Florida's New History Course Criticized for Whitewashing Slavery and Founders

Florida has introduced a new high school history course designed as a conservative alternative to the Advanced Placement U.S. History curriculum. Governor Ron DeSantis and state education officials have criticized the standard AP course as ideologically biased, arguing it undermines patriotism by focusing on negative aspects of American history such as slavery and indigenous genocide. The new curriculum asserts that the U.S. Constitution is an antislavery document and portrays founding fathers like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson as opponents of slavery, despite historical evidence of their ownership of enslaved people. Critics, including mainstream historians and the author of this analysis, condemn the course as right-wing propaganda that distorts historical facts to foster nationalism rather than critical thinking. This initiative is part of a broader three-year campaign to reshape education in Florida, potentially influencing other Republican-led states through the FACT program. The article argues that this approach erases complex historical realities and serves political goals by creating a compliant public, contrasting sharply with scholarly consensus that views the Constitution as a compromise protecting slaveholding interests.