1 State Dominates National Education About Bill of Rights & Constitution
As lawyers argue about the intent of the drafters of the Constitution and judges mull the issue before deciding civil rights cases, a little-noticed phenomenon also has significant influence on the nation’s understanding of the fundamental principles underlying American law.
That is the influence of the Texas State Board of Education on publishers of elementary and high school textbooks, according to the New York Times.
In an upcoming New York Times Magazine article, the newspaper describes the process by which the board decides what subjects should—and should not—be discussed in the 48 million textbooks it purchases and distributes annually, as well as the state’s major influence on the content of schoolbooks nationwide. Among current hot topics: the Christian beliefs of the nation’s founders, and the degree to which the founders truly intended to separate church and state.
“Many of us recognize that Judeo-Christian principles were the basis of our country and that many of our founding documents had a basis in Scripture,” says Gail Lowe, who chairs the Texas board. “As we try to promote a better understanding of the Constitution, federalism, the separation of the branches of government, the basic rights guaranteed in the Bill of Rights, I think it will become evident to students that the founders had a religious motivation.”
