[ot-caption title=”Protests in Colorado in response to the suggestion of banning the AP US History course. (AP Images/Brennan Linsley)” url=”https://pcpawprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/AP436338488145.jpg”]

Throughout our education in lower school, we were taught that the American colonies fought Great Britain nobly for independence and that the United States of America is built on equality and fairness for all.  For those who have taken or are currently taking the Advanced Placement United States History Course, dubbed APUSH, the aforementioned statement is presented as, frankly, not really the case. The course focuses heavily on all sides of our country’s history including frequent white male oppression of various groups of people, such as the Native Americans, African Americans, and women.

Advanced Placement (AP) classes are designed to prepare high school students for their future endeavors in college and beyond by providing an analytical and comprehensive approach. APUSH is fulfilling this task by providing diverse points of view on topics of American history. Recently, the course was dramatically modified.  As a result, in the state of Oklahoma, legislators have tried to repeal all funds going to the course, in essence attempting to ban it from the curriculum. The lawmakers wish to replace the “negative” course with one that has a specific list of documents for teachers to utilize, an idea put forth mentioned in House Bill No. 1380. Dan Fisher, a Republican legislator who is the chief sponsor of the movement, was quoted saying, “(The new framework) trades an emphasis on America’s founding principles of Constitutional government in favor of robust analyses of gender and racial oppression and class ethnicity and the lives of marginalized people, where the emphasis on instruction is of America as a nation of oppressors and exploiters.” These Oklahomans wish to make the course have a more positive view of America’s history.  However, under their model, important information to obtain a complete understanding of our country’s struggle with the acceptance of diversity is missing. The common adage, “Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it,” has been etched in our memories from an early age.  By withholding the aspects of the course’s curriculum that view American policies, trends or realities in a negative light, the Oklahoman legislators’ proposed alternative class is incomplete and even discriminatory.

Michael Mattone, a sophomore student currently taking APUSH, weighed in, stating, “I do think that the course has some anti-American aspects. It is a much different course than what we learned in middle and lower school where it is all pro-American and does not tackle any controversial issues. This course takes a stance to say that not everything America has done is amazing and I think that that should stand true.”

Dr. Miller, who currently teaches APUSH at PC, said, “These politicians want to trivialize history and focus only on the patriotic narrative. They are trying to censor historical curriculum. AP US history tells us what the truth is, and although some of the American public may not want to read that, it is necessary to understand the negative as well as the positive.”

Mr. Ricard, who heads the Social Sciences department at PC, also gave his opinion on the situation, “I always tell my students that history is subjective. It is open to interpretation. There are facts, but it is in our understanding of the evidence that our interpretation is housed. The evidence is always changing and growing through our relation to it. Part of living in a free society is understanding not only the responsibility that we have to ourselves and one another, but also understanding that we are living in an ongoing experiment that has yet to be, and possibly never will be, perfect. If we are truly fulfilling our responsibilities as protectors of liberty, then we must not be afraid of being self-critical. The new AP US History curriculum is challenging and, much like ourselves, is not perfect. Course content can always be supplemented depending on the interests of whichever teacher is guiding students through it. One of the beautiful things about history is the endless interpretations that we can all make when we look at the same evidence. This is also why the study of history, in this case US History, continues to be a relevant subject in our world. The controversy surrounding the curriculum adaptations of the AP US History course underscore this and, as a teacher who holds in high esteem the ideals that were established when our country was founded, I welcome the challenge.”

This course, under its current framework, is teaching us that from a historical perspective, we cannot just focus on American greatness. Instead, we must learn to analyze true occurrences and diverse opinions, that sometimes may not make us proud to be Americans.  The reality is that the past is the past and without it, we become ignorant. To truly be proud of our country, we must use our questionable past to build an appreciation for how far we have come and what still must be accomplished for a successful future.

[ot-caption title=”The history wing at Pine Crest (via Alana Kosches, Freshman)” url=”https://pcpawprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/history-wing.jpg”]