Expressing concerns about what he termed indoctrination within educational institutions, former President Donald Trump established a commission that advocated for "patriotic" education while downplaying the impact of slavery in America. Although he is no longer in office and the commission has been dissolved, the movement persists. Republican legislators across various states are now advancing similar initiatives. Legislative proposals in Arkansas, Iowa, and Mississippi aim to ban the use of a New York Times initiative that delves into the legacy of slavery. Some proposals extend beyond the 1619 Project, seeking to prohibit courses that promote social justice for specific racial groups.

Public education in the United States has been under assault by the hard-right forces of white male supremacy for many years. Over the past few years, particularly in former slave-holding states in the Southeast, far-right legislatures have passed draconian laws banning the very kinds of inclusive and truthful education that is necessary to promote peace and tolerance in a highly diverse nation, labeling such discussions "divisive." At the heart of the project to maintain the white male power structure in the US is a far-right campaign to censor necessary and truthful teaching in the nation’s schools. Hard-right extremists, often calling themselves "parental rights" activists, have become a driving force behind book bans, censoring of instruction and discussion about race, sexual orientation and gender identity, and laws targeting transgender students. Alabama’s "divisive concepts" law prohibits such concepts "relating to race, sex, or religion" even in college coursework, including, for example, "that slavery and racism are aligned with the founding principles of the United States."

Republican lawmakers in Iowa, Arkansas, and Mississippi are pursuing legislation that would punish schools for teaching "The 1619 Project" by withholding funding. The measures target a curriculum that examines U.S. history by centering the legacy of slavery.[14]

Following the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, Republican-controlled states enacted a set of education gag laws censoring historical instruction around race.[14] A few such laws specifically banned the teaching of materials associated with the 1619 Project.[14] The piece argues that these laws "sought to excise any arguments" about U.S. history and racism that might challenge conservative narratives, and notes that some states (Oklahoma, Florida) have approved PragerU’s conservative materials for classroom use.[14]

Texas lawmakers passed legislation that imposed strict restrictions on what educators could discuss in public school history classes, including topics like significant civic contributions from minority groups, Native American history, and slavery. Similar Republican-driven measures in other states have sparked debates about teaching race, racism and slavery in public education.[13]

Texas passed a law in 2021 making it illegal for schools to teach that slavery and racism were part of the "true founding" of the United States. Under the law, schools are directed to teach that slavery and racism are "deviations from, betrayals of, or failures to live up to the authentic founding principles of the United States, which include liberty and equality."[15]

The Florida Board of Education approved new standards for Black history that include teaching middle school students that “slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.”[10] The guidelines also require that events such as the 1920 Ocoee Massacre be described as an “act of violence perpetrated against and by African Americans,” a framing historians say distorts the racial dynamics of such attacks.[10]

The school curriculum linked to the New York Times’ 1619 Project—an initiative that aims to reframe U.S. history by putting the legacy of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans at its center—is once again the target of Republican lawmakers, who seek to ban the materials in three states. The three bills, recently introduced by state legislators in Arkansas, Iowa, and Mississippi, argue that the lessons misrepresent U.S. history. The Arkansas and Mississippi bills call the 1619 Project "a racially divisive and revisionist account;" the Iowa bill claims that it "attempts to deny or obfuscate the fundamental principles upon which the United States was founded." The bills all use the same or similar language as legislation proposed in July by U.S. Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, who sought to ban all U.S. schools from using the materials.

Commentary on Florida’s new African American history standards argues that they minimize and sanitize the realities of African enslavement. The curriculum uses terms like "positive contributions" and emphasizes skills enslaved people "developed" while neglecting the reasons behind revolts or escapes, which critics say whitewashes slavery and related violence.[16]

Salon reports the Texas Senate passed a Republican-backed bill eliminating requirements that public schools teach about the civil rights movement and other human rights struggles.[2] The curriculum items removed include speeches by Martin Luther King Jr., mention of Latino labor organizers Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, and any mention of Thomas Jefferson’s relationship with enslaved teenager Sally Hemings.[2] The bill also “removes the requirement to study the ‘history of white supremacy, including but not limited to the institution of slavery, the eugenics movement, and the Ku Klux Klan, and the ways in which it is morally wrong’” and bars use of the 1619 Project.[2]

There is a multi-state, far-right effort to manipulate K-12 civic and social studies curricula across the country. These efforts often center the influence of Judeo-Christian teachings on the founding fathers, and recast American history, particularly with regard to race and slavery, in a more favorable light. Hillsdale College is a private Christian college in Michigan that has risen to prominence by disseminating its 1776 Curriculum—which Vanity Fair reports "has been criticized for revisionist history, including whitewashed accounts of US slavery"—through a network of charter schools nationwide.

