Historian Levels Kamala Harris, Schools Her on African American History

  • by Editor

TheGatewayPundit.com

An actual historian of black history has taught Vice President Kamala Harris a much-needed lesson.

Kevin D. Roberts, who holds a Ph.D. in American History from the University of Texas, defended Florida’s embattled history standards against Harris’ frivolous criticism.

On Friday, Roberts tweeted a series of comments endorsing the new standards.

“The outcry over Florida’s African American History standards is absurd. That happens to be my academic field as a historian; I use to write extensively — including curriculum standards — on the topic. So I took some time to review Florida’s. The bottom line: they are excellent,” Roberts wrote.

Florida officials announced the state’s new history standards on July 19. The controversy over those standards began two days later when Harris, in a speech delivered in Jacksonville, Florida, accused state officials of trying to “replace history with lies.”

“Middle school students in Florida [are] to be told that enslaved people benefited from slavery,” Harris added.

Here the vice president referred to a single line in the new curriculum. “Instruction includes how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit,” the new standards said.

Critics blasted Harris for her obvious exaggeration.

Meanwhile, in a social-media post on Wednesday, Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida appeared to echo Harris’ criticism.

“The new African-American standards in FL are good, robust, & accurate. That being said, the attempt to feature the personal benefits of slavery is wrong & needs to be adjusted. That obviously wasn’t the goal & I have faith that FLDOE will

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida responded by defending the new standards and accusing Donalds of siding with Harris.

Roberts, who now serves as president of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think-tank, brought a sensible perspective to this manufactured controversy.

For instance, Roberts noted that the new standards require emphasis on “heroic people who fought oppression.”

As for the line that Harris — and even Donalds — found objectionable, Roberts called it “wholly accurate.”

“Some slaves, in some circumstances, were able to earn money that some even used to purchase their freedom,” Roberts added.

Furthermore, the fact that some slaves developed beneficial skills does not mean that slavery benefited them. Instead, according to Roberts, “it shows the amazing, heroic perseverance of enslaved people amid an evil system.”

Finally, Roberts dismissed the new standards’ critics as politically motivated and then praised DeSantis.

Roberts’ string of comments highlighted the controversy’s true meaning.

For instance, the debate over one line in Florida’s new history standards does involve politics. But it involves much more than ordinary election-related nonsense.

Harris represents those who want to reduce American history to a story of unyielding oppression.

Roberts, Allen, and DeSantis, on the other hand, acknowledge this oppression but insist that students should learn the full context of America’s founding, which includes a struggle for liberty in which people of every skin color took part.

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