The Alamo’s heroes were nearly scrubbed from the politically correct Texas school curriculum by the Texas State Board of Education, which only backed off its proposal on Wednesday after a huge outcry.
For several months the board has been working to “streamline” its social studies curriculum standards, and in April submitted recommendations to revise classroom teaching plans to the State Board of Education, The Texas Tribune reported.
A working group proposed removing references to “all the heroic defenders” at the Alamo from the curriculum, stating the word “heroic” was “a value charged word” and that “defenders” was vague and imprecise.
The board also called for the removal of a letter Lt. Col. William B. Travis wrote just before the siege “because the specific reference was repetitive and unnecessary since it is impossible to teach the siege of the Alamo without teaching about the letter and its contents,” according to The Texas Tribune.
The ordeal drew attention when the Texas Monthly highlighted the proposal in a recent article, igniting backlash from the public.
The proposal drew protests from state politicians, leading to a vote Wednesday by the board to maintain the references, The Washington Times reported.
Gov. Greg Abbott turned to social media to campaign against the proposal.
“Stop political correctness in our schools,” he tweeted. “Of course Texas schoolchildren should be taught that Alamo defenders were ‘Heroic’! I fully expect the State Board of Education to agree.”
Rep. Ted Poe appeared before the board on Tuesday to question how Texas history could be taught without Lt. Col. William B. Travis’ letter, the Times noted.
He said there was “no doubt the people of Texas will stand in defiance, just as Lt. Col. Travis did and fight this ridiculous recommendation like only Texans can do.”
Stephen Cure, a historian and member of the working group, defended the board’s decision, blaming the uproar on a misunderstanding and “faulty journalism,” The Texas Tribune noted.
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