(New York, NY) — President Trump Thursday outlined his intention to craft a “patriotic education” and a “pro-American curriculum.” The move comes after the president’s criticism of The New York Times’ Pulitzer-winner “1619 Project.” PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel said the following:
“The prospect of this White House dictating an America First curriculum to schools across the country should send chills down the spines of all who value academic freedom and open inquiry. This effort to ignite a culture war over our country’s heritage is polarizing, ideologically driven, and inimical to the spirit of interrogation and debate that should animate a history classroom. There is much to be proud of in America’s past, as well as important chapters that rightly elicit anger and shame. Our students need to be taught our history in its totality, based on the judgments of professional educators, not the diktats of a president who is trying to ram his warped vision down the throats of a rising generation.”