Breakdown:

1. Introduction: The Battle for Historical Truth
   • Open with the central idea that the history of slavery and white supremacy is under attack by a well-organized conservative movement.
   • Explain the deliberate attempts to erase or whitewash the reality of slavery in American history and why this is dangerous for future generations.
2. Textbooks and the Whitewashing of Slavery
   • Discuss how American textbooks have historically falsified, downplayed, and distorted the truth about slavery.
   • Provide examples of textbooks referring to enslaved people as “workers” or “immigrants,” and highlight the absurdity and danger of such language.
   • Mention specific instances like the Texas textbook controversies and the harmful trope of the “happy slave” perpetuated in children’s literature.
3. The Pushback Against Accurate History
   • Detail efforts to challenge more accurate discussions of slavery, including resistance to the 1619 Project.
   • Discuss how Republican lawmakers have tried to ban the teaching of the 1619 Project and deny funding to schools that use it, framing this as part of a larger effort to suppress difficult truths about slavery.
4. The 1776 Commission and Patriotic Education
   • Introduce Trump’s 1776 Commission as a counter-effort to the 1619 Project, which aimed to create a “patriotic” pro-America narrative in schools.
   • Analyze the 1776 Commission’s goal of downplaying slavery and erasing the violent history of colonization, while promoting an idealized version of American history.
   • Mention Biden’s cancellation of the 1776 Commission but emphasize that the push for “patriotic education” still continues in several states.
5. Attacking Critical Race Theory
   • Highlight the conservative attack on Critical Race Theory, particularly in states like Tennessee, Texas, and Oklahoma.
   • Explain that Critical Race Theory is about critically analyzing the role of race in American history, not a “theory” but a framework for understanding systemic racism.
6. Florida’s Role in Distorting Slavery’s History
   • Provide examples from Florida, where lawmakers have attempted to teach that slavery had “positive benefits” and silenced any classroom discussions that make white students uncomfortable.
   • Emphasize that history should not be “comfortable” and that grappling with difficult truths is necessary for understanding the past.
7. The Importance of Teaching Hard History
   • Argue that teaching the real history of slavery is essential, despite its discomfort.
   • Quote historian Hassan Kwame Jeffries, who explains why slavery is “hard history” and the importance of confronting the violence, inhumanity, and ideology of white supremacy.
8. Conservatives’ Agenda: A New Narrative
   • Summarize the conservative agenda to reshape history by downplaying slavery’s brutality and pushing a narrative that slavery wasn’t that bad or wasn’t even slavery.
   • Explain that this new narrative is a dangerous lie that seeks to erase the lasting impact of slavery and white supremacy in today’s world.
9. Conclusion: The Responsibility to Teach the Truth
   • Reinforce the responsibility of educators to research, teach, and preserve the real history of slavery and white supremacy, even though it is difficult.
   • End with a call to action for all history teachers to commit to teaching “hard history” because confronting these truths is crucial for understanding both the past and the present.