Potential changes in N.C. AP U.S. history curriculum

Henry McKeand
Staff Writer

The North Carolina School Board started discussing whether or not to change the state’s AP U.S. History curriculum this past Monday.  The curriculum has been accused by some of pushing a liberal agenda and not portraying America in a positive enough light.  Opponents of the current curriculum say that in an attempt to balance out the course, the College Board has not put enough focus on American Exceptionalism and certain documents from the nation’s past. 

A critic of the course, Larry Krieger, says that the professors who created the curriculum “…had an agenda.  We've already alluded to it.  Basically, they saw America not as an exceptional nation but as one nation among many in a global society.”  On the other hand, many people believe that pushing the message that America is a superior nation would be irresponsible.  Defenders of the course say that it is necessary to focus on America’s successes as well as failures, such as slavery and the treatment of the natives.  “I believe that the exceptional part of US history is that we are allowed to teach free thought,” says AP US History teacher Herbert Thomas.  However, Krieger argues that the terms “… ‘Rigid racial hierarchy’, ‘white supremacy’ are presented as facts.  They are not presented as nuanced statements.  The framework is not balanced.”

There has also been controversy over a lack of focus on documents from the nation’s past, such as The Declaration of Independence and the Mayflower Compact.  Critics say that more attention should be paid to these historical sources.  When he started teaching, Thomas says that the curriculum was, “…more expansive.  There was more emphasis on the history and documents.  However, the curriculum is strictly a guideline.  I am teaching the course the same.”  The Founding Principles Act, a 2011 state law, requires schools to give students a semester-long class that introduces them to specific historic documents and ideas.  Whether or not the current standards meet the law is up to debate and will be decided by the State Board.