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Thursday, Jan 13, 2011 11:14 PM UTC

Tennessee Tea Parties demand textbooks contain no mean things about Founding Fathers

If they get their way, history books won't say anything about "intruding on the Indians or having slaves"

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Topics: Tea Parties, War Room, 2010 Elections, American History,

Tennessee Tea Parties demand textbooks contain no mean things about Founding FathersGeorge Washington is the figure standing on the dais. The central figures of the portrait are Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin and James Madison. Painting by Howard Chandler Christy (1873-1952).

For a bunch of people who worship the Founders and like to play dress-up American Revolutionary War, Tea Partyers sure hate knowing anything remotely reality-based about the Founding Fathers. Tennessee Tea Party groups have introduced a proposal to take what few minorities there are in American history textbooks out of American history textbooks, along with any negative portrayals of the wealthy white men who led this young nation in its infancy.

At a press conference, two dozen activists presented their proposals — I’m sorry, their “demands” — for the new state legislative session. Among them are sweeping changes to school materials that they probably have not actually read.

Take it away, awful person:

The material calls for lawmakers to amend state laws governing school curriculums, and for textbook selection criteria to say that “No portrayal of minority experience in the history which actually occurred shall obscure the experience or contributions of the Founding Fathers, or the majority of citizens, including those who reached positions of leadership.”

Fayette County attorney Hal Rounds, the group’s lead spokesman during the news conference, said the group wants to address “an awful lot of made-up criticism about, for instance, the founders intruding on the Indians or having slaves or being hypocrites in one way or another.”

OK, but … I mean … those guys did a lot of “intruding” and slave-owning, is the thing.

Meanwhile, in North Carolina, they’re just openly rolling back school desegregation. (Which is, I guess, more honest than quietly rolling back school desegregation, like everywhere else in the country.)

Alex Pareene

Alex Pareene writes about politics for Salon and is the author of "The Rude Guide to Mitt." Email him at apareene@salon.com and follow him on Twitter @pareene More Alex Pareene.

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