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Texas public school Textbooks now refer to African slaves as "immigrant workers"

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double jump

you haven't lived until a random little kid ask you "how do you make love".
Don't Texas books usually set the standard for the rest of America ? Welp.

Edit: did they rename the native American holocaust as well ?

You have to laugh to keep from crying.

"Every time I think I have forgiveness in my heart I learn something new about their evil."
 

Enzom21

Member
Their statement is laughable:
https://www.facebook.com/McGrawHillEducation
This week, we became aware of a concern regarding a caption reference to slavery on a map in one of our world geography programs. This program addresses slavery in the world in several lessons and meets the learning objectives of the course. However, we conducted a close review of the content and agree that our language in that caption did not adequately convey that Africans were both forced into migration and to labor against their will as slaves.
We believe we can do better. To communicate these facts more clearly, we will update this caption to describe the arrival of African slaves in the U.S. as a forced migration and emphasize that their work was done as slave labor. These changes will be reflected in the digital version of the program immediately and will be included in the program’s next print run.
McGraw-Hill Education is committed to developing the highest quality educational materials and upholding the academic integrity of our products. We value the insight the public brings to discussions of our content.
 
Anyone who has been even mildly familiar with the Education Board in Texas would be aware of the alarming politicisation of history. In an attempt to reclaim American history from what they deemed as a liberal agenda, they have sought to imprint their own idealistic notion of American identity.

Google search Texas + textbooks + controversy.

The documentary The Revisionaries is an interesting look into this.
 

tkscz

Member
I imagine when asked for justification, they'll just find a way to pin it on "PC Culture" and "SJWs".

This actually doesn't relate to that at all, unless it's some sort of attempt at parody. I don't think this is spreading unless parents are real afraid of their children knowing what a slave is.

This week, we became aware of a concern regarding a caption reference to slavery on a map in one of our world geography programs. This program addresses slavery in the world in several lessons and meets the learning objectives of the course. However, we conducted a close review of the content and agree that our language in that caption did not adequately convey that Africans were both forced into migration and to labor against their will as slaves.

We believe we can do better. To communicate these facts more clearly, we will update this caption to describe the arrival of African slaves in the U.S. as a forced migration and emphasize that their work was done as slave labor. These changes will be reflected in the digital version of the program immediately and will be included in the program’s next print run.

McGraw-Hill Education is committed to developing the highest quality educational materials and upholding the academic integrity of our products. We value the insight the public brings to discussions of our content.

Yeah, that sounds like something that would be deemed "progressive" in the eyes of those who don't like to use the word slave.
 

dity

Member
"They weren't slaves, they were just immigrants working. That's what school taught me!"

I can see it now.
 
What. Can't tell if they want to muddy history or justify how they treat modern immigrant workers.

This is the really worrying thing.

Almost seems deliberate to both muddy history and justify current behaviours. Even worse, they might be trying to make the connection that conditions faced by slaves are perfectly acceptable for current migrant workers.
 

Moff

Member
obviously the slave holders were benevolent job creators, trying to put these immigrants to work
 

Enzom21

Member
Is there some nuance I'm missing? Seems like they're admitting fault?

This shit isn't new, it was proposed back in 2010 and people were angry about it then. This whole "we just became aware of it" shit is nothing but nonsense. They knew long before this woman posted a video about it.
They didn't say shit about recalling the existing books and it looks like they still won't call it slavery.
 

Walshicus

Member
Sounds like they still wont caption them as slaves.

Devil's advocate again, but they seem to indicate they will?

"To communicate these facts more clearly, we will update this caption to describe the arrival of African slaves in the U.S. as a forced migration and emphasize that their work was done as slave labor. These changes will be reflected in the digital version of the program immediately and will be included in the program’s next print run."
 

cameron

Member
Texas edition? Why does Texas need it's own edition of a World Geography textbook? Before the Arrow guy starts crying on twitter, I'm just wondering.
 
oh woaaaah

My stomach felt like it just rotated 90 degrees for a split second. I don't understand. What kind of soul could look go through the effort to make such a change in school textbooks in the first place?
 

ZoddGutts

Member
Something that Japan would do and has done when referring to forced laborers during WWII when mentioned in Textbooks/history despite the fact they were never paid in return after the war ended.
 
I watched the video, the book does say that the "Atlantic Slave Trade brought millions of workers to the colonies". While the time frame in which they state it is a bit off, I don't see what the big deal is.
 
What the fuck is wrong with American public school textbooks? I never seem to hear this kind of news for the UK or Western European countries.
 

Walshicus

Member
Or did no one watch the video?

Yep. I mean I'm not exposed to the background sensitivities and such that Americans would be on this subject, but from the video the biggest issue seems to be a lack of detail about the slave trade rather than some of the other forms of migration. But then I don't know whether that would be covered elsewhere in the book?
 

Aselith

Member
Tbh that seems quite petty. I mean saying that the slave trade brought workers would indicate to me that the workers were slaves but I'm dumb like that.
 
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