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**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\
**Post date:** [May 22, 2010, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-to-remove-liberal-bias-from-textbooks/540383/2 "2010-05-22T17:51:13Z")

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The subject of Texas education standards has been pretty well covered here in the last month or so.

There was this one:

[TX education board conservatives succeed in whitewashing history](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=555676)

And this one is still going:

[Texas Board of Education meeting – Jesus Christ, why do we have to listen to these clowns?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=564052)

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**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\
**Post date:** [May 23, 2010, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-to-remove-liberal-bias-from-textbooks/540383/3 "2010-05-23T03:20:07Z")

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> [@mhendo](#):
>
> The subject of Texas education standards has been pretty well covered here in the last month or so.

Oops, sorry. Those threads were in BBQ Pit, which I thought was for flaming fellow Dopers, not for flaming Texas. :smack:

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**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\
**Post date:** [May 23, 2010, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-to-remove-liberal-bias-from-textbooks/540383/4 "2010-05-23T04:04:33Z")

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> [@septimus](#):
>
> Texas [plans textbook revisions](http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Education/2010/0519/Texas-textbook-war-Slavery-or-Atlantic-triangular-trade) to remove liberal bias:
> 
> Even Rod Paige, Education Secretary under GWB, thinks the changes go too far.

On the positive side, teachers in Texas (and other places) can choose not to teach verbatim from the text. That’s why they develop a lesson plans.

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**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\
**Post date:** [May 23, 2010, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-to-remove-liberal-bias-from-textbooks/540383/5 "2010-05-23T07:47:47Z")

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Try to ignore Texas. After GWB, they’ve reverted to 17th century Europe.

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**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\
**Post date:** [May 23, 2010, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-to-remove-liberal-bias-from-textbooks/540383/6 "2010-05-23T13:26:28Z")

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Given the other threads, I’m gonna close this one.