In Texas’ schools, the study of our history is under assault by academic elites and education bureaucrats under the guise of multiculturalism and political correctness.

The great Roman historian Tacitus once penned, “This I regard as history's highest function, to let no worthy action be uncommemorated, and to hold out the reprobation of posterity as a terror to evil words and deeds.” In short, we owe it to ourselves to respect and honor our history.

Unfortunately the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board doesn’t see it that way. They have developed college readiness standards for the high school curriculum that represent an assault on our nation, its principles and people.

As a veteran classroom teacher, I am sadden by “standards” that abandon the instruction of history and replace it with a vague collection of feel-good “diverse human perspectives and experiences.” If enacted, no longer will our history be taught as it really happened.

America’s greatest generation, our World War II veterans are dying at a rate of 1,000 per day. Sadly, you won’t find mention of their heroic deeds in the proposed social science standards. What you will find is a recommendation that our students explain the impact of World War II on the African-American and Mexican-American Civil Rights Movements, how the policies changed our economy, and whether the decision to drop the atomic bombs was correct. Our high school students will now study the impact of WW II, but not the war itself.

Further, students must evaluate the impact of the Industrial Revolution and rapid urbanization “on the environment.” Where is the standard that asks one to evaluate the quality of life in America before and after industrialization? Our scholars in high school will be figuring out much deeper problems, like “how climate change might affect the US economy.” So, the Industrial Revolution is out and global warming is in.

Not yet convinced? The new standards have no mention of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, or the Magna Carta. But what did make the list was a recommendation that students listen to Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech and summarize the five main points. A worthy exercise, but more so than discussions about our first president?

What the standards do is to provide an “approach” to questions under the guise of making the students believe that they are developing their own conclusions. You will not find in these standards a question asks students to learn about the beautiful melting pot that is America; but our students will study “xenophobia and its impact on immigration policies in the United States.”

Our students will not learn about the Judeo-Christian values that were the foundation of our nation, but they will “analyze how conflicting religious values create social conflict in local communities.” Students will not learn about how the United States has stood as a beacon of liberty for the world, but they will learn about various “civil rights” cases, including Lawrence v. Texas which mandated an end to anti-sodomy laws.

There were few things I enjoyed more about teaching American history than covering the Declaration of Independence. From the philosophy of John Locke to the poetic words of Thomas Jefferson; from the faith in the idea that men had divine rights rather than mere secular privileges, to the notion that liberty was an institution for which all men yearned.

Now, under these proposed standards, our children will no longer hear any of that. Instead they will “analyze the Declaration of Independence from the perspective of men and women, and people of Native American, European, and African descent.” In other words, the Declaration of Independence was merely a document wrought with chauvinism, racism, and could just as easily be viewed as a “declaration of treason” by the British.

Texas parents must stand up to this erosion of our historical standards. The Higher Education Coordinating Board is accepting public comments online now through December 10th at www.thecb.state.tx.us. In the words of Tacitus, “Noble character is best appreciated in those ages in which it can most readily develop.”

We must teach our students integrity, leadership and character and use the heroic figures in our history as models. If we allow skeptics to re-write our history, we sentence our greatest patriots to death through their expulsion from our history books.

Michael Pearce is a member of Americans for Prosperity and taught history and social studies for 10 years in Texas schools. He is the founder of MVP Education Products, a computer-based education curriculum for history students.