Fox News
Expand
Browse All Video
Watch Live

You're watching...

Is American exceptionalism up for debate?

Details

  • Description

    Battle over how American history should be taught

  • Duration 4:22
  • Date

Clips

Also in this playlist...

Editor's Picks

Auto-advance: ON

Auto-advance
View All

Transcript

This transcript is automatically generated

Is American exceptional -- up for debate it is in Nebraska were a battle over how American history.

Should be -- to schoolchildren is underway right now in initial draft which would set statewide standards.

Left out the founding fathers.

Like George Washington downplayed American exceptional of them.

Any Clinton guidelines that suggested manmade global warming was in fact fact.

Joining us now is John -- he's -- Nebraska's school board member good morning with the -- value.

I am good now when.

Tell me what this is about this is a set of standards.

Four -- civics history.

Geography.

In the state and Nebraska.

And what you uncovered was the fact that founding fathers like George Washington Ben Franklin.

Were left out.

Of these standards tell us about that.

Yes it it goes partly -- the idea of are we teaching concepts or memorizing facts.

And I believe that you have to know a certain amount of factual information.

Before you can talk intelligently.

About a concept.

If you don't know who Abraham Lincoln is in Stephen Douglas and what the states are how can you talk intelligently about the civil war.

But in terms of the concept of -- you thought they were getting the concepts.

All -- you believe that it was important to stress the notion of American exceptional -- as opposed to the notion of globalism.

Is distress that America is really the rest tell us about that.

Absolutely I do believe America is an exceptional nation.

And we need to teach that we are the the home of equality and freedom that's white people come here people are lined up to come here.

And that's a very important concept that we needed to teach our our young students -- are students of any age.

What else was left out and why do you think -- these almost political determinations were made about.

Something that should be is simple an objective.

As the retelling of American history.

Well some of the things that were left out.

What -- well let me let me say one of the things that we should we should be.

The idea that all cultures are not equal or that are equal and I do not believe that all cultures and all beliefs are equal.

One of the examples in the world herald we just talked there was an article Monday.

About a woman in Afghanistan.

Killed in an honor killing supposedly.

Four -- committing adultery while a hundred men stood and cheered.

This was not the first instance there's been 58 of these killings in the last three months in Afghanistan.

This is not an idea.

Of equal value or -- Validity.

To American beliefs and I think that we need to -- there is a right and wrong.

And that is that this concept of all ideas and all beliefs are equal is is not a valid concept.

Why is it not a valid.

Concept is part of history having respect for other cultures.

For other versions.

Of history.

How did they -- and.

Wrong with it in such as severe weigh in in Nebraska and what do you to be doing going forward to make sure it doesn't happen again.

Well and I don't know that we are wrong we we are this is in the draft standard and that's.

Part of why we're having that this discussion salute them so that we get the drafts right we've had tremendous input.

The these ideas were were brought to me by constituents there are things that we've been talking about I've been talking about.

I just.

I just think that there are some ideas we need to teach that there are good ideas and and some ideas that are not so good.

Mr.

Sheila thanks for joining us this boy let us know how how you do on this process going forward.

We reached out Saddam and -- -- -- administrative curriculum for comment but we did not hear back.

Load More