At least 17 states have introduced bills containing gag orders or taken other steps that would restrict how teachers can discuss American history and current events, including pulling books off library shelves in an effort to suppress so-called "divisive concepts"—a shorthand nearly always referring to issues about race and identity. Recent debates across the country have pushed for book banning and the adoption of politically motivated laws and policies on school curricula. Such measures seek to prevent teachers from providing a thorough curriculum on American history, civics, and government in U.S. public schools and deny students their rights to a complete education.

A report on social studies standards notes that in 2021 Oklahoma lawmakers considered a bill that "would limit how slavery is taught in schools and ban teaching that ‘one race is the unique oppressor’ or ‘victim’ in slavery’s history,’" as reported by NBC News. It also cites Texas laws that "tried to reframe Texas history lessons and play down references to slavery" and efforts in other Republican-led states to restrict teaching about slavery and racism.[8]

Rethinking Schools describes a wave of legislation and policies where “more than two dozen states have introduced — and 11 states have enacted — bills or rules to restrict the teaching of history and contemporary social realities.”[7] It says these measures aim to “ban teaching critical race theory (CRT), and supposedly ‘divisive topics’ in the curriculum,” and that right-wing activists have mounted similar attacks at school board meetings nationwide.[7] The article argues such laws could make it impossible to fully teach historical documents dealing with slavery, colonization, and white supremacy.[7]

Should their efforts ultimately be successful, it may cause a brief setback for a national campaign conducted by shadowy right-wing groups and led by Republican politicians to turn public schools into political battlegrounds and undermine how teachers engage students in thinking critically about important and sometimes controversial topics. In 2021, Oklahoma lawmakers considered a new bill that "would limit how slavery is taught in schools and ban teaching that 'one race is the unique oppressor' or 'victim' in slavery’s history," NBC News reported. In Texas, new laws considered in the state legislature "[tried] to re-frame Texas history lessons and play down references to slavery and anti-Mexican discrimination that are part of the state’s founding," stated a New York Times article in May 2021. That article referred to similar efforts underway in "Republican-led states [that] seek to ban or limit how the role of slavery and pervasive effects of racism can be taught."

Senate Republicans opposed a Biden administration proposal to encourage teaching that highlights slavery and the contributions of Black Americans in civics education. They urged the administration to withdraw what they called a "divisive" initiative aimed at broadening the focus of U.S. history instruction to address systemic inequalities and discriminatory policies.[9]

The National Education Association’s “Know Your Rights: Texas” page explains that laws like Texas House Bill 3979 are framed by some politicians as limiting discussions of racism and sexism in classrooms.[6] NEA notes that despite rhetoric, “none of the laws enacted to date prohibit teaching the full sweep of U.S. history, including teaching about nearly 250 years of slavery, the Civil War, the Reconstruction period, or the violent white supremacy” that followed.[6] It also points out that HB 3979 explicitly requires instruction on “the history of white supremacy, including but not limited to the institution of slavery, the eugenics movement, and the Ku Klux Klan, and the ways in which it is morally wrong.”[6]

Right-wing lawmakers in 15 states are passing legislation that will require public school teachers to teach a nationalist narrative of history, which ignores the genocidal, racist, sexist, anti-immigrant and oppressive history of the United States. Specific legislation differs among the 15 states, but they all include a shared goal of banning the application of "critical race theory" in social studies instruction. This means teachers in Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and West Virginia will be restricted from—and in some cases fined for—teaching about the role of racism in shaping the legal system and creating economic disparity and achievement gaps.

