History Textbook in Louisiana Voucher Schools Gets Political

Louisiana taxpayers are footing the bill for certain students in the state to go to private schools that are teaching some pretty “questionable”–to say the least–things, according to a copy of an eighth-grade history textbook obtained by Americablog.

It has already been well documented that some of these voucher-funded schools have been teaching creationism and other falsehoods that, in some instances, are downright racist. Through textbooks published by Bob Jones University, students learned concepts such as the Ku Klux Klan did good things; most slaves in the Old South were treated well; dinosaurs and humans roamed the earth together; and fire breathing dragons were real.

But now it appears textbooks in these schools are, in addition to bringing the crazy, becoming overtly political in their teachings. Take the history text “America: Land I Love,” which is being used in some Louisiana voucher schools. The book features a section on hippies that claims:

Many young people turned to drugs and immoral lifestyles’ these youths became known as hippies. They went without bathing, wore dirty, ragged, unconventional clothing, and deliberately broke all codes of politeness or manners. Rock music played an important part in the hippie movement and had great influence over the hippies. Many of the rock musicians they followed belonged to Eastern religious cults or practiced Satan worship.

The textbook also notes that hippies fled the U.S. to avoid the military draft. To hammer home its point, the book features a black-and-white photograph of a group of alleged hippies participating in hippie-like activities, or at least that’s the logical conclusion given the picture features the headline “hippies.”

Given what it had to say about hippies, it would be interesting to see what exactly the textbook is teaching students about the Vietnam War.

Americablog:

Hmm, now I know they’re missing something… Oh yeah, that’s right – the hippies were pacifists. It was primarily a movement about peace. Funny how they forgot that small little point.

Good luck with those dinosaur books when your kids try to get into a real college.

Of course there’s a more serious side to this. This is part of the larger GOP strategy to not just brainwash kids into being Republicans, but to rewrite American history in a way that’s more favorable to Republicans with an intent towards influencing the present.

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— Posted by Tracy Bloom.