Here’s a pretty much standard definition of history: “the study and interpretation of the record of people, societies and civilizations.”
But, according to a a 160-page bill—called the “A+ K-12 education bill”—passed by the Florida legislature in May:
“American history shall be viewed as factual, not as constructed, shall be viewed as knowable, teachable, and testable, and shall be defined as the creation of a new nation based largely on the universal principles stated in the Declaration of Independence.”
According to the Tampa Tribune, “Tampa Bay area legislators who proposed the language, Rep. Richard Glorioso and Sen. Mike Fasano, say they simply want to raise historical literacy concerning the documents, people and events that shaped the country.
Glorioso said he finds troubling the widespread lack of knowledge about U.S. government and history that polls reveal. He particularly wants students to master the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights.
“I don’t want you to construct anything,” he said. “I want students to read the original documents.”
Hmmm…one does wonder how students are to make any meaning of what they might read without “constructing” or “interpreting.”
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