An Iowa bill signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds prohibits certain "divisive" concepts in diversity training and school curriculum, such as teaching that the United States and Iowa are systemically racist. A separate bill by Rep. Skyler Wheeler would ban schools and colleges from using the 1619 Project or similar curriculum in U.S. history classes, with financial penalties for schools that use such material. The article notes that "the word ‘slavery’ is never even mentioned in Iowa Social Studies Standards."[4]

The Zinn Education Project documents that lawmakers in **at least 47 states** attempted (and in some cases succeeded) to pass legislation that would require teachers to **"lie to students about the role of racism, sexism, heterosexism, and oppression"** in U.S. history. Between January 2021 and April 2022, nearly **200 bills** were introduced across the U.S. to **ban the teaching of critical perspectives on the history of the United States**, including critical race theory and the 1619 Project. The article frames these efforts as part of "the fight to whitewash US history" and to "push back against ... reexaminations of the role that slavery and segregation have played in American history."

Sections on Black Lives Matter and slavery reparations have been removed from the exam and are now optional projects, while a new section on "Black Conservatism" has been added. The changes came after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis criticized the original Advanced Placement African-American Studies course as indoctrination and his administration said the course "significantly lacks educational value."

The American Jewish Committee report on politicization of K–12 classrooms notes that **right-wing activists** have advanced book bans, mandatory Bible instruction, and initiatives to teach "creation science," as well as **"restrictions on teaching about the history of American slavery."** It situates these actions within broader efforts by political movements on the right and left to imprint their convictions onto public school curricula, emphasizing that right-wing campaigns often seek to constrain or reshape how slavery and race are presented to students.

Over the past ten years, a minimum of 20 states have enacted legislation or implemented policies that limit the manner in which history is instructed in educational institutions. Since his inauguration in January, President Trump has escalated efforts through executive orders designed to alter the portrayal of U.S. history, impacting not just classroom instruction but also some of the country's most renowned museums. These efforts are part of a broader push by conservatives to reshape how American history—particularly on issues of race and slavery—is taught.

NPR reports that in states across the country, laws have been passed or introduced restricting what teachers can discuss regarding race, sexual orientation, gender identity and political ideologies. These measures include limits on topics such as slavery and socialism, and are largely driven by Republican lawmakers concerned about critical race theory and related concepts.[18]

The article describes "the right’s ideological war on education" in the U.S., highlighting curricula and materials promoted by conservative groups that **distort America’s racial history.** It points to controversial content such as an animated video in which Frederick Douglass is depicted conveying that **slavery was a "compromise"**, and discusses the role of organizations like **Moms for Liberty**, described as driving campaigns for book bans and restrictions on teaching about race, LGBTQ+ issues, and other topics in U.S. schools.

President Donald Trump’s Department of Education has announced that it will partner with right-wing think tanks and organizations to develop and spread what it claims is "patriotic education"—but which critics worry is nothing less than ahistorical propaganda—in American schools across the nation. Earlier this week, the Trump administration redirected $137 million initially meant for programs aimed at minority students toward what it described as "American history and civics education." The money will be directed toward discretionary grants aimed at K-12 schools alongside the announcement of new civics curriculum and programs being drawn up by the 250 Civics Education Coalition—a consortium of more than 40 right-wing groups. The goal, McMahon said, was to advance education that "emphasizes a unifying and uplifting portrayal of the nation’s founding ideals."

This background item reflects widely reported trends in U.S. education policy: multiple **conservative-led state governments** and allied advocacy groups have pursued legislation and standards that **restrict or reframe teaching about slavery**, often by banning or discouraging use of materials like the 1619 Project, limiting discussion of systemic racism, or requiring "patriotic" narratives that emphasize founding principles over the centrality of slavery. These efforts are typically organized through state-level legislative caucuses, national conservative policy networks, and parent groups (e.g., Moms for Liberty), indicating a **coordinated right-leaning movement to reshape how slavery and race are presented** rather than isolated actions by single individuals.

Now, about a half dozen states have introduced legislation to prevent the teaching of Critical Race Theory in public schools. Some are attempting to ban the use of the 1619 Project, which aims to include the legacy of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans as a focal point. If these legislators are successful, teachers within those states would be blocked from teaching about how "race" itself was socially constructed for the purpose of oppressing minorities, and banned from engaging students in discussions and research on systemic racism throughout the fabric of America.

Conservative lawmakers are asking the Biden administration to abandon curriculum like the "1619 Project," which they say fabricates American history, in school grant programs. In a letter, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and 37 Republicans urged Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to withdraw a proposal to provide federal grants to states and local schools for using tools like the 1619 Project, arguing that such materials present a distorted view of U.S. history and slavery.