Donald Trump does not support Florida’s six-week ban on abortion. Here is Politico: Donald Trump says he doesn’t support the six-week abortion ban put in place by former ally Gov. Ron DeSantis in the former president’s adopted home state. But […]
Florida
“Popular information”
An alleged Christian Nationalist training program for Florida public school teachers may be a nothing-burger after all.
The Author’s Corner with Mauricio Castro
Mauricio Castro is Assistant Professor of History and Chair of Latin American Studies at Centre College. This interview is based on his new book, Only a Few Blocks to Cuba: Cold War Refugee Policy, the Cuban Diaspora, and the Transformation […]
Florida replaces sociology with a “factual” U.S. history survey course
Here is Praveena Somasundaram and Hannah Natanson at The Washington Post: Florida will no longer allow a sociology course to count toward students’ graduation requirements at state universities, replacing it with a class that officials say will teach “factual history” in a […]
Will we see a DeSantis vengeance tour?
A lot of Ron DeSantis loyalists turned on him during his presidential election bid and threw support behind Donald Trump. Now that DeSantis is out the race, and still has three more years left as governor of Florida, will he […]
The American Historical Association responds to the Florida African American history standards
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 […]
John McWhorter on the Florida African American history curriculum
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 […]
Did the enslaved “benefit” from slavery?
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 […]
Ron DeSantis to evangelicals: “Put on the full armor of God”
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. […]
A Florida professor responds to the history wars in his state
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 […]
The American Association of University Professors on academic freedom in Florida
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 […]
Ron DeSantis: Tampa suburbanite and Ivy Leaguer
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 […]
What would early 20th century Tampa cigar workers think about Ron DeSantis’s “working class roots”?
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 […]
Liberty University gives Ron DeSantis an honorary doctorate in the humanities
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: […]
Episode 54: “Respecting life, but not all costs”
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 […]
Is Florida a “bridge between the American and Israeli people?”
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 […]
Who is Chris Rufo?
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 […]
A massive blob is coming for Ron DeSantis!
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 […]
How U.S. history textbook publishers are catering to Florida’s “anti-woke” laws
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 […]
A message to Florida Republicans: Stop using the Western canon as a political pawn
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 […]