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Florida

The American Historical Association responds to the Florida African American history standards

John Fea   |  August 29, 2023

Here is AHA Executive Director Jim Grossman: The Florida Board of Education approved new standards of instruction in African American history on July 19, 2023. A firestorm of protest erupted immediately from a range of public figures (including the vice president of...

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John McWhorter on the Florida African American history curriculum

John Fea   |  August 4, 2023

I took a little heat for my take on the Florida African American history controversy. Last month I wrote: The standards were much better than I expected. If I was a high school teacher in Florida I could easily work...

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Did the enslaved “benefit” from slavery?

John Fea   |  July 22, 2023

Here is CBS News: Florida’s 2023 Social Studies curriculum will include lessons on how “slaves developed skills” that could be used for “personal benefit,” according to a copy of the state’s academic standards reviewed by CBS News.  The lessons in question fall...

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Ron DeSantis to evangelicals: “Put on the full armor of God”

John Fea   |  June 24, 2023

Florida governor Ron DeSantis spoke yesterday at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority Conference. DeSantis’s speech might be titled, “Woke, Woke, Woke.” It seems like DeSantis was given more time than the other presidential candidates who spoke yesterday....

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A Florida professor responds to the history wars in his state

John Fea   |  May 24, 2023

On April 22, 2022, Florida governor Ron DeSantis signed House Bill (HB) 7. The “Individual Freedom” bill: Provides that subjecting individuals to specified concepts under certain circumstances constitutes discrimination based on race, color, sex, or national origin; revising requirements for...

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The American Association of University Professors on academic freedom in Florida

John Fea   |  May 24, 2023

Today the American Association of University Professors released the “Preliminary Report of the Special Committee on Academic Freedom and Florida.” You can read it here. Here is the opening paragraph: In January 2023, the AAUP announced the establishment of a...

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Ron DeSantis: Tampa suburbanite and Ivy Leaguer

John Fea   |  May 4, 2023

Florida governor Ron DeSantis, a Yale and Harvard graduate, likes to tout his place-based working class roots. Writer Paul Waldman is having none of it. Here is a taste of Waldman’s piece at The Washington Post: Presidential candidates do lots of...

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What would early 20th century Tampa cigar workers think about Ron DeSantis’s “working class roots”?

John Fea   |  May 2, 2023

As Shawn Gude writes at Jacobin: “May Day is not a holiday for Florida governor Ron DeSantis, much as he might pose as a working-class champion. For a more robust vision of freedom, we can look to the Florida Socialists...

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Liberty University gives Ron DeSantis an honorary doctorate in the humanities

John Fea   |  April 16, 2023

Ron DeSantis was at Liberty University on Friday morning. Watch: When I first heard that DeSantis was speaking at Liberty University, I thought that he might announce his presidential candidacy there. That didn’t happen, but here’s what did happen. 27:31:...

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Episode 54: “Respecting life, but not all costs”

John Fea   |  April 4, 2023

A Catholic expert on right-to-die cases testifies at the Terri Schiavo trial. Episode 54: “Respecting life, but not at all costs’ dropped today. Subscribers to Current at the Longshore level and above have access to new episodes of this narrative history podcast. To listen...

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Is Florida a “bridge between the American and Israeli people?”

John Fea   |  March 28, 2023

Ron DeSantis seems to think so. He is heading to Israel next month because this is what GOP presidential candidates do these days to secure the evangelical vote. The following press release says “At a time of unnecessarily strained relations...

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Who is Chris Rufo?

John Fea   |  March 25, 2023

He was virtually unknown until he appeared on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show in September 2020 to attack critical race theory. At the time he was a “fellow” at the Discovery Institute, a conservative think tank best known for its...

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A massive blob is coming for Ron DeSantis!

John Fea   |  March 18, 2023

But is it “woke”? 🙂 OK, the blob is not coming specifically for DeSantis. But it is coming for Florida. Here is Jackie Wattles at CNN: A gargantuan mass of seaweed that formed in the Atlantic Ocean is headed for...

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How U.S. history textbook publishers are catering to Florida’s “anti-woke” laws

John Fea   |  March 17, 2023

Here is a taste of Sarah Mervosh’s piece at The New York Times: In an attempt to cater to Florida, at least one publisher made significant changes to its materials, walking back or omitting references to race, even in its...

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A message to Florida Republicans: Stop using the Western canon as a political pawn

John Fea   |  March 16, 2023

Roosevelt Montás directs Columbia University’s Freedom and Citizenship program. Annie Abrams is a public school teacher. They believe that Florida governor Ron DeSantis and one of his lackeys, Christopher Rufo, are “destroying” liberal arts education. Here is a taste of their...

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Conservative culture warriors love Antonio Gramsci

John Fea   |  March 14, 2023

For several years now conservatives, and especially the Christian Right, have been warning their followers about the influence of “cultural Marxism.” One of their favorite bogeymen is Mussolini-era Italian communist Antonio Gramsci. Here, for example, is Christian right purveyor of...

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A defender of liberalism and academic freedom opposes Ron DeSantis’s “anti-woke” agenda

John Fea   |  March 8, 2023

Here is a clip from the end of Florida governor Ron DeSantis’s “State of the State” yesterday: I’ll let writer and political scientist Yascha Mounk, a defender of liberal values and academic freedom, take it from here. His recent piece...

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Florida’s HB 999 is not about free speech or academic freedom, it’s about politics

John Fea   |  February 27, 2023

Last week the Florida House of Representatives introduced House Bill 999: “An act relating to public postsecondary educational institutions.” Read it here. Here are some of the details Here are some of my takeaways:...

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Ron DeSantis wrote a book about the founding fathers

John Fea   |  February 23, 2023

The full title is Dreams From Our Founding Fathers: First Principles in the Age of Obama. Historian David Waldstreicher read it. Here is a taste of his piece at The Atlantic: History works for Ron Desantis as an argument. It would...

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John McWhorter on the AP African American Studies course

John Fea   |  February 17, 2023

Earlier this month the College Board removed a few writers, ideas, and subjects from its AP African American Studies course. The Board removed lessons on Black queer studies, intersectionality, the Black Lives Matter Movement, Black feminist literary thought, the reparations...

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